Joy

I love buying vintage bottles of this and layering it with Royal Oud or other strong masculine fragrances.

No Arpege, no Chanel N°5 in comparisons? Strange. It is definitely a sister. Less aldehydic but clearly abstract. On second place a pink rose, with jasmine background. I bought it based on Fragrantica article on Marilyn Monroe choices -Joy was one of them. In childhood I so loved to watch her in the old movies. Such an icon, with impeccable, feminine taste. If only for this reason I bought it. My 3 sprays of it are drowned by my hair conditioner. It is not a strong scent! Out of the classics I own this is the most delicate. It is delicate, high pitched and less complex than the Chanel. Less abstract and more floral but still, abstract. One might call it heavenly and angelic. It has a warm touch, too, of sandalwood. Used in summer on a rather cold day it seems fitting. It surrounds me in the scent of fresh, pink rose petals. I would not be surprised if this was Marilyn's choice for warm weather. The floral notes are very naturalistic, without any sugar added. It is fragile like porcelaine.

yes, what is it with JOY ? what makes it such fabulous perfume. I remember walking through the Hague, where there was about the only luxe parfumery which carried Jean Patou. (also for the wives of ministers etc. you had also a dépendance from Chanel in a chique Clothes Warehouse: 'Fred van Wordragen' and I always had to laugh when he stood amongst the other Chanel shops worldwide as 'fredvanwordragen' 'the hague'. ) well there I bought my Creeds, JOY, maquillage from Terry de Gunzberg, never Floris which perfumes smelled all diluted to me, as from Penhaligons and Lorenzo Villorezi. not my cup of tea. well I was walking through the Hague with my father and his girlfriend (that must have been in 2002) and I had secretly spritzed some perfume while in a toilet... what a whiff of civet, Roses and Jasmine not only almost choked me, but also my dad with his excellent nose. I directly recognized the exquisiteness and superiority. but not to Chanel No5. they could be twinsisters. it was quite an experience. I remember you had the gold labeled Edp (which I had) but also Vaporisateurs with either 50 or 100mL e d t or e d p. now I have stocked up on Joy and '1000', but not bc Dior brought out 'Joy in Dior' or whatever the fuck it was called. I never believed they would abhort JOY nor '1000'. these perfumes are still selling like crazy. JOY is so special because TONS of roses and jasmines are thrown up to your nostrils and it is just a mesmerizing feeling of delight and chicness. also Tuberose and Ylang-Ylang. JOY and No5 have much in common but I think No5 is still more genially blended. the representatives from Patou teased that Joy contained more Roses and Jasmine. yes but then we have also the Art of Perfumery. and I have really smelled Chanel No5 in 1974 (she was 50 years old) and with the pissy note of civet. Madame Chanel was a devil. and Patou was a riottous queer. (I am too) these are two legendary perfumes.

I must have bought a fake, even if from a reputable retailer but.. my Joy is smelling faintly of jasmine and that would be it. Almost undetectable 😳

The current reviews are pretty spot on for this one and I really have nothing more to add for a review. But my comment is this: I do want to say that alone I really get the "dated" feel being that this is such a classic. On a whim tonight, I decided to layer this with Vanilla 28 and the scent profile of these two together (sprayed in different locations) transforms that dated vibe into a modern take. Reminds me of the many popular vanilla forward fragrances with that floral blend.

Review based on a vintage EDT bottle, likely from the 90s. This is a hugely bold, dramatic floral fragrance. It's massive and forceful in a way that is unmistakably vintage—all brisk glamor. Like a vintage runway sketch; luxury clip-on earrings; the clamor of flash-bulb paparazzi outside a sleek limousine. The sheer intensity of the opening packs so much punch it reads spicy and slightly metallic at least as much as it reads floral. It's a hit to the nose that's as sharp and bright as the clash of cymbals. (Aldehydes are listed in the notes on many other websites, as they should be; they are very, very present.) Beneath that, I get hints of ylang-ylang and tuberose's trademark banana and bubblegum notes, but there's also something earthy and a bit vegetal that gives the composition a really intriguing edge. As Joy dries down, its floral brashness cedes just enough space for its base notes to make themselves felt, and the composition gradually shifts towards crisp, woody soapiness. I don't know if Joy makes me want to slip into something Art Deco and paint the town red, or shrug on some shoulder pads and wear my sunglasses at night, but it's a sleek, simmering time capsule either way.

