Revillon Perfume Bottles: Amou Daria by Revillon c1935

Amou Daria by Revillon" launched in 1935. Said to be named after a Central Asian (in Tibet) river, probably an area where the company acquired their furs. Tornade was said to be the re-branded fragrance 'Amou-Daria' according to Perfume Intelligence, however, I cannot see this as being true as both perfumes were being sold at the same time as evidenced by 1930s-1950s period newspaper ads.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? It is classified as a cool floral fragrance for women with a dominant note of lilac. Was said to be a "youthful 'blonde' perfume" and a "cool odeur with the charm of an English countryside". It was suggested to be worn with furs.

Top notes: lavender, Italian bergamot, hyacinth, aldehydes, galbanum
Middle notes: lilac, Grasse jasmine absolute, Bulgarian rose absolute, violet, Florentine orris, lily of the valley
Base notes: Central Massif oakmoss, Mysore sandalwood, Andean vetiver, tonka bean

Marie-Claire, 1937:

"Amou-Daria de Revillon: Alpine flowers and plants. Created especially to be applied to the skin. Parfum for brunettes.""

L'Amour de l'art, 1950:

"Amou-Daria: This perfume, like the river whose name it bears, has its source in the Hindu-Kuch in Central Asia. One evening, after a day of hunting, the emir, who lived several hundred years ago, stopped at the edge of a stream to rest; penetrating scents rose from the valley where, says the legend, all the flowers of paradise had met. In the shelter of a light copse a Yurt was erected sheltering the most graceful of young girls, lying on a bed of fragrant grass; a vial of lapis lazuli was at his side. The emir took it, breathed it. Praise be to Allah, exclaimed the beautiful sleeper, when she woke up, it is for you that I have prepared this philtre: be happy. The secret of this perfume transmitted for generations by buyers of precious furs has been reconstructed by a French chemist. It is an oriental breeze purified by a long journey."

Bottles:

The New Yorker, 1938:

"Revillon: Carnet de Bal, new, luxurious, feminine. Amou Daria in vast, square crystal bottles ; it’s a blended, concentrated toilet water, mostly lilac, apparently; $8.50. The bath oil, brisk and verbena-ish, can also be used as a friction rub; $19.50 (Revillon and Bonwit Teller)."

Twin Set:

This set of interlocking glass bottles is extremely hard to find. The 1936 ad below states the presentation includes bottles of Tornade & Amou Daria.

Esquire, 1937:

"Like the other Parfums Revillon, Égoïste is invincible when it is applied directly to the person in your city, we will supply ... New York. PRICES BY THE OUNCE, TORNADE, $12.50, AMOU DARIA, $12.50, LATITUDE 50, $14.00; EGOISTE.."

Stepped Bottles:

The heavy, chunky glass bottle below was molded with three rounded edge steps in a very modern Art Deco style. This bottle design was used to hold several different Revillon parfums. This bottle was available in various sizes.

1/2 oz
6 oz Amou-Daria Fluide "Parfum Total" bottle stands 4.25" tall.
5" tall
5.5" tall

Esquire - Volume 7, 1937:

"For almost a century, women loved by the men of Revillon awaited breathlessly for the annual shipment of raw sables from Tibet. It was not only for the gossamer-soft brown fur of queens they waited. It was for a small, hide-bound flask of perfume that was always found hidden away in the heart of each bale of sable skins. The annual gift of a Tibetan tribe to the house of Revillon, this flask contained a rare and enchanted perfume that went to the heads of men like wine; a scent so subtle, so alluring, that women of royal blood coaxed for even a few drops of the of the precious fragrance.

Time and again, the Revillons tried to acquire the formula, but each offer was met with polite refusal. The scent of princesses was not for sale. And so, this strange and fascinating redolence remained one of the mysteries of the east until several years ago, a young Revillon entered the firm of his fathers.

Like every Revillon who goes into this business, he was forced to serve his two-year apprenticeship in the far-flung outposts of the company. How, during his visit to Tibet, he saved the life of a chieftain's son is another story, glamorous as any tale of the cinema. But it is your good fortune that his reward for this service was the gift of the formula for making the Tibetan perfume which his family had sought for a century.

Hormones from the glands of sable lend subtle charm to these perfumes for the skin.

Now imprisoned in lovely flacons of flashing crystal are four perfumes that bear the stamp of Revillon. Tornade, Latitude 50, Egoiste, Amou Daria. Unlike ordinary perfumes, these Parfums Revillon are not applied to the outer garments but are placed directly on the person. When they are correctly used, as they are now in Paris, they are interpreted differently by every woman who wears them.

Then they become not merely a scent to be put on and off with every gown, but an enchantment of the very being of the individual, until the body itself gives off its own glorious perfume like an exotic flower.

Today, these perfumes may be yours if you can afford them. Frankly their cost is high because their ingredients are extremely rare and costly. Since our supply is limited we in turn are forced to limit their sale to fifty stores in the entire united States.

If you are unable to purchase Parfums Revillon for the skin we will undertake to supply you by air mail, postpaid. We cannot guarantee prices after January 1, 1937, since our costs are dependent upon the world catch of sables. Parfums Revillon 684 Fifth Avenue, new York, NY.

If you want to be thought extremely generous by some very attractive lady, we suggest you send her the 5 ounce bottle of Tornade for $60.

Prices by the ounce: Amou Daria, $12.50; Tornade, $12.50; Latitude 50, $14.50; Egoiste (in 3 ounce bottles only), $30."

The New Yorker, 1947:

"Made, bottled, sealed entirely in France. Revillon perfumes are again being imported into the United Slates in limited quantities. PARFUMS REVILLON PARIS - CARNET DE BAL, LATITUDE 50, TORNADE, AMOU DARIA - LUXURY IMPORTS."

Cue, 1949:

"Back with us in quantity is Carnet de Bal, along with those other wonderful Revillon fragrances — Tornade, Latitude 50, Amou Daria and Eau Marveilleuse. Revillon perfumes are made, bottled and sealed in France, which should make the perfectionists even happier."

Wing Bottles:

These bottle below look as if they have wings, so I have dubbed them the "wing bottles". They have heavily silvered or gilded glass stoppers, but sometimes the stoppers are just clear glass. The base is acid marked "Revillon Paris Made in France."

There are five sizes that I am aware of: