Eau de Joy

(Review of a 1980s bottle) I feel like I could write about Joy ad nauseum, but since I’ve already reviewed the extrait and the EdT - and I’m running out of superlatives, and also grievances for the way this storied brand has been treated (thank you LVMH/Dior) - I will spare you all nauseous repetition, and simply describe Eau de Joy EdP. The primary thing to note about the EdP more so than the extrait and even the EdT is that the focal point is the dry down. The EdT’s intention is to hold on to that sublime and heavenly blend of roses and jasmine for as long as it can, even though it doesn’t have the muster before going to the sandalwood base - and you can sense that in the dry down; the extrait holds onto the sublime and heavenly blend of roses and jasmine for hours upon hours. The EdP holds onto the florals for only a little bit longer than the EdT before seeming to shift gears to focus solely on the dry down with more muscularity and determination than the EdT could hope to put forth. This is not really a surprise, right? - EdPs are supposed to be a middle-ground between an extrait and an EdT concentration. But, I would argue, the EdP holds to that signature floral heart for a shorter period of time than you would expect. Is it at a loss for doing so? Is it writing itself off as pointless? You buy the extrait and the EdT, and the EdP becomes redundant? I don’t believe so. Where the EdP makes a connection to the statement that is Jean Patou's Joy in a way the other two formats do not is with musks. This is the most “animalic” of the Joy formats, but do not take that to mean it is a civet bomb. It is not nearly as urinous, fecal, or otherwise animalic as several reviews would make you believe; it just seems that way to people who are perhaps not used to these yesteryear perfumes. You will not smell this and think Jicky or Kouros. A significant reason for this is the barely lingering floral heart that touches the base like a gentle caress, giving the ever so slightest of lifts needed to the sandalwood and animalic base. The result is an achingly gorgeous floral and animalic sandalwood perfume, as opposed to the straight abstract floral of the extrait or the floral sandalwood base of the EdT. I mentioned that the animalics are not much to worry about for those sensitive to civet/fecal/urinous notes, yet go on to mention that this is what separates the EdP from the extrait and especially the EdT. Before you think that I am contradicting myself, I want to reiterate a point long lost to 21st century perfumery and its connoisseurs: big differences can be made by little things. In a reformatting today, this EdP would be a no-holds-barred woody or soapy-musky affair, amplified to deafening levels of nose-bleeding proportions. Not in the 1950s though, as this was Joy reformatted in the classic and tried-and-true way of making sure the summation of little differences lead to a noticeable yet nuanced change in the big picture. But everything I’ve said so far is whatever. Eau de Joy is still Joy, and it’s still one of the best - if not the best - of modern perfumery, full-stop. Sorry, I know I said at the beginning that I wouldn't but I just can't - I love Joy no matter what.

A kind fragrantica member gave me a decant of this vintage beauty. Eau de Joy is very similar to the original Joy which I own. I find w/ the Eau de Joy the aldehydes are less pronounced, and the civet is amplified. Eau de Joy is less floral than the original Joy and more of an animalic musk w/ florals, where the original Joy is a floral perfume w/ an animalic base. If you want a Joy w/ more animalic musk and toned-down florals this is a good way to go if you can find a well-preserved bottle on Ebay. This is a very skanky musky floral and you have to love real civet musk to appreciate this. The May rose in here is the same as in the original Joy for my nose it really shines, and I have always felt that the May rose does not take a back seat to the jasmine in Joy and she doesn't in Eau de Joy either. A beautifully crafted old school animalic floral of yesteryear. Again, similar to the original but muskier, and the aldehydes, green notes and florals are softened slightly. Just stunning.

A very generous Fragrantician shared a 10 ml decant of EDJ with me. I already own the EDP and the EDT, and this is such an amazing surprise to me! I never expected a perfume with such a dominant civet note to work so well on my skin!! I am going by one spritz to the back of my hands, but I already think she may be my favorite of the three. Yes, the civet is there and in your face for about the first half hour, so if that doesn't work for you, this might not be your jam. However, when she settles down a bit and the somewhat indolic jasmine and rose come out to play, the civet grounds it all in a sexy, sophisticated manner and I just can't get enough of it. An animalic floral done to perfection, one I consider a masterpiece. EDIT - just reread my review and noticed that I failed to mention that I purchased a full splash bottle a while ago. I prefer a spray so I decant into an atomizer as needed. Still beautiful and timeless!

