6 Most Popular Perfumes of all Time

3. Joy, Jean Patou

According to Jean Patou himself, in each 30ml bottle of Joy, there are exactly 336 roses and 10,600 jasmine flowers, a fact which its creator, Henri Alméras, used to justify the perfume’s high retail price. Ironically, the pricey bottle was created in response to the 1929 Wall Street Crash and was offered to his American friends to lighten their mood. Jean Patou was more widely known for his contributions to the fashion scene, with casual, comfortable clothing being his trademark. The scent, too, was intended to be light and cheery, ‘simple in its appearance but powerful in its composition’, in direct contrast to other muskier scents which were popular at the time. In 2000, ‘Joy’ was named the ‘Scent of the Century’, and its sales continue to soar, despite its high price-tag. It is seen as a symbol of elegance, and remains known as ‘the world’s most expensive perfume.’