Egoiste by Revillon c1935

Egoiste by Revillon: launched in 1935. Egoiste was a woman's perfume, but according to a 1936 newspaper article, men apparently also enjoyed wearing it.

Vogue, 1936:

"Egoiste de Revillon. It hovers in softened volutes. Evokes the fable, strong in its weakness, suave and drunk."

Esquire, 1937:

""EGOISTE POUR L'AUTOMNE. Egoiste IS the scent of the celebrity and the socially secure. It is the perfume for the woman whose frock sets the vogue, whose bon mot is quoted and whose personality endows her with an aura not surrounding the average woman. If you can look in your mirror and say truthfully you belong to this coterie, why not scent your skin with the perfume that is the perfect match for your ego? Like the other Parfums Revillon, Egoiste is invincible when it is applied directly to the person."

Marie-Claire, 1937:

"Egoiste by Revillon: extremely original. Both fresh and subtle, it changes when it comes into contact with different skin types. Leaves the smell of excellent English tobacco floating in the air. For the lover...'the woman of thirty'...who can be from twenty-five to forty-five. Phèdre or Anna Karenina."

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? I have no published notes on this fragrance other than it was a floral musk fragrance for women which had a tangy and crisp accent.

• Top notes: citrus
• Middle notes: floral notes
• Base notes: Tibetan musk

Bottles:

Egoiste was presented in a ribbed bottle, with curves divided by straight panels, with "Egoiste" embossed in frosted letters on one of the narrow sides. The stylized "R" with the ram (Revillon logo) is etched on the round stopper.  Base is molded "Revillon, Paris made in France". The bottle measures about 3 1/8" tall from the base to the top of the stopper. Bottom is 5.4cm wide. Stopper is 1 5/8" in diameter.

Also presented in the standard Revillon flacon shown below.

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 frm 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."

 Fate of the Fragrance:

Discontinued, date unknown. Still being sold in 1941.