This is a review for a vintage bottle that I got for a good price on eBay. When I unscrewed the top I expected to be smacked around the face by an angry civet cat then choked by the I doles. Instead I got a happy, purring civet and the most beautiful jasmine I have smelled in a perfume so far. One YouTube reviewer suggested that one dab is enough but I have hit all my pulse points and I am surrounded in a warm bubble of tropical air in which the jasmine and distant roses set the scene. This is yet more proof that bucking the trend for modern perfume can pay off in bucket loads. I won't be wearing it often because I want to make it last and savour every minute. Totally unisex in my opinion but then again I wear what I like and don't bow to convention. You carry on with your Sauvage, I'll command the room with my exotic pet on a solid gold leash, we can still be friends. I am yet to meet an animalic that I don't like.

I'm on my second bottle and I've got TWO backups- my STILL CELLOPHANE-SEALED bottles are OLD but they were stored in air-conditioned darkness for DECADES... the two (BIG) bottles I've got left are both from the 1960s (one might be early 70s) and the current one I'm using is also 70s so beware, the civet is real and trust me you'll know it by the time you reach the drydown... This (along with the extrait) has to be one of the best fragrances ever created... The name is appropriate: JOY.... It truly is... I'm a guy and I unabashedly wear this out and fairly often get asked what I've got on-- for an EDP is got some serious weight and longevity... It's GORGEOUS stuff... It is not merely a weaker version of the parfum... It really is something else entirely and it is absolutely worth owning both... I can't praise them enough.

This iconic Masterpiece really needs no further adornment, as it is one of the most beautiful animalic florals ever created... But! if you're ever in the mood for something just a bit darker, a more of a "Noir" version of Eau de Joy, try layering Eau de Joy with the Russian ~Tete-A-Tete~ by Nouvelle Etoile, combined they produce an almost gothic, plush velvet version of Eau de Joy. Suddenly Joy becomes a witching-hour elixir, composed of the very darkest roses, moist earth, night-blooming jasmine, sweet black honey, and of course, that erotic, animal ROAR🐯 of civet that makes Eau de Joy, all on its own, so very magical. This combination is heady, narcotic, and just plain gorgeous! A black, sweetly perfumed wildcat on a moonlit night🌚. Fans of dark, vampy florals will surely enjoy it.

I purchased this thinking it as the original Joy. I then purchased a vintage Joy Parfum to compare. To me, this smells very similar to Joy Parfum with the civet toned way down. I think my skin chemistry doesn’t emphasize civet as much (in this one or in Joy Parfum), but it’s still faintly in the background. This is still an EDP (I got the splash bottle) so it does linger for quite some time. The sillage on my is about two feet, but it quickly dissipates and I’m left with a very beautiful and delicate rose. I love all forms of Joy, although if I had to choose this would be lower on the list only for the fact that on me it becomes a skin scent very quickly. Longevity is still superb!

Like its progenitor Joy, it shares the iconic luxury of its bouquet of roses and jasmine and that base that is so full of bawdiness that you don't know if it stepped out of the Opera or the bordello. One of the main differences is the presence of aldehydes that really lifts the indolic jasmine cutting its banana jam note and enveloping the composition like a crisp cellophane wrapper. The ambergris has gone AWOL but the catcall of civet seeps into the bouquet effectively with its paws nicely padded by the rose. A balanced opulence that offers all matters of ecstasy like the OG, a proud Marguerite Gautier before tragedy strucks with its longevity cut too short as well.

I wore this to my beloved son's wedding. In fact, I was so nervous that I spilled lthe dupe all over my lap when I was getting ready, so I am pretty sure I was smellable. I wear the dupe oil version of this by Hayward Enterprises. I will never be without it. However, I recently bought some Rose oil as I was going to do some blending and I was really shocked when I tried the Rose on my wrist - IT SMELLED JUST LIKE JOY!! Joy must just be chock full of rose. So if you love roses, you should really try Joy. If you don't want to spend a fortune on it, maybe try my dupe oil at Hayward.

