Genny

Genny, from 1987 and originally released by Rivara Hanorah (considered quite expensive to make, according to Roberto Garavaglia from Diana De Silva), was created by Jean Delville from Firmenich. For better or for worse, it smells almost identical to Aromatics Elixir in its vintage formula. The notes listed here btw are wrong; those pertain to -I believe- the current version of Genny. It has absolutely nothing to do with the original of which I own a 1987 parfum de toilette. Correct notes: Aldehydes, bergamot, green notes, coriander, orange blossom, geranium, rose, Iris, lilly of the valley, jasmine, oakmoss, musk, patchouli, sandalwood, vetiver, civet and cistus. On my skin, Genny opens with a huge herbal blast; aldehydes fuel the coriander, there must be a bit of chamomile as well, and geranium. I get the sense the notes on parfumo are truer; I love geranium which I smell intensely, and cardamom which doesn’t quite please me, feels absent. Moreover, the rose/patchouli/oakmoss trifecta shines just like in Aromatics, but it smells a bit different; it’s stronger than I thought, it’s more dry, as opposed to powdery, and there’s more floral sweetness than Aromatics. The Iris shines more later on, and the orange blossom simply sweetens very slightly what would otherwise become very heavy. Musk and civet; they’re there, but in the background. Only in the late drydown do they become far more discernible in their dirty lick of skin, making Genny far more sensual than the opening would suggest. For better, Genny was launched when Aromatics was already well established and loved. It came when Italian perfumery was booming, when there weren’t briefs, and when only the best would do; Aromatics is the core, but in 1987 it is made stronger, bigger, and à la Italiana; far more sensual and animalic, never becoming shy. If you don’t enjoy Aromatics, the herbal masterpiece chypre, you won’t enjoy Genny. They’re the two sides of the same coin. For worse, like most perfumes of the golden decade, Genny was discontinued somewhere in the late 90’s to be replaced by the current version and flankers that bear no resemblance. The original, albeit hard to find, comes in splash and spray, in plain black boxes that state Genny. Rivara Hanorah and Diana De Silva versions, clearly written on the bottom of the box, are the ones to go for. As a side note, I don’t think of Genny as a copy; Opium was inspired by Youth Dew, Cinnabar and KL are very similar, Aramis and Cabochard are twins and Poison/Giorgio/Carolina Herrera play with the same theme of grape bubblegum tuberose in varying degrees. Aromatics is (was?) so unique, so recognizable, so one of a kind, that any fragrance similar to it, would be considered a copy. Genny simply showed a different version of it. Both are absolutely stunning, and both are a lesson in perfume history. Buy it while you still can! Mood: Sandra - Liitle girl video clip.

Witch potion! Whatever she brews in her pot; be it forest mosses, bitter green herbs or nameless flowers, altogether this stuff is magnetic.

This is a must have for all you GREEN addicts, that love their green category to be DEEP and intense!! :-)

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This masterpiece is created by Jean Claude Delville! Action