The opening of Joy is indeed a happy rose, fully sweetened by a glad chorus of white florals, Later, only a faint shadow (musk?, santal?, something else?) embitters its blissful floral bouquet. Others speak of Joy's undeclared civet, that may well be it. The deeper drydown alone is actually fairly typical of many other softly traditional rose scents, such as Tea Rose or Les Tourterelles de Zelmis. So fair to say, Joy's odor profile is rather simple for such a legendary 'grande perfume". But then, Joy's reputation was always based more on the expense of its ingredients, than the genius of its design. Certainly, the actual cost of the floral absolutes (rose, jasmine, etc) in its original formula was among the more sincere flexes of prestige in perfume marketing history, ...though of course, later reformulations did partly substitute less expensive synthetic equivalents. All of. this is by way of saying, that the conception of Jean Patou's Joy is ultimately more ineffably glorious, that the scent itself, ...though by all means Joy is a most pleasantly acceptable rose-led white floral., One to at very least admire, if not wear. On the 'reminds me of' section, I see that some find similarity here with 3 Fleurs, ...but in truth, 3 Fleurs is the very opposite of this: a strongly white floral-leading fragrance, but one softly accented with sweet rose, ...and I must be honest, if ever forced to choose between the two; my nose finds much more to be joyful about in 3 Fleurs than in Joy itself.

I remember smelling Joy for the first time somewhere in the late seventies or early eighties. It must have been a promotional vial in one of those cute cards. It was like a supernova of fresh flowers, and like many people already stated: I'd never smelled anything like it. Why I didn't buy the perfume then, or put ut on my wish list for my birthday, I still don't know. But here we are, many years later, rekindling my love of perfumes, walking past TKMaxx and casting a fleeting glimpse in the window. What, Joy? Here? Buy, because even it's a third, fourth or umpteenth iteration it must still be good. It must be! Even if it's not sitting on a shelf in a perfume store where you already feel luxurious looking in the window and they treat you with all 'egards', something that would have been fitting for this brand and perfume, but tucked away between other sellout frags looking irreverent and tired in their dusty boxes. I rescued the 2 little bottles of 30 ml edt, because that's all they had. At home I first checked the batch numbers (as if bracing myself for impact). Turns out they 're probably from 2023. So, thinking I struck a planetoid made of pure diamonds is a bit grandiose, but would it be a lowly meteorite? Would it have been knocked out of orbit by IFRA? How much would it have morphed over time? Well people, I can reveal the current Joy is no supernova or giant space diamond, but it's still a glorious solar flare. A wonderful abundance of ripe white flowers, almost overripe, fresh, heady, warm, radiant. I get no civet-type smells. It wraps around me like curtains of Joyous Borealis and it stays there for a good 12 hours. Edt! Apparently my skin and this fragrance are made for each other. So, the current Joy may not match the memory I have of that first burst, pristine as only a memory can be, but to me it's still a shard of light and I love it so much I'm buying even more little bottles. Grab your ray while you can 😉 before the show's over.

I’ve only just received the fragrance (EDP, square bottle with a round plastic cap), and I already feel the urge to write about it. I’ve heard so much about these legendary perfumes. I bought it after reading numerous reviews, and I was also prepared to smell cat litter, public restrooms, and the like. I wanted to understand how jasmine can “behave” - purely for the sake of an olfactory experience, not because I enjoy such notes. I’ve often heard the opinion that Jean Patou tends to “sin” with indolic facets in its fragrances. Half a year ago, I bought the modern Sira des Indes by Jean Patou (released in 2006), and it was literally exuding the smell of cow manure (forgive me), and it never changed. So I was fully prepared for a similar experience with Joy. Of course, I would have loved a truly vintage vintage version from the 1940s–60s, but those are quite difficult and expensive to obtain. For testing purposes, I purchased a 30 ml splash from the 1980s. The liquid is clear, cognac-colored, and it came at a reasonable price. I even assumed it might already be damaged or spoiled, especially since it arrived without a box. I thought: it will arrive, I’ll try it, realize it’s “broken,” and that will be the end of my acquaintance with the fragrance The package arrived. I opened it, took out the bottle, unscrewed the cap, and applied it directly to my skin (quite generously - the neck is wide). I inhaled. The preservation is excellent: not a single off note, no indole at all. What I smell are rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, and tuberose. Yes, this combination is retro, but it sounds as if someone has just taken the pure essence of these real, fresh flowers and poured it straight into my little bottle. I’m so happy I ended up with a perfectly preserved specimen (which rarely happens to me - just recently I bought Balenciaga Paris to replace my nearly empty bottle, and it turned out to be spoiled, smelling like rancid sunscreen). Note. About half an hour after application, I wasn’t tired of the scent - I simply wanted to freshen up. The fragrance disappeared from my skin after a few splashes of water. In the shower, I wanted to understand how it would smell on warmed skin after water, but the perfume vanished completely. For me, this is a huge plus, because many vintage fragrances are impossible to wash off — not with soap, not with scrubs, not even with a brush. You’re already exhausted by them, yet they keep projecting. Here, a few splashes of water - and it’s gone. This made me even happier with my purchase. Postscript. I did a blind test on someone who doesn’t understand perfumery and doesn’t really smell flowers outdoors. They saw neither the bottle nor the name and knew nothing about the fragrance’s history. For them, it smelled “terrible - like feces.” As for me, I know how real ylang-ylang and blooming jasmine smell, and that’s why Joy smells beautifully floral to me.

