These beautiful bottles were the cherished desire of all Soviet women, they were ready to give at least the entire salary for them. Bashny.Net

The search for good cosmetics and perfumes in the USSR was a real challenge. Ordinary workers rarely indulged in quality products. It may not have been widely available (or, if so, in very modest quantities). In addition, few people were ready to shell out the entire salary for "Klima" or "Madame Rocha": the perfume of women abroad could be obtained through speculators, rubles, so to speak, for 100.



Meanwhile, Soviet actresses teased tender female hearts from TV screens, showing trendy perfume and setting the tone of fashion. Some perfumes have become a living legend: they are collected and lovingly used to this day. Let's plunge into nostalgia and remember our favorite Soviet perfume.

The aristocratic fragrance Madame Rochas created in 1960 the French perfume genius Guy Robert, also known as Robert Guy. Fresh notes of iris and honeysuckle gently flow into orange flowers, nerol, beckoning bitter cedar and ambergris.



These perfumes are called concentrated vintage – they really reflect the traditions of the time. In the Union, one bottle was worth within 30 rubles, and the fartsmen could take it for all 100.

For the first time in the cinema, perfume appeared in the film The Courier by Karen Shakhnazarova. “Ma, is Madame Rocha a good perfume?” asks the main character Ivan Miroshkin, languishing from abdominal pain. Shortly before, he drank 2 bottles of French perfume, trying to impress his lover.



Instagram "Red Moscow" Contrary to the opinion that this fragrance was loved only by women over 50, domestic perfume from the factory "New Dawn" stood on almost every toilet table. Elegant golden-red bottles were very affordable - they were sold for only 5-7 rubles. “Red Moscow” had a complex pyramid of flavors: the basis was jasmine, cloves, musk and citrus fruits. Its smell can be described as solemn, but at the same time warm and cozy.

Soviet cinema gave perfume even more popular love. “Red Moscow” appeared in “Hello and Goodbye”, “Girls”, “Dangerous Age”. And in the “Pokrovsky Gate” Rita, Kostic’s girlfriend, handed the groom a box with a fragrant gift in order to get into the confidence of the future mother-in-law.



Soviet women were ready to give the last money for the French Sikkim from the company Lancome. The fragrance was quite heavy and was intended for bright, impulsive and daring ladies who know their worth. The floral-eastern composition combined notes of gardenia, cumin, bergamot, opening into ambergra, jasmine, patchouli and skin.
It was possible to get the bottle only through “their own” or speculators, overpaying twice or even more. But love for “Sikkim” was so great that he did not regret half the salary – the foreign deficit could cost 50 rubles. By the way, this fragrance was used by the wealthy Katya Tikhomirova from Moscow does not believe in tears.



Scarcely could you find a more status-conscious perfume than Lancome's Climat - its plume shouted about a woman's welfare louder than shoes or clothes. It was such a royal present that made Hippolyte Nadenka in the “Irony of Fate”, giving a bottle of as much as 60 ml. To understand how expensive this gift was, we note that a small bottle for 28 ml cost from 25 rubles with an average salary of 120 rubles. Resellers would ask twice as much for the same amount. Nadia Nadia, what was the groom like?



Instagram "Clima" had similarities with "Sikkim", but was somewhat lighter and gentler. He was a perfect fit for sophisticated, reserved, Nordic women. A light and sweet composition of peach, lily and bergamot intertwined with rosemary and left a light enchanting plume of musk, sandalwood, bamboo and ambergra.

"Black Magic" Another iconic perfume from Lancome, which drove more than one Soviet citizen mad. Having seized it with truths and untruths for 45 rubles, the women stretched the ecstatic spike-flower aroma for years.

The composition began with crimson-currant notes, bergamot and hyacinth, then opened with an expressive lily, daffodil and jasmine. "Black magic" left a plume of musk, soft oak moss and patchouli. This is a true legend of perfumery, which gave a sense of possession of magical power. It is not surprising that many women of the USSR could save up for a cherished bubble for years or wait for it as a gift.



What perfumes did you, your mother and grandmother love? Share with us in the comments.