What are Chypre perfumes?

Chypre perfumes (pronounced [ʃipʁ] or [ʃipχ]) are marked by a blend composed of citrus top notes, a middle with labdanum, and a base note with oakmoss. The term Chypre is french and means Cyprus.

In 1917 perfumer François Coty created a perfume of the same name. The fragrance materials came mainly from Mediterranean countries. The sharp scent is based on the harmony of oakmoss, labdanum, patchouli and bergamot.

Coty's perfume ‘Chypre’ became the most popular example of an entire fragrance family, even though fragrances of comparable style had actually been developed all through the 19th century.

Generally, the Chypre idea is characterized by the distinction between the refreshing citrus scents and the woody-oakmoss base; frequently patchouli is considered as an essential element also. Chypre perfumes were very expensive due to the oakmoss.

At the time of François Coty oakmoss was a really expensive ingredient. Nowadays it is almost always used in synthetic form, which gives perfumers much more options.

Usually, the chypre accord is used both in male and female perfumes.

There many subclasses of Chypre perfumes like Woody Chypre, Fruity Chypre, Green Chypre, Fresh Chypre, Floral Chypre, Chypre Leather etc.

Some different main fragrance classes in addition to chypre perfumes are fougères, orientals, gourmands and florals.