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Robert Piguet

Fracas

1948FloralEDPFrance

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Editorial notes

  1. 01

    A narcotic tuberose on an unprecedented dose of tuberose absolute, framing the heady white flower at maximum volume against milky sandalwood.

  2. 02

    Germaine Cellier wanted to be 'as loud as a Wagner opera' with the tuberose. The formula established the white-floral bombshell template that Tubéreuse Criminelle, Poison and Carnal Flower would later inherit.

  3. 03

    Madonna publicly identified Fracas as her signature scent in 1990s interviews. The name, French for 'uproar', was Piguet's deliberate framing.

  4. 04

    Composed by Germaine Cellier in 1948, the second of her two Piguet masterpieces alongside Bandit, around tuberose and jasmine over sandalwood and musk.

Dossier

Edition · 000

Status · Active. Heritage formula.

A narcotic tuberose soliflore.

Composed by
Germaine Cellier
Founder
Robert Piguet
Country
France

The pyramid

Top
bergamotmandarinhyacinthpeachgreen notes
Heart
tuberosejasminewhite irisorange flowerlily-of-the-valley
Base
sandalwoodcedarmusktolu balsamvetiver

The brief

Cellier built the formula around an unprecedented dose of tuberose absolute, framing the heady white flower at maximum volume against milky sandalwood.

Name'Fracas' — French for 'uproar' or 'clamour', signalling the fragrance's deliberate, unsubtle force.

Why it mattered

  • Established the modern white-floral bombshell template that Tubéreuse Criminelle, Carnal Flower and Poison would later inherit.

Worn by

  • Marilyn Monroe

    Often cited (alongside Chanel No. 5) as one of her bedside fragrances, though the documentary evidence is thinner for Fracas than for No. 5.

  • Madonna

    Publicly identified Fracas as her signature scent in 1990s interviews.

Footnotes

  • Cellier reportedly wanted to be 'as loud as a Wagner opera' with the tuberose. The contemporary formula reflects later softening of the original animalic base.

The Curator's Note

Every tuberose composition since 1948 is doing a Fracas impression.

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