Diorissimo(1956)

Created by Edmond Roudnitska for Christian Dior, Diorissimo opens on green notes and bergamot, moves through a heart dominated by lily of the valley alongside jasmine and ylang-ylang, and closes on sandalwood, civet, and musk. Roudnitska built the fragrance around an exceptionally naturalistic, radiant lily-of-the-valley accord, widely regarded by perfumers and critics as the finest and most technically accomplished muguet composition ever created, surpassing the many earlier attempts by Houbigant, Coty, and Guerlain across the preceding half-century. A touch of civet in the base gives the otherwise fresh, green floral an unexpected animalic warmth, a characteristically Roudnitska touch of complexity beneath apparent simplicity. Diorissimo is consistently ranked among the greatest fragrances of the 20th century by perfume critics and historians, and remains the definitive reference point whenever lily of the valley is discussed in perfumery.