Caron Infini: From 1912 Spark to 1972 Sleekness, the Aldehyde That Refuses to Age

If you still think aldehydes smell like your aunt’s hairspray, Caron Infini is the perfume that will politely correct you. I wore a careful few spritzes of a 1970s bottle to a late lunch, silk blouse, lipstick slightly too bold, and I swear the room’s edges got softer. This isn’t perfume as nostalgia. It’s precision and poise.

The origin story is delicious. Ernest Daltroff launched Infini in 1912, all bright sparkle over a classical floral spine. Six decades later, Gerard Lefort recut it in 1972, tightening the silhouette without stripping its soul. You smell the continuity immediately, like a favored dress altered by a great tailor. The aldehydes are champagne-fine, more glimmer than glare, setting up a floral heart that feels impeccably proportioned.

On skin, the opening is a ribbon of fizz that settles into a satin bouquet. Think rose with the sharp corners filed down, jasmine that whispers rather than belts, a touch of ylang for creaminess, then a refined powdery iris effect that never goes talc-cloud. Underneath, a dignified mossy hum and clean woods keep everything vertical. The structure stays classical, but the detailing in the 1972 reformulation gives it a confident, almost minimalist polish. It’s as if the original smiled for a new portrait under better light.

Performance notes for fellow skin-chemistry nerds. Projection is measured, sophisticated rather than shouty. Longevity in the 1972 version is impressive, a soft-focus aura that lingers into evening without turning stale. The drydown is where Infini earns its name, a seamless glide from sparkle to skin with a heartbeat of musks and a ferny shadow that keeps the sweetness in check.

Is it “Elegant Aldehyde” material. Absolutely. But not the icy, untouchable kind. Caron has always understood sensuality that doesn’t beg, and Infini proves it across decades. The 1912 architecture remains intact, the 1972 edits give it posture, and together they deliver that rare thing in perfume, individuality that still reads as timeless.

If you collect, hunt the 1970s bottles for that balanced glow. If you wear, wear it for yourself first. Caron Infini rewards closeness, not applause.