Everything about the Chypre cologne

Among the few men's perfumes produced in the USSR, the Chypre cologne stood "apart". Akin to the women's perfume "Krasnaya Moskva", for a long time it was at the peak of its popularity and served as a standard for men's fragrances. Compared to other products of the Soviet perfumery industry, such as Komandor or Russian Forest, Chypre was more in demand and was second only to Triple Cologne in sales.

Unlike other men's perfumes, "Chypre" was distinguished by a greater sharpness and persistence of aroma. It cost a little more than other colognes - 1 ruble 35 kopecks, and the price did not change until the perestroika times and remained the same until 1987. The peak of Shypr's popularity came in the 1950s, when the installation of special self-service machines began in large cities of the Soviet Union. In them, first for 10, and a little later and for 15 kopecks, you could get a portion of the legendary aroma. The man only had to put a coin into the slot and close his eyes tightly, as the automatic machine refreshed his face and neck with a popular perfume.

The Chypre fragrance could not be confused with any other perfume. It contained oils of bergamot, labdanum, sandalwood, cistus and patchouli, but the highlight was the scent of oak moss growing in Cyprus.

The prototype of the Soviet "Chypre" is the French cologne Chypre, created by F. Coty and launched in 1917. The name Chypre, which translated from French means "Cyprus", was given to the perfume in honor of the island, from where oakmoss was first brought. It was moss that gave the cologne a unique aroma and favorably distinguished it against the background of other perfumery products. Inspired by the success of their French colleagues, Soviet perfumers from the Novaya Zarya factory created their own version of the cologne and named it consonantly - Chypre.

The production of the new perfume began in the mid-30s and continues to this day. Despite the fact that the Soviet version did not reach the French original, it very quickly gained popularity among the male population of the country and for a long time was considered the most fashionable cologne in the Soviet Union.

The Soviet "Chypre" very quickly became the choice of not only the military and the intelligentsia. The working class and students also fell in love with the strong aroma of domestic perfume and remained faithful to it for a long time. Men literally washed them after shaving, and hairdressers always refresh their clients after a haircut. In 1980, at the Novaya Zarya factory, an improved version of the legendary cologne - Royal Chypre was developed and put into production. The new perfume was distinguished by a softer aroma and quickly gained popularity among young people. Gradually, other perfume factories of the Soviet Union, including such giants as the Sverdlovsk perfume factory, joined the production of Chypr.

At the moment, "chypre" compositions are not in great demand, which is due to the presence of a huge amount of various perfumes and the popularity of lighter and fresher fragrances.

The composition of "Chypr" has changed several times.The French were the first to do this, replacing some of the components of their Chypre due to their negative impact on human health. Then Soviet perfumers did it, changing the French recipe and including lemon and orange oils, as well as vetiver. A little later, rose and neroli oils, musk and vanilla were added. In "Royal Chypre" jasmine was added to the well-known ingredients. In the first versions of the cologne, according to GOST, the alcohol content did not exceed 70 degrees, and already in the "royal" version it reached 79.5 degrees.

Today, Novaya Zarya offers the classic Chypre with top notes of bergamot, “heart notes” of sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli and “trail notes” of labdanum and oakmoss. The cologne is available in a 100 ml glass bottle and costs 75 rubles.