Mon Seul Ami by Isabey c1928

Mon Seul Ami by Isabey, originally launched in 1914, bears a name that resonates with poetic intimacy and emotional vulnerability. Translated from French, Mon Seul Ami means “My Only Friend,” and is pronounced as mon sul ah-MEE. The phrase is tender, confessional—quietly aching. It suggests solitude, devotion, and the kind of trust one places only in something constant and loyal. At a time when the world was on the brink of chaos, the name would have struck a deeply emotional chord, especially with women facing the separation and uncertainty brought by World War I.

The timing of the perfume’s release cannot be overlooked. In 1914, as the First World War broke out, France was thrust into turmoil. Men went off to fight, and women were left to carry on in silence—working, waiting, and surviving. Against this somber backdrop, a perfume called “My Only Friend” could have served as both balm and companion. For many women, fragrance was more than mere adornment; it was emotional armor. It preserved a sense of normalcy, femininity, and connection to memories of love and better days. Perfume lingered on handkerchiefs, on letters, on keepsakes—a lingering trace of someone beloved. In that way, Mon Seul Ami could have been interpreted literally: a symbolic stand-in for the one who was far away, or lost.

As a French perfumery house, Isabey would have been acutely aware of the sensitivities of the wartime consumer. Launching a fragrance with such a name during that year was likely a delicate and deliberate gesture—a respectful nod to the emotional lives of women. It wasn’t a bombastic launch, but rather a perfume that quietly acknowledged the pain and endurance of its time. The perfume’s name alone would have resonated with women missing husbands, lovers, brothers, sons—offering a trace of warmth and reassurance amid grief and upheaval.

The early 1910s, prior to the war, were still marked by the Belle Époque—an era of artistic flourishing, optimism, and elegance in France. Women’s fashion was becoming more fluid, with Paul Poiret introducing freer silhouettes and looser corsets. In perfumery, floral soliflores and fresh eaux de cologne dominated, though synthetic molecules were slowly expanding the creative palette. Perfumes of the era were beginning to move toward complexity and abstraction, but the war paused much of that development. Mon Seul Ami, therefore, would have stood as a bridge between Belle Époque refinement and wartime emotional depth.

By 1928, when Mon Seul Ami was re-released—likely reformulated and repackaged—the world was dramatically different. The Roaring Twenties were in full swing. Women were bolder, more independent, dressed in Art Deco glamour, and embraced new freedoms in fashion, work, and romance. The modern woman of 1928 would have encountered Mon Seul Ami in a different emotional light—perhaps as a statement of loyalty to herself. The fragrance was advertised as “new in vivid in intensity,” full of enchanting flowers, and touched with mystery. It was warm, radiant, and long-lasting—rich, but never cloying. It promised “breathless luxury and smart sophistication,” a kind of effortless chic that resonated with the flapper’s insatiable appetite for individuality and beauty.

Classified as a warm floral, Mon Seul Ami likely contained lush blooms—perhaps rose, jasmine, orange blossom, and ylang-ylang—gilded with soft spice, creamy sandalwood, or amber to create warmth and subtle sensuality. Unlike the sparkling aldehydic florals that Chanel No. 5 popularized in 1921, or the overt orientals beginning to trend, this fragrance seems to have occupied a space of emotional richness—not flashy, but deeply comforting and elegant.

In terms of its uniqueness, Mon Seul Ami did not chase trends so much as it offered a timeless sensibility. It wasn’t just modern in form, but modern in spirit. While it may have been surrounded by louder, more daring launches, it held fast to something more enduring: the idea that perfume could still be a woman’s confidante, her emotional anchor, her invisible friend.

In both of its incarnations—1914 and 1928—Mon Seul Ami managed to reflect the emotional heartbeat of its time. Whether offered in sorrow or in celebration, it remained, as its name suggests, a quiet companion: a fragrant presence to remind women of who they were, what they longed for, and how much strength and softness could coexist in a single bottle.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Mon Seul Ami by Isabey is classified as a warm floral fragrance for women.

• Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, Italian neroli, Tunisian orange blossom, green leafy note accord, Tuscan violet leaf   
• Middle notes: Bulgarian rose, Grasse jasmine, Manila ylang-ylang, Florentine orris root, Swiss lily of the valley, Indian carnation 
• Base notes: Mysore sandalwood, Siam benzoin, Colombian tolu balsam, Tibetan musk, ambergris, Abyssinian civet

Scent Profile:

Mon Seul Ami by Isabey unfolds like a delicate love letter sealed in time—an aromatic sonnet of intimacy and warmth. As it opens, the fragrance dazzles with a crystalline shimmer of aldehydes, those ethereal molecules that suggest fresh air, soap, and the sparkle of morning light. These synthetics—championed in the 1920s to mimic the ozone-like purity of mountain air—form a brilliant backdrop, enhancing the natural citrus oils that follow.

The crispness of Calabrian bergamot bursts forth next—zesty and bright, but with a soft, rounded bitterness that distinguishes this particular bergamot from others. Grown along the Ionian Sea under Italy’s southern sun, Calabrian bergamot is prized for its complexity: it hums with subtle floral undertones and just a trace of green tea warmth, making it far more nuanced than its cousins from Sicily or Corsica.

From the heart of Italy comes neroli, distilled from the white blossoms of bitter orange trees. Neroli’s sweetness is airy and honeyed, yet also green and spicy, a paradoxical freshness that sets the stage for the lusher white floral moments to follow. Its counterpart, Tunisian orange blossom, is denser and more intoxicating—less ephemeral, more full-bodied. In contrast to the transparency of neroli, this essence is rich, almost creamy, hinting at warm Mediterranean nights and sun-drenched courtyards.

A breath of green leafy notes, created from a blend of natural and synthetic materials, brings a dewiness to the bouquet—a carefully composed accord that mimics crushed stems and snapped green shoots, allowing light and breath to enter the fragrance. Enhancing this green lift is Tuscan violet leaf, which lends a tender sharpness: peppery, metallic, and cool, with a whisper of cucumber and spring earth. It grounds the initial flight, connecting the effervescent aldehydes to the unfolding heart.

Then comes the main aria: the floral heart, where Mon Seul Ami truly sings. The Bulgarian rose, known for its deep red petals and grown in the Valley of Roses, is both velvety and spicy, with a lemony brightness that feels regal and emotionally rich. It pairs beautifully with Grasse jasmine, a star of traditional French perfumery. This jasmine is hand-harvested before sunrise to preserve its narcotic sweetness and complex indolic edge, giving the fragrance a sensual, honeyed warmth that ripples beneath the surface.

The Manila ylang-ylang, from the Philippines, adds a sun-drenched opulence. Unlike the overly sweet ylang from Madagascar, Manila’s variety is more restrained, with a slightly smoky, banana-like nuance that tempers the heart's sweetness with mystery. Softening the opulence is Florentine orris root, a powdery, buttery note derived from aged iris rhizomes. Its effect is plush, suede-like, and melancholic—conjuring memories, longing, and a whisper of something half-forgotten. Orris is notoriously difficult and costly to produce, requiring years of aging to coax out its signature scent.

A gentle chime of Swiss lily of the valley—delicate, watery, and fresh—threads through the florals, bringing a cool transparency. Often recreated with synthetic materials like hydroxycitronellal, which isolates its dewy, silvery tones, lily of the valley lightens the weight of the richer florals and bridges them to the spicy, clove-laced warmth of Indian carnation. This carnation smells not of petals, but of velvet spice and dusty elegance, a dry heat that pulses beneath the heart like a secret.

As the fragrance dries down, the base emerges: warm, musky, and animalic, like the embrace of an old friend. Mysore sandalwood, once plentiful in southern India, was renowned for its creamy, sacred warmth—more milky and less dry than Australian varieties. It lends Mon Seul Ami a round, meditative depth. Blended with Siam benzoin, which smells of golden resin and toasted vanilla, and Colombian tolu balsam, with its syrupy, spicy richness, the perfume becomes plush and glowing.

Then comes the dark silk of Tibetan musk, a substitute for the now-restricted natural musk once sourced from the musk deer. Synthetic musk compounds (like muscone or galaxolide) recreate its warm, skin-like presence—sheer and velvety, a scent that feels like a heartbeat. The rare ambergris, likely a recreated accord of labdanum and synthetic amber molecules, adds a salty, animalic whisper—like sunlit skin after a swim in the sea.

Last, a trace of Abyssinian civet offers a subtle, intimate sensuality. While natural civet is now ethically replaced by synthetics, the effect remains: a slightly fecal, leathery warmth that merges with the musk and ambergris to create a sensual base that breathes and evolves on the skin.