This certainly is a scent that exists i guess…

Browsing around an antique shop today, I found a small vintage bottle of Joy about a quarter full. The liquid is dark but the perfume is still well intact with all the notes present. So rich and floral. For $20, this grand lady is coming home with me.

I will be somewhat difficult, - the "Joy" does not feel like an appropriate name to me (I beg forgiveness for this blasphemy from the gods of the perfumery and their acolytes LOL!), what I see is "Opulence" or "The One Who Must Be Obeyed" for this fragrance is a masterpiece and a titan of the old mixed into one. It opens strong with bright ylang-ylang, civet and honeyed rose. Projection can easily knock one off their feet and sillage is like a Baltic golden amber-coloured cloak which wraps around you in one swift motion. Tuberose is not that pronounced, but there is a juicy, over-ripe peach that is bursting with sweet and slightly sour flesh. The heart, led by the all-powerful and wild jasmine flows in unobstructed and assured into composition. This is jasmine as its most raw and carnal self - it conquers all around it, taking the centre stage. You need to give it some time to settle and "get comfortable". Once that happens, lily-of-the-valley, and Bulgarian rose come in. The pyramid places may rose at the heart, but I respectfully disagree. Bulgarian rose is the only one that can hold its own agains this wild jasmine, its sugared petals bright and taught, overflowing with its own distinct aroma. May rose would have retreated into the shadow long before, for it is too delicate and shy (as a flute against the golden trumpet). The dry down is a more settled floral, anchored by musk, with jasmine gently stepping back, LOTV playing the final accords and drawing the curtains. Longevity is beyond impressive, the fabrics seem to cling to the scent (rather than the other way around) with near desperation. You may feel it in the morning on your skin, glistening with gold speckles, as if winking at you about the events of the previous day that you shared. This floral perfume is very animalistic and raw in its soul. It is extremely well put together, with notes blended in, but distinct without becoming cacophonous or confusing. I hear the Ride of Valkyries by Wagner and Carmen Suite by Shchedrin when I wear "Joy". It always gives me sense of passion, opulence, unrestrained power and self-assured presence when on my skin. This is not a scent for the faint of heart or even simply daring creatures, you have to be a worthy partner to it, or it will overwhelm and bury you in its exquisite and all-extinguishing embrace. This perfume can be worn, carefully applied, to meetings of business or private nature, dates and social events. Best avoid restaurants or hot climates, for it will blind all to everything else except itself.

EDT version, probably from 2018: This smells good! Potent rose, indolic jasmine and aldehydes. Cozy and close to skin. Comforting. If you're a fan of Chanel 5 you'll love this one. Not sisters, but close relatives.

Hi mountain Sorry you felt insulted ,at least youll smell good ☺️ I see you edited your original comment to ommit the " nauseated " reference mind you 😉 have the day that smells beautiful to you ,its really not that serious lovely 😊

Yeah. I smell good. Blind buy. If I say it’s a blind buy, buy it.

@89Toryglen1/2 I think @Mountain did the right thing to gift it. I've lost count of the number of times I've read reviews where people have sniffed a perfume once and put it in the bin. Now THAT grinds my gears. There are plenty of thrift shops!

