Calyx from Clinique

Hands up who remembers Prescriptives? They were a lovely beauty brand, but sadly they disappeared from our stores in 2009. Who remembers Custom Blend foundations? They also did custom blend lip colours, and I remember having a gorgeous bold red! You can still buy some of the Prescriptives cult products online, but only in the USA.

One of the key Prescriptives products was Calyx, their fragance, introduced in 1986. And now, it’s back! This time, under the Clinique brand, who are also part of the Estee Lauder Group Companies.

Calyx was introduced in 1986 as a fresh, modern fragrance, and today is still instantly recognisable. It’s a really bold and fresh, uplifting scent which makes you feel energised It’s a citrus floral, and predated other such fragrances like Issey Miyake (1992) and CK One (1994).

At the time of Calyx’s development and release, fragrances which were popular were dramatic, traditional florals and orientals. These fragrances were classically constructed, starting out light with very airy, volatile notes, and then building up and becoming stronger with time. Think of Calvin Klein Obsession or Christian Dior Poison. Calyx challenged the fragrance status quo.

The tart, grapefruit top notes are very distinctive.  As one of the very first fragrances to feature a signature, modern citrus accord, Calyx was a fragrance breakthrough that paved the way for the fruity floral category.

Legendary perfumer, Sophia Grojsman began developing Calyx after travelling to the Mediterranean to visit family. She couldn’t help notice an intoxicating flowery and fruity aroma that filled the home, stemming from two trees outside the windows: a grapefruit tree and an orange tree. The combined scents were unique and memorable.

During the infancy of Calyx’s creation, Sophia experimented with a blend of grapefruit and orange flower, and working with a chemist in the IFF lab, she was able to balance the sweetness with the incredible tartness. The final fragrance was a recreation of the experience Sophia had during her visit to the Mediterranean. It signifies nature, combining greens and florals, and represents all things that are stimulating, lush and effervescent.

The fragrance name comes from  a ‘calyx’ which is the protective covering of a flower bud – the green leaves that wrap tightly around the petals before they blossom. If you love fruity florals, then you will love Calyx, the original and best. It was a perfume that was way ahead of its time, but is still relevant and fresh today.

Available on Clinique counters in two sizes – 50ml and 100ml, priced £46 and £66. It’s available now, exclusively at Debenhams, until February 27th, and from February 28th it will go on sale nationwide, and at clinique.co.uk