I must be one of the lucky ones whose skin adores this! I managed to purchase a vintage bottle of this & was instantly transported. I have been a longtime wearer & great lover of "Joy" but for some reason had never got around to sampling this treasure. The very note that others describe as "urine" is wonderfully deep, warm & sexy on me, the rose clearly evident, jasmine wafts in & out, the chorus of supporting notes develop slowly & last forever. I will now be trying to find more of this beautiful, feminine fragrance...the way this makes me feel is impossible to pass up.

1970s eau de joy Splash 1.5oz reviewed. Such a beautiful civet/rose configuration of Joy Civet is working overtime in this giving the rose a full blooming heft with a musky undertone. Im not sure there is a dirty rose better than this. Bal a versailles cologne is a contemporary only Bal runs more civet musk and the florals take a back seat..where here in Joy..the rose blooms with the civet as support. Just old time gorgeous secret pleasure.

Probably because I am the mother of all rescued cats (all the cats in the world can come live with me, honestly! I'll look after you!)- anything with a high civet content is for me. Like this. I bought a vintage bottle and I have not stopped wearing it since it arrived. It's enough like Joy that of course I'm going to love it and enough different that it means I have TWO versions of Joy to wear. What's not to like!

a sweet musky floral, very alluring; I blind bought this on accident thinking it was Joy but I'm not sorry. Civet heaven.

Amazing. Has much the same flavor as the original JOY, but so much better on my skin. This doesn't turn skanky, as JOY itself can. The jasmine seems considerably less indolic, while retaining the joyful uplift of the magical Rose and Jasmine notes. I do not specifically smell the other florals or the peach, but they seem to lighten and brighten Eau de Joy's composition, creating sunshine! Simply charming....

It’s wild to imagine a time when people walked around smelling this opulent ! Kinda smells like a heavier Ysatis.

Ohhhh this is what I call soapy 😍😍😍 Jasmine, aldehydes and animalistic notes, just gorgeous, feminine, timeless.

On my skin, the rose and civet combine in a urinous note for the opening accord. The urine scent keeps getting clearer, and nothing else develops. After an hour, the rose is dominant to the urine, but the combination is still pretty unpleasant. After 2 hours, I have a pungent rose note, not as dark as I would like, and a faint powdery background, I can't distinguish the notes, but cat pee lingers faintly. In the dry down, I get soft rose, a green note, a faint iris butter warming the mix, and just a touch of LoV. My skin does not love this scent, and while the dry down is tolerable, that overripe catbox note pretty much ruins it for me. After 4 hours I scrubbed and went for something more joyous. I strongly recommend testing before buying!

I'm currently soaked in it while reading Nightwood (1936), Djuna Barnes' decadent, modernist tour de force, and it couldn't be more fitting: both celebrate life through death--in the scent's case, feline glands, rotting flowers, and plastic. Like Nightwood, Eau de Joy is enigmatic, vaguely offensive, and purposefully oblivious. I'd never have the guts nor the inclination to wear it in public, but home alone with Barnes, Baudelaire, Rimbaud, or Wilde, I find EdJ to be perfection.

I tried it at the departments store. I think it was this one or the regular Joy but could be both. As soon as I took a whiff of my wrist I knew I would never want to smell like this. I wanted to wash it off immediately but was able to when I got home. It smelled like male cat spray from being un-neutered. Now I know why- it has Civet in it. I refuse to wear perfumes with civet. Some perfumes have civet but it won' be in their list of notes.

