Dark Brilliance by Lentheric: launched in 1946.
So what does it smell like? It was a heavy, sweet floral perfume on a warm animalic, spicy, ambery base. Heavy on the acacia.
I just tested a small amount on my skin from a sealed vintage perfume nip that is over 60 years old. The perfume at first smells mossy, fuzzy, then extremely sweet with gardenia and tuberose, much like vintage Fracas perfume, this lasts for quite awhile, then I get a hint of a slightly soapy Bulgarian rose, and a slightly indolic jasmine breaking through. At the end of the drydown, mingling with amber, soft spices, incense and woodsy notes, you can smell the civet and some "fuzzy" castoreum. This is an extremely nice, sultry, definitely an evening perfume. After an hour, I still smell some of the animalic and sweet floral notes.
On paper, the perfume is extremely mossy, with only a short breath of the flowers, I feel that only on the skin does the super sweet gardenia and tuberose blend become very apparent and much more enjoyable.
If you are looking for a beautiful vintage perfume, try this one!
The New Yorker - Volume 22, 1946:
Glass Packer, Volume 26, 1946:
Los Angeles School Journal - Volume 30, 1946:
Home Journal - Volume 107, 1953:
Parfum:
Dark Brilliance Parfum (extrait) was contained in a gorgeous crystal flacon with a rectangular base which flares upwards. The words "Dark Brilliance de Lentheric" is silk screened in yellow ochre serigraphy on the front of the bottle. The bottle is fitted with a frosted glass stopper resembling a knot. I believe the bottle was manufactured by Verreries Brosse in France. The bottle was designed by Frank McIntosh and was granted a design patent number 149507 (originally filed in 1946 and granted in 1948).
The bottle is housed inside of a pretty presentation box covered in black paper and adorned with a large multicolored braided yarn tassel. The box was lined in rayon satin.
The bottle was available in various sizes:
Bouquet Lentheric:
Fragrance Composition:
So what does it smell like? It was a heavy, sweet floral perfume on a warm animalic, spicy, ambery base. Heavy on the acacia.
- Top notes: citrus, aldehydes, acacia
- Middle notes: Bulgarian rose, cinnamon, gardenia, jasmine, tuberose, carnation
- Base notes: spices, ambergris, civet, benzoin, musk, oakmoss, myrrh, castoreum, sandalwood, patchouli
I just tested a small amount on my skin from a sealed vintage perfume nip that is over 60 years old. The perfume at first smells mossy, fuzzy, then extremely sweet with gardenia and tuberose, much like vintage Fracas perfume, this lasts for quite awhile, then I get a hint of a slightly soapy Bulgarian rose, and a slightly indolic jasmine breaking through. At the end of the drydown, mingling with amber, soft spices, incense and woodsy notes, you can smell the civet and some "fuzzy" castoreum. This is an extremely nice, sultry, definitely an evening perfume. After an hour, I still smell some of the animalic and sweet floral notes.
On paper, the perfume is extremely mossy, with only a short breath of the flowers, I feel that only on the skin does the super sweet gardenia and tuberose blend become very apparent and much more enjoyable.
If you are looking for a beautiful vintage perfume, try this one!
The New Yorker - Volume 22, 1946:
"Never in any season have there been more good, new scents around, and a lot of them were first sniffed in Paris — Lentheric's Dark Brilliance, for instance, which is rich and mellow but contains enough citrus to keep it lively. "
Glass Packer, Volume 26, 1946:
"LENTHERIC'S first new perfume in seven years, "Dark Brilliance, will be imported from France and distribution to American shops will be gradual. Rich and spicy, it is truly a winter fragrance in keeping with fine furs and social comings."
Los Angeles School Journal - Volume 30, 1946:
"Dark Brilliance de Lentheric; Intriguing fragrance, irresistible to the true sophisticate. 2 ounces, 30.00."
Home Journal - Volume 107, 1953:
"Lentheric's Dark Brilliance, with a strongly flowered, exotic timbre."
Bottles:
Dark Brilliance Parfum (extrait) was contained in a gorgeous crystal flacon with a rectangular base which flares upwards. The words "Dark Brilliance de Lentheric" is silk screened in yellow ochre serigraphy on the front of the bottle. The bottle is fitted with a frosted glass stopper resembling a knot. I believe the bottle was manufactured by Verreries Brosse in France. The bottle was designed by Frank McIntosh and was granted a design patent number 149507 (originally filed in 1946 and granted in 1948).
The bottle is housed inside of a pretty presentation box covered in black paper and adorned with a large multicolored braided yarn tassel. The box was lined in rayon satin.
The bottle was available in various sizes:
- 3/4 oz (21ml) bottle stands 3.25" tall.
- 2 oz bottle stands almost 4" tall.
- 6 oz
When the fragrance was first introduced it retailed for $15 for the 3/4 oz, $30 for the 2 oz and $75 for the 6 oz bottle in 1946. It was also available for $2.50 per dram (1/8 oz).
Dark Brilliance was also available in the Bouquet Lentheric daytime fragrance in various bottles. The prettiest of all was the one that closely resembled the bottle used for the parfum. This tall flacon was made up of clear crystal and had the identical frosted glass knot stopper. The 4 oz bottle stands 5.5" tall.
Discontinued, date unknown. Still being sold in 1960.
Note: Please understand that this website is not affiliated with the Lentheric company in any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the Lentheric fragrances.
The goal of this website is to show the present owners of the Lentheric company how much we miss the discontinued classics such as Dark Brilliance and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back the original formula of the perfume!
Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the perfume, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories), who knows, perhaps someone from the company might see it.
Fate of the Fragrance:
Discontinued, date unknown. Still being sold in 1960.
Note: Please understand that this website is not affiliated with the Lentheric company in any way, it is only a reference page for collectors and those who have enjoyed the Lentheric fragrances.
The goal of this website is to show the present owners of the Lentheric company how much we miss the discontinued classics such as Dark Brilliance and hopefully, if they see that there is enough interest and demand, they will bring back the original formula of the perfume!
Please leave a comment below (for example: of why you liked the perfume, describe the scent, time period or age you wore it, who gave it to you or what occasion, any specific memories), who knows, perhaps someone from the company might see it.
I can't thank you enough for all your research and tenacity in locating and posting information regarding perfume bottles.
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