89Toryglen1/2: I have a question for you: was your comment useful in expanding the art and science of perfumery in any way? My post was describing my experience with a fragrance that was not my thing but was loved and valued by many. My point was fragrance is an individual experience and we don’t have to like something personally to appreciate its quality and beauty. Your point seemed to be to quote out of context to get people to notice you. Bravo!

Laughed and kinda side eyed a reveiwer below @mountain This perfume " nauseated " her but she passed it down as an " heirloom" to her daughter in law ! Like wtf? lol well I hope you.told her that you find it nasty and dont force her to keep it ,as thats just plain wrong 😂

My mom's signature scent. It is too overwhelming for me. I really wanted this to work out but it just doesn't agree with me. I keep it for nostalgic reasons. A little dab on the duvet and it smells like mom.

I bought a new and a small mini of the vintage. Not that impressed by the new one and awaiting the vintage one hoping it will be better❤️

It took me nigh on five hours to pop the stopper on a 1970s bottle of this sublime beauty and I can honestly say I've never smelled anything so divine! Flowers. So many flowers. Joy has a formidable right hook on her and don't believe anybody who tells you Joy is not worth the hype. She is worth every word of it!

I was hoping Joy would bring me joy, but it does not agree with me. She’s a mature scent that is very bitter on my skin. I will be donating this sample to Goodwill.

I got myself a little sample of this after hearing so many good things and....yeah it is not for me. I think the fact it smells both so dirty and clean at the same time doesn't work for me. I just don't like Civet I think. I like it enough when it quiets down. The florals are pleasant enough. I wish I liked it more, like I liked 1000.

Joy is a masterpiece of perfumery. A historic perfume, a timeless classic. I only know and have the vintage version. It was my mother's signature (along with Arpège), great expert in fragrances. Sumptuous, elegant, feminine. Marvelous.

I was very excited when I found a vintage 6ml bottle of Joy from the 1980’s for $50. I snatched it up right away. The bottle was still sealed and when I cracked it open I was hit with intense fresh florals like I’ve never experienced before with a perfume, only with my nose buried in a bouquet of flowers. Although it is lovely, sadly it gave me an instant headache. It is very strong. On dry down, it smells clean, like flowery soap. It’s definitely giving old lady vibes, which I’m ok with. I’m not a huge floral perfume lover, but this formula is undeniably good. The little bottle is also very pretty compared to modern boring atomizer tubes.

I had a bottle gifted to me by my ex husband in 1980. At that time it was being marketed as “The most expensive perfume in the world.” Although I appreciated the quality and elegance as well as the gesture of the gift, I wished I enjoyed the actual fragrance more. This is probably because I have never been a big fan of roses (even the actual flower) and have found them over emphasized when it comes to fragrant flowers in general. I much prefer freesia, magnolia, gardenia, and jasmine. I found the fragrance rose forward and the jasmine too overwhelming on me. I have also smelled this fragrance on other women and found the same result, so perhaps it’s my nose. I tend to have a good ability to detect aromas (don’t smoke or have allergies) and find Joy always smells too rose and jasmine forward for my taste. I did find that I could wear it, for my husband’s pleasure, by walking through a single spray in the air and that was ok. When others are wearing it, I find I prefer to distance myself from the fragrance to avoid feeling nauseated. After having the almost full bottle for almost 50 years, it still held its fragrance. Definitely quality and masterful perfumery. I gifted it to my daughter-in-law as a family heirloom!

I own a vintage black snuff bottle edition of JOY parfum, bottled in November 1978. When I acquired it last year, although the bottle was unopened, the golden sealing thread had already been darkened by seepage, and the inside of the box was stained from within. It would be hard to say this bottle had been perfectly preserved... And yet, the moment I opened it, the scent that poured forth was beautiful enough to bring a fifty-year-old garden to life before my eyes. Perhaps the aldehydes had long since slipped away through the tiniest gaps in the bottle, escaping past the seal into the air. In their place came a heady surge of white flowers—an overwhelming flood of genuine jasmine. From behind that jasmine, a creamy floral nuance flickers—perhaps from ylang-ylang or tuberose. And the rose: no longer green or youthful, but deep, noble, and richly fragrant—befitting the queen of flowers. The civet and musk, which were likely still natural at the time, lend a soft, animalic warmth—rounded, velvety, and quietly sensual. That such a fragrance remains so vivid, lush, and alive after nearly fifty years leaves me in awe. What I experience in this bottle is not merely “joy,” but something closer to intoxication—or even ecstasy. It was born during the Great Depression, a time when people could scarcely imagine a brighter tomorrow. (And truthfully… that doesn’t feel so far removed from our own times.) To think of those who encountered this scent back then—a perfume like a heavenly garden filled with all the happiness one could imagine—and to imagine that within it they found a thread of hope—like the hope left behind in Pandora’s box— …it moves me deeply. Without a doubt, JOY is a fragrance of historical importance, a true olfactory monument, the greatest floral perfume of the 20th century, and a timeless masterpiece.

In an interview, Sir Patrick Stewart said this is the perfume that Vivien Leigh wore.

I had an EDT that was the most gorgeous thing I ever had - people would literally comment walking into a room on that lovely smell. I made the mistake off perhaps of buying a EDP that may have been fake (but the bottle and the packaging looked so real) it was disgusting, like a perfume that had gone “off”. But then I’ve had the same response to a lot of Anna Sui scents. I thought it might have been hormonal (pregnancy) but on reflection it’s probably the fake. I’m looking at getting a tester and seeing if that jasmine magic is still there.

(Review of the extrait, bottle c. 1985) What is there to say about Joy that has not already been said? Very little. It has been talked about incessantly since its release in 1930 for very good reasons, and has been discussed more recently with depression and disappointment that LVMH/Dior purchased Jean Patou and eliminated this perfume from the world of fragrances forever; a crime and a sin that we will likely never be able to forgive. The punishment is ours to bear by way of never being able to enjoy this perfume with abandon the way it should be. It is the perfect expression of rose and jasmine. The hyper realistic florals are drenched in sunlight by big kisses of ylang-ylang, giving them a radiance and complexity that sets Joy apart from nearly every other rose or jasmine perfume ever created. It is, in a word, perfect. (Review of the 1984 EdT by Jean Kerleo, bottle c. 1995) What's the greatest perfume of all time? That's a bit like asking what is the greatest painting, book, movie, or piece of music of all time, etc. No one knows, no one will know, and no one should know. Yes, we can talk about Mitsouko or Shalimar, or Cuir de Russie or No. 5, and on and on and on - yes, all prime candidates, but for me I think it is Jean Patou's Joy. The extrait of Joy is a legend for a very good reason experts and other geeks have expounded upon for decades. So, what of this EdT? First off, it needs to be said for context to my thoughts on Joy EdT that in the prior century of modern perfumery different concentrations of a perfume were the same perfume that behaved a bit differently. In the 21st century, this part of it at least, differing concentrations of a perfume are often very different perfumes. You only have to look so far as Guerlain to see that, particularly with what they are (deplorably) doing to Habit Rouge. Let's not get started on the designer houses, save for Chanel which seems to make an earnest effort to keep perfumes intact across formats and reformulations (though struggling a bit). In the not-so-distant past, an EdT was going to be very much the same as the extrait, and so would the eau de parfum... just behaved a bit differently, and that's really all I need to say for my thoughts on Jean Patou's Joy EdT. It is very much the Joy I know and so deeply love: an endless silk shawl of jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood. The first time I smelled a properly cared for Joy extrait (the bottle was from the 1970s) I nearly cried. That beautiful shawl of silken flowers seemed to stretch for an eternity, its finely woven, dense, and caressing fibers casting beautiful hues of light in every direction for hour upon hour upon hour. The EdT is that same shawl, just shorter. While the extrait would carry on for hours, the EdT is like a firework. Those beautiful hues of jasmine, rose, ylang-ylang, and sandalwood are still there, but it's over more quickly. So what's the point then? Again, 20th century intentions with varying concentrations were centered around the idea that the behavior of a perfume should change, not the perfume - the behavior most often suiting the wearer's needs for the time and space it was to be worn in. Since the EdT is shorter lived, more of a quick blast than a long operatic epic, it is perfect on this warm spring day. While the extrait is perfect no matter what, it is less perfect for when I want a quick hit of Joy on a warm day; the extrait would probably be too much right now. Pick whichever concentration suits your needs. It's still Joy. And it's still absolutely brilliant and gorgeous.