Drakkar Noir

Drakkar Noir is a men's fragrance by Guy Laroche created by perfumer Pierre Wargnye. The fragrance was introduced in 1982 and is manufactured under license by the L'Oréal Group.^[1] It won the 1985 FiFi Award for "Most Successful Men's Fragrance (Limited)"^[2] and, in 2010, the Canadian Fragrance Awards' "Hall of Fame Award - men's".^[3] In 1991, it was the bestselling men's "prestige" ($20+) scent worldwide.^[4] The name is pronounced with the stress on the second syllable "Dra-CAR".^[4]

There is a song on Phoenix's fifth studio album, Bankrupt!, titled Drakkar Noir.

Product overview

Name

While the New York Times says the name derives from "a flat-bottomed Viking ship",^[4] according to Ron Beasley and Marcel Danesi, the name relates to "Dracula"; they said the fragrance's image "obviously appeals to the dark, macabre, sinister side of masculine sexual fantasies" and possibly to myths such as that of Faust. Others would find that preposterous.^[5]

Formula

The fragrance is an aromatic fougère, with top notes of bergamot, rosemary, lavender, middle notes of cardamom and geranium, and a dry down of vetiver, cedar, and fir balsam.^[6] The top note includes prominent dihydromyrcenol, a synthetic odorant with a metallic citric-floral character, typical of the fougère family fragrances.

I do believe the secret behind this fragrance is the emotion of its construction as well as the power feeling that it evokes. It’s still very modern nowadays due to its timeless contrasting and its sensual masculine power.

—Pierre Wargnye, perfumer; creator of Drakkar Noir^[7]

Marketing

The first ad featured a close-up of a man's hand and a woman's hand grabbing the fragrance erotically.^[8]

From 1986 to 1991, a TV commercial for the fragrance featured an athletic yuppie-like young man about town, doing activities such as archery and nightclubbing.^[4] From 1991 to 1993, another TV commercial featured a boxer and his girlfriend, played by supermodel Stephanie Seymour. The print advertising campaign was photographed by Herb Ritts.^[9] In 1994, a new commercial, shot by director Jean-Baptiste Mondino, was introduced. It depicted a rock star amongst his wildly excited fans.^[10]

In 1993, Guy Laroche offered a promotional CD, Best of Rock, with every purchase of Drakkar Noir. The CD featured tracks by Jimi Hendrix, Rod Stewart and others.^[11]

In 2013, a new commercial was released featuring the Brazilian football player Neymar Jr., photographed again by Jean-Baptiste Mondino, promoting social inclusion through sport.^[12]

References