The Story
Why it exists.
The beginning
BIC, a name most people associate with ballpoint pens and disposable lighters, also produced a line of numbered fragrances. Day for Women No. 23 was part of that collection, with DSM-Firmenich listed as the perfumer. The numbered system, No. 23, follows the same logic as a SKU. It exists to be found, purchased, and worn without ceremony. There is a composition that opens with citrus and spice, settles into florals, and finishes warm. The top notes bring mandarin and neroli alongside cardamom, coriander, and black pepper, a combination that feels bright and assertive without crossing into aggressive. The heart layers jasmine, ylang-ylang, rose, mimosa, and orris root, with a powdery iris quality that anchors the bouquet and keeps the florals from feeling one-dimensional.
What makes this composition interesting is the choice to anchor a women's fragrance in cardamom, coriander, and black pepper rather than the standard fruity-floral template. The spice layer isn't decorative. It's structural. Neroli softens the opening so the pepper doesn't read aggressive, but the cardamom pushes through with a slightly sweet, almost savory warmth that sets the tone for everything that follows. The heart is a quiet one: jasmine for lift, orris root for that powdery, suede-like depth, and vetiver adding a green, earthy edge that keeps the florals from going sweet. The orris is the real workhorse here.
The evolution
The first fifteen minutes belong to the spices. Mandarin brightens the top, neroli adds that honeyed-floral lift, then cardamom, coriander, and black pepper take turns announcing themselves. The opening is lively, a little sharp, the kind of scent that makes you lean in. The pepper doesn't burn. It crackles. Around the thirty-minute mark, the citrus recedes and jasmine moves forward, creamy and unmistakable, but the orris root is already working underneath. That powdery, root-beer warmth is what keeps the heart from feeling like a typical white floral. The vetiver adds something green and slightly bitter, like the smell of stems in a flower shop. Ylang-ylang and rose lend the heart a fuller, more layered quality, and the mimosa contributes a soft, honeyed facet that rounds out the bouquet. Two hours in, the base has taken over.
Cultural impact
Day for Women No. 23 sits in an unusual space. It's a numbered, rack-style fragrance from a company famous for pens and lighters, and it borrows from classic perfumery structures without much fanfare. The citrus-spice opening gives way to a floral heart and a woody-amber base, following a template that anyone who has spent time in a department store perfume section will recognize. What separates it from a generic take on that template is the specific combination in play. The cardamom-coriander-pepper trio at the top adds bite, and the orris root at the heart pulls the florals into softer, more powdery territory.
