A Bientot by Lentheric c1938

Launched in 1938, A Bientôt by Lentheric was a fragrance that carried a name both evocative and memorable. The phrase "A Bientôt," which translates from French to "See you soon," suggests a sentiment of farewell and anticipation, a promise of a future encounter. This choice of name subtly hints at a fragrance that is designed to leave a lingering impression, a scent that one would eagerly anticipate revisiting.

The name "A Bientôt" evokes images of elegance and sophistication, as well as a sense of temporary parting and the excitement of future reunions. It captures the essence of an encounter that is both memorable and fleeting, suggesting that the fragrance itself is something to be cherished and looked forward to. The emotions tied to this name are those of nostalgia and longing, wrapped in the allure of a fragrance that promises to leave a lasting mark.

In terms of scent, A Bientôt translates this evocative name into a complex olfactory experience. The perfume opens with a strong, cool lemony eau de cologne top note that is both refreshing and invigorating, providing a burst of citrus that is immediately striking. This vibrant opening transitions into a rich, heady floral heart, where the interplay of tobacco leaves with floral notes creates a distinctive and sophisticated character. The fragrance then settles into a dry, animalic base of tobacco leaf, which imparts a sense of depth and warmth, grounding the scent in a robust, sensual finish.

The late 1930s were a period of transition in the fragrance world, as the industry began to experiment with more diverse and innovative compositions. A Bientôt’s classification as a dry, floral tobacco fragrance for women was somewhat unconventional for its time, standing out with its bold blend of floral and tobacco elements. This scent reflects a trend towards more complex and daring fragrances, diverging from the more traditional and sweeter profiles that were common earlier in the decade. For women of the time, A Bientôt would have represented a sophisticated and modern choice, capturing the spirit of an era on the cusp of dramatic change in both fashion and fragrance.

In 1938, it was said to be "translated into the best American slang, "I'll be seeing you", reflects characteristics truly American - vigor, vitality, and personality and may be worn most suitably from early afternoon through the evening."

When this perfume was being introduced at the perfume counter at the Abraham & Straus department store in New York City, women could pick up a complimentary vial of the perfume, and then customers were being advised to order the 'A Bientot Cocktail', specially created for the perfume, the next time they visited the St. George Hotel's Bermuda Room, as well as to see how the colors of the famous dining room was worked out to harmonize with the packaging for 'A Bientot'.

"Dry and heady as champagne - it's your cocktail aura."

A Bientot was a fragrance line that included perfume, Bouquet Lentheric, face powder, soap, bath oil, talcum powder, bath salts, dusting powder and sachet bags for clothes.

Fragrance composition:

So what does it smell like? It was classified as a dry, heady, floral tobacco fragrance for women. It begins with a strong, cool, lemony eau de cologne top note and dries down to a rich animalic dry, tobacco leaf base.

 It was described in a vintage 1938 newspaper article as "the dry mellow aroma of sun ripened tobacco leaves, expressing camaraderie, and is to be worn with bright bravado."

• Top notes: aldehydes, lemon, bergamot, rosemary, lavender, neroli
• Middle notes: flowers, spices
• Base notes: vetiver, musk, civet, vanilla, tobacco leaf, sandalwood, amber, leather

Drug and Cosmetic Industry, 1938:

"LENTHERIC "A Bientot" — a phrase that breezily bids a temporary goodbye has been translated into fragrance by Lentheric."

A Bientot was also suggested to be used as a "pick me up after an arduous day, a vitalizing after bath luxury, a scent of lingerie or handkerchiefs."

Bottle:

A Bientot parfum was housed inside of a clear crystal bottle that had a slight curved shape. Made by Baccarat from model number 789. The front of the bottle has the perfume's name in gold serigraphy. The earlier bottles were made up of fine lead crystal and were fitted with an inner glass stopper and covered with a chunky solid crystal stopper overcap, that when looking down from the top, slightly resembled a stylized bow tie, the bottle follows the shape of the stopper.

Later bottles were made of glass and omitted the crystal overcap and instead were simply covered by an apple juice colored Prystal Bakelite (or amber Lucite?) overcap. This was probably originally crystal clear but aged to the apple juice color.

I believe that this may have been implemented due to wartime restrictions on importations of the French crystal bottles, many of the bottles have been found with small paper labels with "Completed in Lentheric's Laboratories USA."

The sides of the bottle and the stopper were vertically ribbed, so that when the bottles were sealed with the baudruchage cording, two cords were crisscrossed over the top of the stopper and as the cords passed down over the sides, the cords passed into the grooves of the ribs and tied under the stopper.

The bottle was presented in a cream and gold band box with a square base.

A Bientot parfum was available in several sizes and retailed for $1.50, $2.75, $5.00 (for the half ounce), $9, $25, $30, and $55 by 1939. By 1947, the price for the largest size parfum was $75.

• 2" tall
• 1/2 oz = bottle stands 2.5" tall
• 3" tall
• 4.25" tall

Art and Industry - Volume 28, 1940:

"The brilliant colours and contemporary treatment suggested by the insouciant, sparkling fragrance of A Bientot, by Lentheric, is carried out in a sculptured, modern crystal flacon packaged in a white bandbox decorated with gold."

A Bientot was also housed in various other less expensive bottles based on the fragrance concentration: Bouquet Lentheric, cologne, eau de toilette, etc.

Bouquet Lentheric Au Parfum:

Bouquet Lentheric was dubbed a "daytime fragrance" and was a double strength eau de cologne. These bottles could be found in different shapes and was sold in both atomizer and splash bottles.

In 1935, customers could have their Bouquet Lentheric scents bottled in luxurious crystal bottles made by the Swedish glass company Orrefors. These delicate amphora shaped decanters were wheel cut with a delicate floral pattern and fitted with a teardrop shaped ground glass stopper. The bottle was presented with a spray of velvet millinery flowers tied onto the neck of the bottle.

A vintage newspaper advertisement from 1938 described these as "a mid-Victorian cut crystal minaret bottle", which would be appropriate as the Victorian era was enjoying a Revival during this time. The bottle was available in three sizes: 4 oz, 8 oz and 16 oz.

If you find your A Bientot perfume inside one of these bottles, it will date to after 1938, when the perfume was introduced.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. The last newspaper ad I found was in 1955, so I believe the perfume may have been discontinued around that time.

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 A Bientot 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.