Nine Classic Fragrances Beloved by Iconic Actresses
Updated: Dec 5
From Marilyn's favorite to the perfumes Rita Hayworth, Grace Kelly and Dorothy Dandridge adored, these legendary scents will never go out of style — just like the women who loved them.
Scent is a signature that plays a significant role in defining each of us — and that includes many of the most iconic women of the 20th century. Perhaps that's why we're fascinated by which fragrances were worn by Hollywood's legendary actresses, and why many of those perfumes are still popular and available today, in some cases more than a century after their debut.
From their notes to the anecdotes key to their creation, these famed scents tell stories about the women who have worn them, an idea that indeed extends to high-wattage stars like Marilyn Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor and others. Jean Patou's Joy seems like a perfect fit for one woman, but switch it out for Chanel No. 5, and the result is decidedly different. We've gathered nine screen icons and the fragrances they were known to wear — and is it any wonder that many of these scents continue an undeniable popularity? Each of them also can be purchased today, making the perfume beloved by a Hollywood superstar a terrific gift, either for yourself or your favorite film fan.
Rita Hayworth: Shalimar by Guerlain
Created by famed French perfumer Jacques Guerlain, Shalimar made its debut in 1921, but the fragrance house immediately encountered a problem, as a competitor claimed to already possess the name. Almost four years were needed to sift through the legalities, but Guerlain wanted to retain the name, which takes its cue from a legendary love story between an emperor and an Indian princess; the name translates from Sanskrit to "temple of love." The bottle, meanwhile, is almost as famous as the juice within, having been designed by Raymond Guerlain and crafted by Baccarat. The dramatic, beautifully sculpted bottle won first prize at the Paris Decorative Arts Exhibition in 1925.
Shalimar is also celebrated for being the first scent created for what became the Oriental family, considered a Western interpretation of fragrances closely associated with Asian culture. Bergamot, lemon, rose and jasmine are key to Shalimar's zesty top and middle notes, which are deepened with base notes that include sandalwood, vanilla, tonka bean and leather. It was considered an overtly sultry fragrance for its time, so it's little wonder that Shalimar was preferred by the woman who starred as Gilda, and later as Princess Salome, who achieved infamy when she performed the dance of the seven veils for Herod.
Shalimar Eau de Parfum Spray, starting at $90 for 1 oz.; at Macys.com
Grace Kelly: Fleurissimo by Creed
Is any scent story more romantic than a prince who commissions a fragrance created for you and you alone? That was indeed part of the fairytale in 1956, when Prince Rainier III asked the House of Creed to create a floral perfume for his bride, Grace Kelly, to wear on their April 18 wedding that year (Kelly's final film, High Society, premiered three months after their nuptials). James Henry Creed, the fifth generation of the fragrance house founded in 1760, was asked by Rainier to design a scent that would complement Kelly's wedding bouquet.
Christened Fleurissimo, the resulting floral was crafted with top notes of bergamot and violets, middle notes of ylang ylang, Bulgarian rose and tuberose, and a base of Florentine irise and ambergris, all to create a bright, lasting floral with an exceedingly subtle hint of a woodsy element. Given Creed's history of crafting scents for Queen Victoria, who bestowed the house with a coveted royal warrant, as well as the patronage of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, it's little wonder Kelly likewise was happy to adopt Creed Fleurissimo as her signature scent.
Creed Fleurissimo 2.5 oz. spray, $425; at Macys.com
Dorothy Dandridge: Tabu by Dana
Dorothy Dandridge made history as the first Black woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress, for 1954's Carmen Jones, so it's unsurprising that her favorite scent was as forceful as the woman who loved to wear it. Perfumer Jean Carles created Tabu in 1931 as an amber floral scent that isn't for the faint of heart. Legend has it that Carles was tasked by the House of Dana to design a fragrance that a prostitute might wear: in other words, sensual and unmistakable. He combined heady notes that start with citrus, spices, coriander, neroli and bergamot at the top, with middle notes that include strong florals like jasmine, narcissus and ylang-ylang, while the warm base is crafted of amber, musk oil, sandalwood and patchouli. With a combination like that, it's little wonder that Tabu marketed it as "the forbidden fragrance."
