What’s old is new again in perfumes

The resurgence of high-calorie perfumes has included the reinvigoration of once-moribund or struggling perfume houses as new owners, hoping to capitalize on historic brand names, bring infusions of cash and new creative direction.

Many perfume firms are tweaking old classics and re-releasing them for today’s market. Pierre Balmain recently unveiled a reformulation of its 1979 classic Ivoire, swapping out the original’s soapy, aldehydic green embrace for a fizzier, more dewy and softly floral green. (Maybe they should call it Ivoire 2.0.)

At Robert Piguet Parfums, creative director Aurelien Guichard has brought classics Bandit, Fracas, Baghari and Cravache into compliance with regulations issued by the International Fragrance Assn.; resurrected and reformulated extinct perfumes including Visa and Futur; and introduced new ones, such as Douglas Hannant.

“There’s a sense of people wanting less ethereal and more substantial notes,” spokeswoman Bayly Ledes says. “There might have a been a time when people said, ‘I don’t want to smell like my grandmother, but maybe now it’s OK, because I love her and she was interesting and had a lot of memories.’ Perfume has a story, and we’re keeping our perfume story alive.”

—Denise Hamilton