Jean Naté by Charles of the Ritz (1935)

 

If a lemon went to finishing school, it would smell like Jean Naté.

Soft, powdery, complex and sophisticated, this old gem (the old school Charles of the Ritz cologne spray, anyway) is sunny without being ditzy. It starts out at the gate (cue the 70s commercial above with the female jockey) all lemon. Even Lemon Pledge, uncannily. But soon enough, before you can disparage the old gal, she tosses off a bon mot or two, talks about a summer she spent in Tangiers, and soon you realize you're dealing with something refined and special.

A reader on Basenotes says that the the following are Jean Naté's notes: Lavender, Jasmine, Rose, Carnation, Lily of the valley, Cedar, Tonka, Musk, Sandal. This sounds smells right to me. Especially the tonka and sandalwood, which give it a roundness and woody complexity at the end. The lavender probably contributes to the slight medicinal/cleaner note at the beginning. (I even get a herbal tarragon note occasionally.) Spraying it several times, I realize that there's no getting around a kind of bug-spray screech that, strangely, isn't off-putting to me. The more I sniff Jean Naté it and let its nuances speak, the less the lemon (lemongrass, maybe?) grabs my attention, and the more its sensuous base sings out.

Lemon scents were pretty popular in the 1970s, which is why Jean Naté (born in 1935) was popular through that sporty-scented decade. (There was Love's Fresh Lemon, Revlon Wild Lemon, and Skinny Dip, just to name a few.) Perhaps that note seems too crass now, too easy. But I imagine that for a perfumer to replicate lemon and, at the same time, transform it, is akin to using a primary color as a painter to novel effect. (Think Mondrian, or even Mark Rothko, who I've cited on my blog before.)

I also think of those poor chefs on the Food Network show "Chopped" who compete against one another to make palatable, creative and even delicious dishes out of crazy ingredients. ("In your baskets, you have Rambutans, duck liver paté, chocolate, and Kool Aid. Have fun kids!") Where's the fun in safe or easy perfume notes?

I remember Jean Naté in the splash bottles, and this version definitely recalls that, but the spray cologne has so much more dimension. The Charles of the Ritz Jean Naté is an overlooked oddity, and I'll be wearing it in the sweltering New Orleans heat this summer. Courtesy of eBay, for $1.99.

Comments

[Anne]

Jean Nate seems to be part of the fragrance memory of many north Americans, but I have never seen it or heard it mentioned in Australia. Maybe it has never been sold here: I had not heard of it until I saw it reviewed on NST a while back. I got the impression it is similar to 4711, in the sense of being an easy wearing summer cologne. Is Jean Nate short-lived, like 4711? It sounds from your description more complex and perfumey. And I wonder if it was named after a real person?

[brigitte]

Jean Nate and 4711 remind me of my childhood (although I have not sampled either in over 30 years) as they were both ubiquitous scents in my house worn by my parents and relatives. I do not remember Jean Nate as a spray cologne but rather as in an all over body splash or bath oil formula. Jean Nate, like 4711 does not last long on the body. In fact, to answer Anne's question, the body splash was very popular as a summer scent for one could literally "bathe" in it several times a day, just like 4711. 4711 was very popular in Europe in the 60s and 70s but just like Jean Nate the younger population refuses to wear it now because it is viewed as an "old smell"- not to me-I remember both as citrusy-fresh and refreshing: perfect for a hot summer day! A review on 4711 would actually be lovely...(Hint,hint)

[Perfumaniac]

Hi Anne, long time no speak! Interesting that Jean Naté wasnt marketed to Aussies. Its very much a part of my childhood memories, especially the commercials on TV. As soon as I smelled the cologne spray, I remembered it from the splash bottle. Ive smelled the newer version of 4711, and from what I remember, its sharper and less warm than Jean Nate is in the dry down. Not sure if it was named after a real person...In any case, a very nice summer scent, and cheap! I havent tried the current version, but I imagine its not as interesting as the vintage.

[Perfumaniac]

I have 4711 lying around somewhere, brigitte...perhaps I will review! So many perfumes, so little time...
As for the Jean Naté body splash, what a brilliant marketing move. Get your consumers to literally pour your stuff down the drain so that they can buy more! (The splash isn't as interesting as the cologne spray, but it is lighter.)

[RK]

I applied some Jean Nate at the drugstore today and within a few minutes it dried down to smell just like Obsession. Very similar if not identical...How strange.

[Perfumaniac]

I haven't tried the new Jean Nate, RK, but the vintage stuff I reviewed had a wonderful woody, musky and powdery base (cedar, tonka, musk, sandalwood?). Maybe the new stuff has it, too, because that sounds like Obsessions warm base. Did you like it?

[BestBuyBoston]

I remember this fragrance from my Grandmother. She had the powder puff and bottle in her bathroom. For some reason this fragrance reminds me of a fresh clean lemony scent that I relate to my visits with her. I haven't seen it in years but its probably one of the first I have smelled. Oddly enough I can still recall its smell.

[Detlev Gottaut]

In retrospection things often appear more attractive as they really have been - but there's still an impressive smell in my mind that I cannot fade out.

It's - or better has been - the men's body splash-on "Jean Nate" from "Charles of the Ritz".

Must have been in the early eighties. Since then, and for many years, I've tried to get it again but it is still no longer available.

Due to my abilites I recreate a facsimile of the design as it has been available in Germany:
http://t1p.de/d3qo

As far as I remember the german manufacturer has been "von Heiden" (Kehlheim, Bavaria, Germany).

Lately I bought an "Jean Nate - After Bath Splash-on" but it is not the same fragrance.

Can anybody give me further information?

Has the "splash-on for men" been a special creation for the german market? Was it a unisex parfum or in fact espacially for men? Is it still available (in the original compostion)?

If it is out of production, is there any chance to get the original formula?

Yours sincerely - Detlev Gottaut
(Beg your pardon if my English is'nt quite well)

[Gwen Luty Estelle]

I was introduced to Jean Nate as a freshman at Boston University in 1958. I loved it then, and still do today.

It smells so lively and fresh--not staid or old. Have you ever been next to, or even near, someone who has poured on the perfume? Give me light, Jean Nate, anytime, in addition to a well showered body.

[sandra baker]

I am a longtime Vintage Paper Dealer who has been selling to Corporations, Museums and Private Collectors for three decades. My Customers have bought for their Archives, framed for Offices and Factories and/or sold at Fairs and Trade Shows.
I have come across a large collection of early Rheingold advertising from all eras and publications going back to the early days of the Company ... Because I am visually limited and typing is time consuming, I have always sent my items on approval. It saves me time and you get to see the actual material...condition etc....before deciding to buy.

Prices are now lowered to $4 or less each as I am getting ready to retire next year.I will send you a selection to look over...email me if there are any questions or simply pay with a mailed check to address below or Paypal to my email address. Then, if you so choose, I will send more. {I do not ask for returns unless I have another customer for your subject.} I find that most people are honest so this has worked well for over thirty years.

Let me know ASAP as I am sending new orders out this coming week. Do not forget the mailing address you wish me to use. I look forward to doing business with you....and feel free to pass this on.

Sandra

Sandra Baker

15 Elm St

Searsport, Maine

04974

[email protected]

[Roseanne]

My wish is that Jean Nate's Soft Musk body splash
would make a comeback. The best scent ever.