By all accounts, Dandridge was as powerful in her personality as the scent she loved to wear. She battled racism and segregation throughout her career, which also makes her choice of Tabu thoroughly understandable; nothing faint or delicate for this trailblazer, after all. As for Carles, he not only developed a variety of iconic perfumes, including Elsa Schiaparelli's Shocking in 1937, he's also known in the industry for mentoring a wide range of perfumers who followed him, making his impact on the world of scent perhaps immeasurable.
Tabu by Dana, 3 oz. cologne spray, $23.99; at FragranceNet.com
Ingrid Bergman: L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci
Plenty of reasons exist to love L'Air du Temps by Nina Ricci: It was created in 1948, very much in the spirit of celebrating France's freedom post-World War II (it's no accident that the loose translation of the name is "the spirit of the times"); it's a gorgeous floral, with notes of jasmine, rose and carnation, crafted with the intent of exuding positivity and hope; and the original production bottle, blending sensuous curves with the beauty of two doves of peace resting atop the bottle stopper, was conceived by René Lalique, among his final projects before his death in 1945. (The design was proclaimed "the Perfume Bottle of the Century" in 2000.)
Fold all of that together, and doesn't it seem perfect that L'Air du Temps was the favorite scent of Ingrid Bergman? These days we view Casablanca as the ultimate film that captures the spirit of the resistance, with Bergman as the quiet, steadfast beauty at its center. If you were to translate that idea to a scent, L'Air du Temps would be the perfect composition: romantic yet classic, exuding a timeless beauty that felt universal and never overpowering. Bergman wore L'Air du Temps for her first wedding, to Peter Lindstrom in 1937, and her daughter, acclaimed Isabella Rossellini (from Bergman's second marriage to director Roberto Rossellini in 1950), noted in subsequent years that her mother remained faithful to the fragrance throughout her lifetime.
Nina Ricci L'Air du Temps Eau du Toilette, 3.4-oz. spray, $46.90; at Amazon.com
Natalie Wood: Natalie
If any current scent bills itself as the genuine version of Jungle Gardenia, don't believe it; making its debut in 1933, the fragrance was discontinued soon after it was sold to Coty in 1989. But if your objective is to source the perfume Natalie Wood loved to wear, we've got good news: Wood gave birth to two daughters, Courtney and Natasha, prior to her tragic death in 1981, and the latter is the driving force behind a scent that's meant to honor her mother's favorite perfume.
Natasha Gregson Wagner was inspired to create a scent that pays tribute to her mother soon after the birth of her own daughter. Natalie, housed in a classic clear bottle embossed with the signature of the star of Gypsy, Splendor in the Grass and other iconic films, debuted in 2016 and indeed mimics the fragrance notes in Jungle Gardenia — not only the eponymous floral, but also jasmine, rose oil, sandalwood, citrus zest and other notes found in the eponymous original. In 2017 Gregson Wagner released a follow-up, Natalie Le Rose, inspired by her mother's garden.
Natalie Eau de Parfum, 50 ml. spray, $110; at Amazon.com
Audrey Hepburn: L'Interdit by Givenchy
Among the most heartfelt examples of the deep friendship between Hubert de Givenchy and Audrey Hepburn is the scent he created for her — and only her — in 1954. The legendary designer, who dressed the iconic actress in films that include Funny Face, Charade and (most controversially) Sabrina, directed a scent formula not long after their friendship had formed, with notes that include jasmine, orange blossom, rose, peony, patchouli and amber.
Three years after presenting Hepburn with the gift, Givenchy told her he wanted to market the fragrance; she reportedly replied, "But I forbid you." Hepburn soon relented, however, and in doing so also bestowed the scent with its name: "L'Interdit" translates to "forbidden." Though initially sold only in France, the perfume was an instant hit and in the ensuing years has spawned a wealth of follow-ups, including L'Interdit Rouge and L'Interdit Intense. Hepburn also appeared in the scent's inaugural campaign in 1958, marking the first time an actress agreed to be the face of a fragrance advertisement.
Sixty years after that moment, the House of Givenchy updated L'Interdit to imbue it with a more modern feel and celebrated its premiere with an ad campaign starring Rooney Mara — whose Hepburn vibe in the imagery is unmistakable.
