The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
The 1910 fragrance exists as part of Bésame's Decades of Fragrance collection, each scent tied to a specific year. For this release, the brand looked to archival formulas and period beauty culture to reconstruct what fragrance might have felt like at the beginning of the 20th century. The white florals are front and center, bold and intentional, arriving with a presence that feels sharp and unmistakable. This is a fragrance that opens like looking through an old window, familiar yet somehow more vivid than memory. It doesn't ask for attention. It simply takes it. The composition moves through its notes with confidence, each layer building on the last to create something that feels both timeless and distinctly present.
The combination here is striking. White florals build thick and rich against a leather base that grounds the composition from the start. The civet brings a warm, slightly feral quality that makes the florals feel like skin rather than a polished arrangement. There's a depth to this fragrance that comes from the way the materials interact, the animalic notes adding presence beneath the lush floral heart. The overall effect is one of richness and complexity, a scent that doesn't try to please everyone but instead offers something specific and memorable to those who encounter it.
The evolution
The opening hits fast, ylang-ylang and orange blossom thickening the air within seconds, lemon retreating as quickly as it arrived. Within half an hour, jasmine and tuberose surge up through the peony, and the composition develops a warm undertone that adds depth and keeps the florals from being purely pretty. The leather starts threading through the heart, grounding the bloom as it develops. Sandalwood and vanilla carry the florals into the base, with a warm, animalic quality pulsing underneath everything. The vanilla softens but never fully disappears. On skin, the drydown lasts well into the evening. On fabric, the fragrance leaves a subtle trace that lingers. This is a fragrance that announces itself and then settles in to stay.
Cultural impact
1910 stands apart from the softness and transparency that characterized many florals of its era. The animalic notes and leather base make it specific, the kind of fragrance that appeals to wearers looking for something with actual presence. It's not trying to please everyone. The combination of bold white florals and grounding leather notes creates something that feels different from the mainstream, offering depth and complexity for those who want a fragrance with real character. The scent makes its statement clearly and doesn't apologize for what it is.
