mystery Hawaiian fragrance from around 1960

Somewhere around 1959-1962, some friends of our family took a trip to Hawaii, and as a present brought back a gift for my mother. This was a small, red, plastic container of a fragrant, ivory-colored cream that could be used as a deodorant or as a scented skin cream. This was the best smelling scent I've ever smelled and after many years my mother finally used it all up and unceremoniously discarded it. Therefore the name, origin, scent and other information were seemingly discarded permanently. Does anybody have a clue to what this might have been, or where it might have come from?

I know it's awfully hard to describe scents with words. My mother later suggested it was frangiapani. It was a very rich scent, so my guess is it was a mixture of scents, possibly even with some orchid scent, if that's possible, or maybe ginger and/or coconut. Probably some vanilla, come to think of it. I'd say it was definitely floral, but it wasn't a sharp feminine type of floral perfume, but more like some vanilla food, smelling good enough to eat. The container was a red disk about 2 inches across with a screw-off lid with gold writing on it. If Hawaiian gift shops still carry something like that, I'd be interested in knowing what it is. I know it's a long shot, but this forum might just have some vintage Hawaiiana experts who remember something similar in gift stores around that time.

Mbonga, sorry I don't have an answer.

A scent wafting thru the air at the bar in the defunct Kona Kai in Kansas City smelled much like what you describe.

At the time I attributed it to the drink ingredients plus gardenias - but that wouldn't account for the intoxicating spicy undertone. I wish I knew what it was.

If you find your long lost fragrance, please post and let us know.

There was a fragrance called "White Ginger" that may be what you are describing...a cross between floral and desert.

Hope that helps

On 2006-03-03 21:14, Gigantalope wrote:
There was a fragrance called "White Ginger" that may be what you are describing...a cross between floral and desert.

Hope that helps

It's worth checking out, thanks. My sister and I had fond memories of that scent for years afterward, because for years we used to sneak into our parents' bedroom to smell their perfumes and colognes, and that one scent was our favorite. I think many times parents don't realize the impressions their kids are having, so parents don't take or save photos, memorabilia, or information that the kids are obviously going to cherish later. I hear about that all the time: mothers being pestered by their kids to buy another rain lamp like the one they use to have, or to buy a movie they used to watch when they were younger but whose title they forgot, etc.

mbonga,

You may want to try asking your question in the forums at basenotes, http://www.basenotes.net/community/YaBB.pl . They are really knowledgeable about fragrances and good with descriptions of them.

cheeky half