Krasnaya Moskva (, literally ''Red Moscow'', figuratively ''Beautiful Moscow'') was the first

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

-created

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

. The fragrance belongs to the class of

chypre Chypre () is the name of a family (or ''concept'') of perfumes that are characterised by an accord composed of citrus top note (perfumery), notes, a middle centered on labdanum, cistus labdanum, and a mossy-animalic set of basenotes derived from oa ...

fragrances (sub-class "floral chypres") and contains more than 60 components, the official description of the perfume says: "A thin, warm, noble aroma with a tinge of

orange blossom The orange blossom is the fragrant flower of the orange (fruit), ''Citrus sinensis'' (orange tree). It is used in perfume making and has been written about as an aphrodisiac. Orange blossom Essential oil, essence is an important component in ...

". Rudolf Arkadyevich Friedman writes in his book ''"Perfumery"'', edition of 1955: * "Krasnaya Moskva is associated with elegant warmth, playful and flirtatious languor, melodious, plastic melodiousness", * "the perfume ''"Krasnaya Moskva"'', mainly representing the violet complex, are quite sentimental by smell, but due to the change of timbre and the introduction of a number of harmonizing substances, they received a special beauty and richness of smell", * "the perfume ''"Krasnaya Moskva"'', consisting of a mixture of the bases of iris, violet, carnation for perfection (rounding) of all these primary materials and for enhancing their delicate smell, requires a significant proportion of jasmine essence".

Popularity in the 20th century

''Krasnaya Moskva'' became very popular and was widespread in the Soviet Union (partially due to limited competition in early USSR) and, after the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, became popular throughout the

Eastern Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

. In 1958, ''Krasnaya Moskva'' perfume received an award at the World Exhibition in Brussels.

Strength and sillage

''KMs ubiquity during socialist era resulted in some notoriety: Krasnaya Moskva is somewhat notorious for the combination of: # Being widespread "back in the days"; # Having long-lasting smell and enormous sillage compared to most modern perfumes, colognes and

eau de toilette Eau de toilette (, meaning "grooming water") is a lightly scented perfume. It is also referred to as aromatic waters and has a high alcohol content. It is usually applied directly to the skin after bathing or shaving. It is traditionally composed ...

s; # Having no atomiser, no spray attached to the bottle (and it is not advisable to use excessively scenty classic ''KM'' with one), as opposed to most bottles of modern

s. Since ''KM'' comes in "splash" bottles, an inexperienced user may accidentally overuse, over-apply ''KM'', failing to enjoy the proper scent. # Being popular nowadays among people who have been using it for years or even decades (and who are accustomed to the scent of the fragrance); being popular among people of old age (with weakened ability to sense smells); or both (due to the fragnance's fanbase aging).

Nowadays and availability

Renata Litvinova Renata Muratovna Litvinova (born 12 January 1967) is a Russian actress, film director, and screenwriter. Biography Was born in Moscow to Volga Tatars, Volga Tatar father Murat Aminovich Vergazov and a Russians, Russian mother, Alisa Mikhailo ...

describes ''KM'' as "sugary, concentrated... giving rise to a feeling of normal healthy nostalgia". The fragrance and its design survived the fall of the Soviet Union: ''KM'' is produced to this day by the same Novaya Zarya factory, located in the

Danilovsky District, Moscow Danilovsky District, Moscow () is an administrative district (raion) of Southern Administrative Okrug, and one of the 125 raions of Moscow, Russia. The area of the district is . History District Formation Until 1991, the territory of th ...

; and it still comes in "oldschool" (albeit slightly redesigned) 42ml "splash" bottles (e.g. bottles without atomisers) with tiny bottlenecks; As for 2020 prices, one 42ml bottle of classic Krasnaya Moskva is available in Novaya Zarya's boutiques for around 800 RUB.

Flankers and eau de cologne form

In 2010's, ''KM'' also comes in ''eau de cologne'' form, sold in hexagonal-shaped 85ml bottles with wider bottle neck (also "splash" bottle type). Its price (as low as 111 RUB for 85 ml bottle in 2020) and the specific smell caused by its alcohol base without stabilization (which is common for cheap eau de colognes) is often misleading in terms of qualities of original ''KM''. * ~2$/bottle colognes by Novaya Zarya are supposed to be "hygiene lotions" rather than full-pledged perfumes in general. Examples of other colognes: "''Futbol 2018''", "''Kommandor''" or "''Dlay Muzchin''" pour homme "lotions" from Novaya Zarya can only be found in "cheap cologne" form. However, other eau de colognes, like "''Sportclub''" and "''Consul''", also come in variants of higher scent oil content and bolder smell in bigger and more expensive bottles. Novaya Zarya also produce
a flanker of ''KM''
since 2018: ''КМ Лайт'', "Krasnaya Moskva Light".

Origins

''Krasnaya Moskvas origins are disputed to the point of creating urban legends: # It may date from before the

Russian Revolution of 1917 The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution, social change in Russian Empire, Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia Dissolution of the Russian Empire, abolish its mona ...

as (The Empress’ Favorite Bouquet’), a fragrance created in Henri Brocard's factory in 1913 (and later given a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

name); # or it may have been created in 1925, after Brocard's factory was nationalized and renamed in 1922;Krasnaya Moskva or Red Moscow by Novaya Zarya
Fragrantica Perfume Encyclopedia # Krasnaya Moskva was created by perfumer Auguste Michel and reformulated after The October Revolution.

References

{{reflist

External links

Monde des parfums: histoire des Brocard
20th-century perfumes Soviet brands