Together, these notes form a fragrance that is tender and luminous, but grounded and human. Mon Seul Ami is not simply a perfume—it is a confidante, a guardian of secrets, and a reflection of the wearer’s innermost emotions. It whispers of love letters and wartime separation, of powder compacts and silk gloves, of modern women searching for grace in uncertain times. It is a scent that could be, truly, a woman’s only true friend.

Vanity Fair, Volume 30, 1928:

"Isabey Presents A Distinguished New Parfum MON SEUL AMI. Simultaneously with the advent of the smartest social season, Isabey presents Mon Seul Ami — a new and distinctive odeur. With its richly exquisite fragrance, its subtle..."

 

 

 

Bottles:

The bottle for Mon Seul Ami by Isabey is a quietly sophisticated example of 1920s French perfume artistry—a period when form, function, and symbolism were deeply intertwined in the world of luxury fragrance presentation. Created in 1924 by the renowned French glassworks Bobin Frères, and designed by celebrated decorator and sculptor Henri Hamm, the flacon is not merely a vessel for scent, but a sculptural object in its own right, embodying the refined aesthetic values of the interwar period.

Made of pressed colorless glass, the bottle has a cylindrical cross-section, cleverly modeled to resemble a five-paneled inkwell. This design choice was highly evocative—suggesting both romantic nostalgia and literary introspection. Perfume, like ink, was a tool for expression and memory. The inkwell form conveyed the idea of scent as a written language of the heart, echoing the perfume's name, Mon Seul Ami—"My Only Friend."

Each of the five panels is adorned with a rosette motif in reserve, the design accented with a soft sepia patina that gives the bottle a warm, antique character. The rosettes add a decorative rhythm around the body, giving a subtle classical note to the otherwise modern silhouette. The lightly frosted effect of the glass lends a soft, diffused glow, suggesting modesty and intimacy—qualities that resonate with the fragrance’s theme of quiet, enduring companionship.

The neck of the bottle is a carnette style, delicately stepped to receive the distinctive high floral stopper, which is deeply grooved and also sepia-patinated. The stopper rises like a stylized blossom above the flacon, its vertical fluting catching the light in a way that evokes petals unfolding or the pages of a cherished letter being gently fanned open. At 8.5 cm (approximately 5 ¾ inches) tall, the bottle feels balanced in the hand—neither too large to be ostentatious nor too small to diminish its presence.

Henri Hamm’s design stands as a graceful intersection of Art Deco restraint and ornamental romanticism. There is no excessive ornamentation—just refined detail and meaningful symbolism. It evokes not only luxury, but personal connection, echoing the emotional intimacy of the scent it contains. In its totality, the Mon Seul Ami bottle is a beautiful example of early 20th-century French perfumery design, one that bridges craftsmanship, emotion, and elegance into a single enduring object.

 

Fate of the Fragrance:

Launched in 1914, Mon Seul Ami by Isabey emerged at a deeply poignant moment in history. Introduced just as the First World War was beginning, the fragrance’s name—translating from French as “My Only Friend”—carried emotional weight. It suggested comfort, intimacy, and loyalty during a time of profound uncertainty and separation. For many women, perfume could indeed be a faithful companion—one that offered reassurance, elegance, and identity when so much of the world felt unstable.

The timing of its release likely influenced its emotional appeal. The war years were a time when women assumed new roles, both in society and in the home, and fragrance became not just a luxury, but a source of quiet empowerment. Mon Seul Ami may have served as a scented reminder of love, memory, and personal strength—its warm floral character resonating with emotional depth and subtle glamour, rather than the overt flamboyance of pre-war Belle Époque styles.

The perfume remained in production through the interwar years and into the early 1940s, suggesting that its appeal endured through times of both recovery and upheaval. However, Mon Seul Ami was eventually discontinued around 1945, shortly after the end of the Second World War. The postwar era brought significant changes to perfumery—new styles, new materials, and a shift in consumer taste toward modernity, innovation, and often bolder, more liberated expressions of femininity. As the world moved into a different cultural and aesthetic phase, earlier fragrances like Mon Seul Ami, with their introspective charm and quiet elegance, began to fade from the market.

Still, the perfume’s long run—over three decades—speaks to its resonance with women across generations. Today, Mon Seul Ami stands as a forgotten jewel in the Isabey collection, treasured by collectors and perfume historians alike as a symbol of scented devotion and the emotional power of fragrance in a time of war, remembrance, and transition.