I've written and mentioned this a few times recently, so I suppose I'm trying to prove a point to myself: I don’t view my life as a narrative. I suppose this is one reason that, although I'm very emotional about perfume, I'm not terribly romantic about it. To call memory a reflection of experience gives memory too much weight. The reflected image suggests a more clarity than memory can offer. Memory is more a filter than a reflection. The perceived jump from experience to memory is quick, yet in that instant so much editing occurs that I can’t call memory anything other than fiction. When I think of Jean Patou Joy, I think of my mother. When she was a girl, her brother brought her a bottle when he returned from from France and the 2nd World War. She kept it until I suppose we all lost track of it somewhere in the past dozen years. I remember that she wore it very occasionally and that otherwise it sat in a box in a drawer. I loved the scent of that Joy. I imagine I loved it more than my mother did, yet the perfume and the story were both hers. I have my own vintage bottle of Eau de Joy and despite the fictions of memory, reformulation of perfume, and all the years, I still think of my mother when I open the bottle. This sort of memory is more pensive than visceral yet it's very important to me. I suppose you never know where you'll to find the big 'Rosebud' moments in your memory, and I never thought the bottle of Joy would sweep me up and carry me away. But I'll tell you where the moment found me. My mother is living with very advanced dementia. She hasn't been able to speak to me in years. Early in her dementia I used to talk with her by phone as often as I could, though we lived on opposites coasts of the US. Most of these phone discussions were about nothing in particular but only as she grew unable to carry on these conversations did I realize how important those small ways of keeping in touch were. Clearing out some papers last week I found a couple of folded sheets of paper that for god knows what reason I printed out years ago. The contents of these papers were a compilation of four or five emails back and forth between me and my mother where she was asking me about a recipe for tofu that my husband David had. I laughed out loud and knew that Marguerite would have, too. What could be more ridiculous than a decade-old string of emails about tofu? But here she was. I heard her voice, her laugh. I remembered. So my lesson about memory and how wonderfully little control I have over it is to wear the perfume and relish the emails.

Update 20 Jun 2020: My opened box has a small piece of paper with the following: No. de Controle: 6870. The small golden, circular label on the bottom of the bottle says: 90 (or 90%) and looks exactly as the one picutured here on Fragrantica. Not sure if that means anything to any one but just wanted to put it out there Eau de Joy (EdP) My box reads: Joy Eau de ref. n. 1203 . Box made in France; bottom right corner: '702' This is a 30 ml or 1 ounces. (Splash) Confirmed this information on...raidersofthelostscent.blogspot com how-to-recognize-jean-patou-fragrances), to confirm authenticity. Because of what I found on the above website which included a re-translated interview with Jean Kerleo I purchased two bottles (one open, one cellophane wrapped). From what I can determine from the above website, I may have the post 1961 version, although my box did not come with the paper wrapper as shown in pictures on the site. This will be brief, because I just submitted a review and for some reason it has disappeared :C . Eau de Joy, while being from the '60's still has it going on. I don't believe I ever smelled it when it was first made, but what I am smelling now, many newer fragrance ((1990's an on), can't hold a candle to this beauty. Civet, which many here have voted as prominent, it is not prominent in this bottle. It doesn't turn animalic or skanky. It is a wondrously composed medley of florals and softly flowing woods on a smooth, almost not registering, aldehydic cloud. It is elegant.Composed. Refined. Well behaved but not tame. It is almost mercurial yet steadfast. You have a sense that it will remain as such. Update: Batchcode: 702: meaning manufactured in year 1970. It is printed to the right on the bottom of the box in type script. Having purchased the cellophane wrapped one as a backup I don't feel the need to open it since the opened one hasn't lost its appeal or notes for me.

I just picked up a vintage bottle of EDJ because I'd fallen in love with a more recent incarnation of Joy EDT. I smell the roses in the bottle. The jasmine and ylang ylang have to be in there somewhere. When I put a bit on my wrist, I don't get french garden but instead french zoo. It's as though a little furry animal came and sat on my arm. So this IS the civet that everyone speaks of. My, my, my. I am trying to figure out how this would have been considered sexy or feminine? I supposed back in the day before PETA when every woman who could afford the luxury wore fur in some capacity...and fur due to it's naturally tactile surface and it's correlative and symbolic relationship to the female sex and...well.....let's just say in the times before Brazilian waxes were common... I guess this might be as sensual to our great grandmothers and fathers as an amber frag would be for us today. It is luxurious, there is no denying that. I'm sure the top notes have burned off from my bottle so there's that as well. It quickly becomes a skin scent, so as soon as the little furry creature pops out the garden to say hello, it's gone again. Overall, I'd say...meh. I could have been satisfied with a small decanted sample from STC or TPC. I do still have a thing for Joy. As my younger cousins would say: "That frag is bae!" Yes, I love Joy so much that I have personified it into a romantic partner. "...but I thought you were Dominique Ropion's girl?" Shhhh. No one else has to know, after all what we do in Paris is secret.... ;-)

