Danger
Ciro (1938)

Danger by Ciro (1938) is a fragrance few alive today know, and likely fewer still will know going forward, as Roja Dove has commandeered the name in the same way LVMH bought Patou just so they could hand the name "Joy" to Dior. The house of Ciro was revived in 2018, but like so many long-dead perfume houses brought back to life in name if not spirit, resembles little of itself, even if current owners make it the core purpose of the new Ciro to recompose a handful of the brand's classics. Little is known without expensive laborious digging, but Ciro was born in the "Roaring Twenties" over a century ago, then seemingly died at exactly 40 years later, when the last of 24 perfumes was released, called Panorama by Ciro (1961). There are obvious reasons this one wasn't brought back with some of the rest, and it has nothing to do with the smell, which spanks any iteration of Roja Dove perfume carrying the name.

Danger sits somewhere smack dab in the middle of that brief original run, and for a perfume by an upstart brand began by two New York importers of Parfums Caron into the United States, it isn't half bad. I don't know if Jacob S Wiedhopf and Guy T Gibson had much artistic input as investors taking their capital from their ventures in importing Caron, and placing them into their own perfume house, but one can't help wondering if this perfume isn't at least a little bit inspired by Schiaparelli Shocking (1938) from the previous year. Honeyed floral aldehyde citrus melange typical of the era gives way to a spicy carnation-rose double-whammy, which then goes into classic amber, civet, patchouli, all the makings of a Zsa Zsa Gabor film in scent form. Sandalwood, oakmoss, and tons of other lamentably-gone materials anchors this out, as expected, and help contribute to a scent that alternates between soap and sass. I've smelled Avon perfumes from 30 years on tackle this territory, in particular things like Avon Charisma (1970), so Danger isn't very dangerous to my nose.

If ever there was a smell of "conventional vintage beauty" it is this, with high-quality materials, arranged in completely expected ways (if you're familiar with vintage chypres, vintage orientals, and vintage animalic perfumes), being "nothing special" to the lovers of infinitely higher-brow French fragrances like literally anything Houbigant, Lanvin, Guerlain, Chanel, Coty, or the aforementioned Caron from the period; although people who "settle" for many long-dead American upstarts of the time, including Charles of the Ritz, Matchabelli, D'Orsay, or this here house Ciro, will greatly enjoy attempts at "eating the lunch" of their fellow Frenchmen here. I guess before Lauder, Lauren, and Klein were making snobs eye-roll with their perfumes, Ciro was doing it here with Danger; but at least it isn't Avon, right? If you're able to dig up some unspoiled dregs somewhere, give it a go, otherwise this is too obscure and too-gone for most. Thumbs up

Danger was one of the biggest successes of the house of Ciro, which launched 30 scents between 1923 and 1961, when the company folded.

I have sampled six thus far, and find they all follow the rich, honeyed floral chypre formula, differing mainly in the florals used. Always there is the base of civet, amber, sandalwood and musk. All are strong, warm and voluptuous.

Danger's florals are abetted by a shimmering muguet. There is also a distinct nutty quality, to be found also in Coty's classic L'Aimant.

I have yet to find a Ciro scent I did not love. Only 23 to go.

Prevalent on Ebay and highly recommended.

First Edit: WIth further use, I find it most closely resembles Coty's classic Styx from 1912, especially in the warm drydown of vanilla and sandalwood.