Perfumes of the 1960s: The iconic bottles and bold scents you might remember
At the start of the ’60s, popular perfumes from earlier decades still held strong. Chanel No. 5, Miss Dior, and Arpege remained steady favorites, offering a familiar sense of sophistication. Youth Dew by Estée Lauder, introduced in the ’50s, also continued to thrive thanks to its rich, spicy scent and its new marketing approach as a bath oil with fragrance benefits. These perfumes were style markers for women who remembered the glamour of the ’40s and ’50s but were ready to try something new.
By the mid-decade, perfume started getting a little younger. Caline by Jean Patou debuted in 1964, made specifically for teenage girls — a brand-new concept at the time. Meanwhile, companies like Dana and Coty kept launching approachable, affordable scents like Tabu, Ambush, and Imprevu, which often came in gift sets and colorful bottles. Drugstore counters became a place where younger women could experiment with identity through scent, whether they chose something soft like White Shoulders or dramatic like Tigress.
Design mattered too. Perfume bottles in the ’60s were eye-catching and creative. Some were sleek and modern, others ornate and romantic. Companies like Guerlain and Fabergé treated their packaging like art, which made these bottles a common sight on bedroom vanities. Even the advertising told a story–some perfume ads played it romantic, others leaned into quirky, bold messages that reflected a fast-changing world.
Below, we’ve collected dozens of photos, ads and vintage bottles to help you remember these classic scents — or discover them for the first time.
SEE MORE: Perfumes of the 70s | From the 1980s | From the 1990s
Popular perfumes in the 1960s, in alphabetical order
4711 eau de cologne varieties from 1960
Ambush perfume by Dana (1963 bottle)
Ambush perfume by Dana (1965 bottle)
Aquamarine by Revlon floral fragrance spray mist (1963)
Arpege by Lanvin (1963)
Avon gift perfume spray essence bottles from the 60s
Avon perfume from the 1960s
Blue Grass – Elizabeth Arden 60s fragrance collection (1963)
Caline perfume by Jean Patou (1966)
Captured by Faberge perfume and cologne (1969)
Chant D’Aromes perfume by Guerlain (1963)
Chantilly by Houbigant (c1962)
Chantilly by Houbigant (1968)
Chantilly eau de toilette spray mist (1965)
“Are you woman enough to wear Chantilly?”
ALSO SEE: See top vintage nail polish colors & retro brands
Christian Dior – Diorling eau de cologne (1966)
Crepe de Chine perfume by F Millot (1969)
Eau de Crepe de Chine (1968)
Dana perfume sprays (1963)
Fragrances shown: Emil, Platine, Tabu, 20 Carats, and Ambush
Ecusson parfum by Jean D’Albret (1966)
“A truly haunting perfume”
Elan perfume from Coty (1968)
“It would take the average man a thousand days and nights to describe the American woman. Coty did it in one fluid ounce. Elan. Our tribute to the American woman.”
Emeraude parfum de Coty (1965)
Estee Super Perfume by Estee Lauder (1969)
Fame de Corday fragrance gift set (1967)
Fidji perfume from Guy Laroche (c1969)
Flambeau Iced Cologne – solid cologne like a popsicle from Faberge (1969)
Fleurs de Rocaille for women by Caron (1968)
Germaine Montiel Royal Secret Fragrance Series (1966)
ALSO SEE: Remember these 70s shampoos? Retro brands so good, you can almost smell ’em
Golden Autumn cologne-perfume by Prince Matchabelli (1965)
Guerlain fragrance and perfume bottles (1967)
Vintage glass perfume bottles shown: Chant D’Aromes, Shalimar, L’Heure Bleue, Sous le Vent, Jicky, Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit, Shalimar (in small rosebud bottle)
Heaven Sent by Helena Rubenstein (1968)
Hypnotique fragrance by Max Factor (1960)
Hypnotique gift set (1967)
Imprevu parfum de Coty (1966)
Intimate parfum from Revlon (1965)
Jean Nate fragrance splash (1965)
L’Air du Temps Mademoiselle Spray by Nina Ricci (1966)
“The romantic fragrance by Nina Ricci Paris, in a special new Lalique spray flacon — so young, so slim, so French it’s pure amour at $4.”
