Youth-Dew Eau de Parfum
A spicy amber rooted in a 1953 bath oil, layering rose and jasmine with spice, moss, vetiver and patchouli.
Perfumer: Josephine Catapano
Youth-Dew began not as a perfume but as a bath oil. In 1953, Estée Lauder questioned why women waited for the men in their lives to buy them fragrance, and why they saved it for special occasions. Her answer was Youth-Dew Bath Oil. Because it was sold as a bath oil rather than a perfume, women felt free to use it every day, and many soon wore it as their fragrance.
The Eau de Parfum opens with rose, jonquil and lavender. Jonquil, a species of narcissus, adds a slightly green sweetness to the rose, while lavender gives the opening a herbal edge.
In the heart, jasmine and lily of the valley bring white florals, joined by spices that warm their sweetness with a gentle bite. The base of moss, vetiver and patchouli lays a damp green shade, a dry rooty bitterness and an earthy depth beneath the flowers, leading to what the brand calls a spicy amber.
More than fifty years on, this mix of opulent flowers, rich spices and warm woods still carries the founder's idea that fragrance belongs to ordinary days.