Givenchy L'Interdit Eau de Parfum, 1.7 oz. spray, $69; at Amazon.com
Vivien Leigh: Joy by Jean Patou
She was often described as the personification of a perfect English rose, so perhaps it's no surprise that Joy was Vivien Leigh's favorite scent. Bulgarian rose and May rose are among the notes still used in the fragrance developed by famed couturier Jean Patou, making it seem wholly fitting for the legendary British actress. Indeed, fans of her most famous role also should be delighted to learn that Leigh reportedly wore Joy on one of her most celebrated occasions, the February 1940 evening when she won the Best Actress Academy Award for her role as Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind.
Patou had created the scent a decade earlier, partly as a reaction to the stock-market crash of 1929 and perhaps eager to keep his name top of mind among the clients who needed to take a break from ordering his expensive haute-couture frocks. In addition to Bulgarian and May rose, Joy also contains notes that include jasmine, ylang-ylang blossom, musk, pear and tuberose (which, despite its name, is not part of the rose family). Following its debut, Joy became immensely popular and enabled Patou to keep his house open during the dark years of the Depression — so popular, in fact, it became the second bestselling fragrance of all time? Which was the first? Continue reading ...
Joy Eau de Parfum, 1 oz. spray, $68.99; at FragranceNet.com
Elizabeth Taylor: Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez
True to its name, Bal à Versailles was created by French perfumer Jean Desprez to evoke thoughts of ultimate decadence, as though the wearer was enjoying a heady evening in the ballroom of the famed palace at the height of 18th-century France. With that in mind, it seems ideal for the woman who continues to be considered the ultimate movie star, and who led a life that always seemed like just a little bit more.
Desprez created and released Bal a Versailles in 1962 — which also happened to be a big year for Taylor: She was deep into filming Cleopatra in Rome while carrying on a torrid affair with Richard Burton, which had been discovered by the Italian paparazzi, and soon the news was splashed across papers around the globe. Taylor and Burton's "La Scandale" coincided with the debut of Bal à Versailles, and it's easy to envision Taylor falling in love with the scent while embracing her latest decision with the same passion and audacity that became synonymous with her life. Bal à Versailles, simply put, is not a scent for the faint of heart, with wide-ranging and plentiful notes that include rosemary, jasmine, orange blossom, bergamot, lily of the valley, Bulgarian rose, patchouli, leather, vetiver, cedar, amber, and much more. Perhaps it's not surprising it was perfect for and preferred by a woman historically considered among the most confident in the world.
Bal à Versailles by Jean Desprez, 3.4-oz. spray, $56.95; at Amazon.com
Marilyn Monroe: Chanel No. 5
For more than 100 years, it's remained the bestselling fragrance in the world, a combination of a classic fragrance, defined by notes that include bergamot, vetiver, vanilla, jasmine, sandalwood and more, housed in a bottle of either clear crystal or black lacquer that's highlighted by a renowned double-C logo, but the juice inside is known around the world by its iconic numeral: No. 5. Coco Chanel released her legendary first scent in 1921, and little did she know at the time that roughly three decades later, another icon would claim it as her favorite.
"What do I wear to bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course." That quote was famously and first attributed to Marilyn Monroe in the 1950s, with multiple versions of it later making the rounds, from her first cover for Life magazine to subsequent interviews, including a 1960 talk, timed with the premiere of Let's Make Love, with Georges Belmont, at the time the editor-in-chief of the French edition of Marie Claire. In the recorded conversation, Monroe can be heard saying, presumably about topics raised by the press, "You know, they ask me questions. Just an example: 'What do you wear to bed? A pajama top? The bottoms of the pajamas? A nightgown?' So I said, 'Chanel No. 5,' because it’s the truth, and yet, I don’t want to say 'nude.' But it’s the truth!" In 2013, the rediscovered quote, accompanied by an image of Monroe holding a bottle of No. 5 and while splashing a bit on herself, was used by Chanel to create an ad for its most famous fragrance.
There's something a bit poignant and symmetrical about the beloved star of Some Like It Hot, Niagara and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes loving the first perfume created by Chanel. Both famously experienced difficult childhoods, Chanel living in a convent orphanage following her mother's death and Monroe's much-publicized desire to spend time with a father she never knew. That both women achieved such heights in their respective careers speaks largely to their courage and tenacity, and it seems fitting that they're forever linked in their love of a scent almost as famous as they were.
Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette, 1.7-oz. refillable spray, $206.99; at FragranceNet.com
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