DON’T MISS: What were the best colognes for men in the 60s & 70s? Here’s a look!
L’Heure Bleue fragrance for women by Guerlain (1966)
Madame Rochas perfume bottle (1969)
Vintage 60s Miss Dior perfume (1963)
Miss Balmain vintage perfume bottle (c1969)
Mitsouko by Guerlain 1965 perfume
Muguet des bois by Coty (1968)
Possession de Corday fragrance gift set (1967)
Promesse gift set from Max Factor (1967)
Red Lilac perfume by Lentheric (1962)
Red Roses spray mist by Yardley (1960)
Scent yourself at the touch of a button. Here’s fragrance in its most delightful, easiest-to-use form! A light touch on the button surrounds every inch of you with a lovely, lingering mist of your favorite Yardley scent. And there are hundreds of long-lasting sprays in each bottle.
Yours to enjoy, not only in the newest, Red Roses, but in four other famous Yardley fragrances. Yardley Spray also available in English Lavender, Bond Street, April Violets, Flair only $2 each (plus tax)
Réplique perfume: For interesting women (1965)
“Réplique will not turn you into a sultry, sexy siren. It will not transform you into a simple, unsullied ingénue [showing old Little Orphan Annie cartoon character]. Réplique is for women who are interesting to begin with.”
Shalimar by Guerlain cologne splash (1968)
Guerlain cologne. To splash before you spray. The very last thing you put on before you go out is perfume. Most women spray it on the wrists, behind the ears, at the base of the throat and at other pulse points.
But what about the rest of you? Your arms should smell as lovely as your wrists and throat. Your shoulders should wear the same scent that nestles behind your elbows and ears.
Cologne is to splash on lavishly after you bathe. To be used as a refreshant. To splash on before you get dressed. Then all of you will smell lovely. All the time. Shalimar, Chant d’Aromes, L’Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Vol de Nuit.
Shulton fragrance gift sets (1965)
Escapade, Desert Flower, Friendship Garden & Early American Old Spice fragrances
Soft Whisper bath and body fragrance by Tussy (1964)
Taji perfume and cologne (1967)
If no one compliments you on your perfume, perhaps it isn’t there. Even the most precious and costly of perfumes fly off and leave you flat. Taji was conceived not to linger for a few fleeting moments, but to last through day or night.
A delicately balanced blend of verdant florals, sophisticated herbs and other rare and rarely used scents, hauntingly beautiful Taji is what traditional perfumes are not. Taji is at last, a perfume that lasts.
Tigress perfume by Faberge (1968)
Tweed Mist by Lentheric (1962)
Tweed vintage fragrance bottles – Lentheric (1966)
Tweed fragrance for women from Lentheric (1969)
Get in the pink. Go with the pink. Pick up on pink-powered tweed. It’s the thing this Spring. And when the tweed you wear blushes with a pretty pinkness, it’s just bound to be Country Set’s new and kicky collection of dead-right wear-with-alls, inspired by Lentheric’s famous fashion-fragrance, Tweed.
Here is tweed by-the-yard with the brightness, the young exuberance that matches the special sparkle of the Tweed that pours from a bottle. That mmmarvelous Tweed by Lentheric! Spicy. Spirited. Fresh. Fern-y. A-brim with woodland scents and stirrings. With all the gay expectancy of the season itself.
So, pink up this Spring. Morning, noon and night, wear Lentheric’s Tweed and pink tweed. You may get everything (and everyone) you want.
Vivara parfum by Emilio Pucci (1969)
White Shoulders cologne atomizer bottle from Evyan (1969)
White Shoulders perfume by Evyan (1968)
White Shoulders perfume purse bottle from the 60s (1967)
Evyan fragrances available: White Shoulders – Most Precious – Great Lady – Golden Shadows
Woodhue 1960s fragrance from Faberge (1965)
SEE MORE: Perfumes of the 70s | From the 1980s | From the 1990s
One Response
I’m searching for information on California Girl Dusting Powder by Clairol & cannot find anything on the scent notes from 1968.