Buttery rose. Rounded, fatty, with no screechy notes. 'Fatty' is the key word - this is its defining feature. It's like Youth Dew with rose and florals instead of spice - the notes are different, but the feel is the same. Like Youth Dew, this is all middle and bass, no treble. I appreciate this is a masterpiece of perfurmery, but it's not 'me'. I have a vintage EDP and extrait, and actually think the EDP is better - the extrait has a sickly acetone note which I detect in quite a few vintage perfumes (and find unpleasant), and it has a fuzzier, soapier feel, where the EDP is smooth and round. This is a voluptuous, full-bodied perfume for a voluptuous, full-bodied woman. "When I was 21, That was a very good year. Was a very good year, For big city men, I had an apartment up the stairs. I'd spray Joy in my hair, And let it fall undone. I was so sexy at 21' - Della Reese, 'It Was A Very Good Year' (1966)

At first I mistook this fragrance for the original Joy, which I've wanted for a long time. According to some reviewers EdJ is very similar to Joy, that saves me the effort of purchasing the original. EdJ has a powerful animalic note that takes a while to get used to. The floral notes develop alongside the musk, the strong rose comes through clearly. I agree EdJ is similar to Lanvin and Chanel No. 5, the former is a personal favorite while the latter isn't. Lasting power is good, sillage is modest. A light application keeps the animalic note down to a dull roar. EdJ is labeled as a womens scent but men may want to explore it too. EdJ is so very different from the fruity/fresh/candy scents which are currently popular that younger consumers may perceive it as dated. This is a well made fragrance with an affordable price tag. Anyone looking for something new should give EdJ a try, it is worth a try.

I have the vintage version of this, and this is one of my favorite perfumes. I am only eighteen, but this is just my scent! Everyone knows it as well, my boyfriend loves it, he bought me another vintage bottle. ((I'm a hoarder :p )) But I just suppose I'm a sucker for the classics. I also have the vintage EDT and I personally prefer the EDT, it has a lot more jasmine, if you didn't smell the EDT you wouldn't know that they were from the same line. They almost smell like two separate perfumes with very similar qualities. I've observed that the EDJ is backwards from the EDT. Either way I love them both and hold them very near and dear to me. I think any age woman could pull this scent off, they just need to be classy.

I inherited a vintage bottle of this from my grandma. I am very pleased with it for several reasons. 1) after the initial vinegary animalistic civet aroma dies down, a beautiful bouquet of flowers emerged, perfect for just lounging on your chaise lounge in an evening gown. However the animalistic note does remain. Not an easy everyday perfume. Better layered with something sweeter for me. 2) I discovered that you can refill it very easily, with this vintage version I have, (which is slimmer than the one in the photo, and I would guess it is 50ml, but I can't see any sign on the label) -the cap screws off. So when this perfume has gone, I know I can keep this elegant bottle.

I have a tiny full vintage bottle that I picked up from my grandmother's house many years ago and have managed to hang onto it all this time. It is sooooo very far apart from my usual style of gourmands or oriental spices that I simply can't understand all the love for it. What is the deal with civet? Lol I have no idea. I only know it doesn't work with my skin. I don't enjoy rose so I guess I couldn't expect it to. My grandmother had VERY particular taste and this suited her to a T. In any case, if someone in the States would like to trade I'd be glad to hook you up with some lovely vintage juice. :)

Sadly, I must join the ranks of those whose skin does not work for this fragrance. It stated with a damp powdery note, vaguely rosey with a stale lemon undertone. As it developed, I too get what others describe as urine; a sweet, organic note. In other scents, civet is fine for me, but not here. It is a meaty-floral note that is rich and fleshy but not pleasant. I think part of it is a very indolic jasmine, not fresh at all. I am glad I was able to sample this, but do not want to wear it again.

I have two vintage bottles of Eau de Joy and they smell very different. IMO the black bottle keeps much better and has more dimension years down the road.

Dear @jdt, what a lovely story!! It is truly those special memories that certain scents evoke. God bless you and your mother, all the best to you! :)

Do yourself a favor and skip out on the bottles with the 90°/90% symbol and go for the ones with the 85% marking instead. You'll thank me later🩵💙🩵

Most classy as you can imagine. All mixed, yet so harmonious! Leaves you breathless, I think that any fan of classic perfumes loved this.

absolutely lovely, all day, all night, delicate, sensuous