OPIUM (the breath of four* raging Chinese dragons), the hinges split and the doorways shatter.

A lascivious, oriental, magical fragrance, spicy, of pure bliss, incredibly sensual, mysterious, addictive, intoxicating.

A resinous fragrance, divinely damned, intensely intoxicating, with men surrendering to its charm.

A fragrance of forbidden euphoria, a seductive bombshell, breathtaking, a scent of ecstasy and carnal pleasures.

It will be the Greatest, and we will call it Opium (It will be the Greatest, and we will call it Opium).                                  (Yves saint Laurent - 1976)

AWARD (1979) from the Fragrance Foundation : YVES SAINT LAURENT OPIUM Fragrance of the Year – Women's Prestige - Fragrance of the Year – Women's Prestige.

OPIUM fragrance (1977) is an intangible part of the world's cultural heritage.

It is the third women's fragrance launched by YVES SAINT LAURENT PARFUMS.

Twenty-nine (29) OPIUM fragrances have been launched to date, but the first is unmatched.

In 1963, the American cosmetics company Charles of the Ritz began working with YVES SAINT LAURENT.

This fragrance belongs to the First Era (1963 - 1986), was made in France, and produced at the Yves Saint Laurent factory, which belonged to the same group as Charles of the Ritz, which owned 80% of Yves Saint Laurent.

Vermilion-red box, flames in golden hues, all details in the same color; two black (blue)/gold/black (blue) borders across the center, everything else at the top and bottom in black (blue)/gold, with YVES SAINT LAURENT at the bottom on a black (blue) border. The inside of the box is purple, as is the product protector; everything is dreamlike.

Bottle enclosed in a bakelite lacquer case in vermilion (red), inspired by an antique Japanese samurai design called Inro*. In the center and on the right side of the bottle is the round window; all details are gold-colored, and there are four small supports at the bottom of the bottle.

Inro* a (lacquered) case for carrying small items, coarse salt, spices, herbs, opium, etc., which was hung from their belt or beneath the kimono.

The fragrance was to be named after the design of the bottle.

White clasp, hemispherical in shape, with a gold-colored strip at the bottom and a base in the same color.

The beautiful red packaging and the bottle, a work of art, were designed by the famous designer Pierre Dinand.

The bottle was made by French craftsmen at Pochet du Courval, bearing the HP trademark, a world leader in luxury perfume glass packaging, while the case was made by craftsmen at MBF PLASTIQUES.

The product was imported packaged and manufactured in France, and distributed in Greece by VIONIKI SA (158 Alexandras Avenue – Athens); we had exclusive sales as authorized distributors. 

PERFUMERS : Jean Louis Sieuzac, Jean Amic and Raymond Chaillan, using raw materials from Roure Bertrand Dupont, needed thirty (30) attempts to complete this unique fragrance.

FRAGRANCE INGREDIENTS: (BOTANICAL – MINERAL – ANIMAL) AND SYNTHETIC (CHEMICAL):

Bergamot (Calabria) - Lemon (Citrus limon - Sicily) - Mandarin (Citrus reticulata) - Neroli (Citrus aurantium – orange blossom - Calabria) - Plum (Plum) - Clove (Syzygium aromaticum – sun-dried buds - Zanzibar) - Black pepper (Piper nigrum) - Coriander  (Coriandrum sativum - India) – West Indian bay leaves (Bay leaf West Indian – Pimenta racemosa – Caribbean).

Jasmine (Jasminum grandiflorum – Grasse) - Ylang-ylang (Cananga odorata – Madagascar) - Rose (Rosa damascena – Bulgaria) - Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus – India) - Orris root (Iris pallida) -  Lily of the valley (Convallaria majalis) - Peach (Prunus persica) - Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum).

Sandalwood (Mysore) - Patchouli (Pogostemon cablin – leaves - Malaysia) - Vetiver (Vetiveria zizanioides – Java) - Cedarwood (Virginia cedar - Juniperus virginiana – red cedar) - Benzoin (Siam - Styrax tonkinensis – Thailand) – Vanilla (Vanilla planifolia – Bourbon vanilla – Réunion) - Musk (Moschus moschiferus – Tibet) - Benzoin (Java – Styrax benzoin - Indonesia) - Frankincense (Boswellia carterii - Yemen) - Labdanum (Cistus ladaniferus) – Tolu balsam (Myroxylon balsamum – Colombia) - Myrrh (Commiphora myrrha – Yemen) - Opopanax (Commiphora erythraea var.glabrescens - Iran) - Castoreum (Castor fiber) - Ambergris.

Aldehydes.

A lascivious, oriental, magical fragrance, spicy, of pure bliss, incredibly sensual, mysterious, addictive, intoxicating.

A resinous fragrance, divinely damned, intensely intoxicating, with men surrendering to its charm.

A fragrance of forbidden euphoria, a seductive bombshell, breathtaking, a scent of ecstasy and carnal pleasures.

OPIUM fragrance (1977) is an intangible part of the world's cultural heritage.

Period advertisement (1977) : Never has a fragrance caused such a sensation.

THE   PRODUCT   IS   UNTOUCHED

THE   PRODUCT   HAS   NOT   BEEN   USED

GENUINE   AND   RARE 

MADE  IN  FRANCE    EMB  60350       

PRODUCT CODE : 50060

The production code is on the bottom of the bottle.

ÁÁÁ      EDITION

Inside the box is an information leaflet about OPIUM products.

Opium is one of the most counterfeited fragrances in history: someone estimated that there are ten fake bottles for every genuine one. Therefore, it is likely that many people have never tried real Opium; they have always worn a fake fragrance, writes

about Opium, on the blog (Raiders of the Lost Scent) by an expert on the world of fragrances. 

PRODUCTION  1982 →  (2285) → Four digits on the box and five digits on the bottle, the same digits plus the digit (1) or (2).

four* = To reach all four points of the compass.