Dana Classics Tabu The Timeless Temptation

Few perfumers have ever been able to capture the vital ingredients of fantasy, femininity and tenacity within a fragrance that oozes sexuality. Yet the House of Dana have been doing so with one of their best selling scents for over 75 years! Dana Classics Tabu is considered one of the most timeless aromas, whose composition has remained relatively unaltered since it's inception.


An Understated Evolutionary

Tabu was never intended to be a subtle spritz. Indeed many of her wearers actually attest to choosing Tabu for it's 'notice-me' factor. Warm, spicy, yet with delicate floral accents, Tabu's tonal depth is an ambush upon the senses dramatic, enticing and yet without that candy-cane sickly sweetness, that many report to be an overpowering negative of many modern perfumes. The 'Forbidden Fragrance' is intended to be a romantic scent, with a musky base that inherently boosts it's modern appeal. Today's woman seeks versatility, even evolving qualities from a fragrance, and few review so well as Tabu.


Defining 'Woman'

When Jean Carles masterminded the creation of Tabu Eau de Cologne back in 1932, his brief was not to create a sumptuous fruity number that would further embellish the classic stereotype of femininity. Instead, he drew upon the glamorous women of France for inspiration. An admirer of their coy, yet confident charisma; he created Tabu to embody real women complete with the mystique, elegance and occasional whimsy that really captured the attention of the opposite sex.


Wearers of Tabu identify closely with Carles' aim; it's intensity alone indicative of the fragrance's intention. Some report Tabu to be instantaneously overwhelming, although these tend to fall within the category of first-time testers, who rarely can wait until the dry-down nose develops. Those who know and love Tabu have become used to it's superfluous changeling character in itself part of it's timeless allure. Boasting a heady three-note layering; Tabu transforms from an elegantly floaty day-wear fragrance to something far darker, and rawer. The hint of musk is superseded by the tangy scent of woods and spice, coupled with a delicious base note of patchouli which really emphasizes the strong, sexy demeanor of the fragrance. Again to mimic the sultry, unspoken power of a woman.


Timeless Design

Tabu's reputation and personality are such that it needs little in the way of introduction, least of all loud brash packaging that would detract from the product itself. Packaged within an elegant white box, a simple red-stripped black label denotes the fragrances in a surprisingly modern font for a fragrance of Tabu's age. The beloved violin shaped bottles launched during the 1930's debut are still a key allure for many maturer customers, whom purchase Tabu often for nostalgic reasons. For them, Tabu connotes a time when fragrance defined a woman, be it a mother, sibling or friend the sense of smell being a wonderful tool for reviving old memories.


Tabu has retained the classical bottle shape, although less curvaceous than the collectible 'vintage' bottle. But such simplicity in aesthetic design has been hailed as a positive move by the House of Dana, since the cologne itself is the real character.


The generational popularity of Tabu Eau de Cologne is still as prominent as ever. Women as young as twenty are actively seeking out this timeless fragrance more often than not because they associate the scent to strongly with their mothers or guardians. And yet to a new generation, Tabu holds more than just a nostalgic trip down memory lane. Once again, Tabu is becoming a fragrance by which women can submissively express their mystery, their darker desires and their seductive side, luring men into a fantasy. But as the iconic slogan states it's not her fault, Blame it on Tabu!