# Shiseido — Zen Original > Zen (1964) was Shiseido's first fragrance launched for the international market, and it is historically significant on two counts: as Japan's first globally-distributed prestige perfume, and as an ear ## Essence Zen (1964) was Shiseido's first fragrance launched for the international market, and it is historically significant on two counts: as Japan's first globally-distributed prestige perfume, and as an early major composition by Josephine Catapano, one of the first prominent women perfumers of the 20th century (her résumé includes Estée Lauder Youth Dew, Norell, and Guy Laroche Fidji). The catalog correctly flags that this dossier concerns the 1964 original - a chypre-floral in a matte-black bottle decorated with a gilded floral pattern - and not the 2000 reformulation by Nathalie Lorson (white bottle) or the entirely unrelated 2007 fruity-floral-woody by Michel Almairac of Robertet (gold cube bottle). ## Scent Profile The structure is a classic green floral chypre of its era: a galbanum-and-hyacinth green top with bergamot and orange blossom, a dense floral heart (carnation, orris, narcissus, jasmine, mimosa, violet, rose), and a base of oakmoss, sandalwood, cedar, musk and amber. Critics emphasize the harmony and the unusual warmth of the drydown. The blog Yesterday's Perfume (Perfumaniac) called it "a nearly perfect perfume... both perfectly composed and yet strangely wild and free, like a haphazard flower arrangement following the Japanese aesthetic of wabi-sabi," noting how "its initial sparkling fruit and flower notes slide into a rich, plummy, plushness of soft wood... and warmth (orris root, musk, amber)." Neil Chapman (The Black Narcissus) drew a sharp distinction between concentrations: the cheap eau de cologne he dismissed as "lighter, more masculine, a bit Hai Karate," even "prototypical 'granny perfume,'" whereas the vintage parfum was "another question altogether" - "an extraordinarily sentient jasmine note in the vivid top accord, shaded by greenery and a clutch of hyacinth, violet, rose, mimosa and narcissus." He likened the extrait to Van Cleef & Arpels First and the original Nina Ricci Nina. A recurring observation is that despite chypre framing, Zen omits the classic labdanum component; one wearer argued the oakmoss is what makes it read as chypre. ## Performance Vintage extrait Zen is reported as potent and long-lasting in its parfum concentration - Fragrance Vault's estate-bottle notes describe a pinhead-sized drop scenting a hand "for an entire evening." The eau de cologne concentration, by contrast, is described as comparatively light and fleeting. As with most vintage material, actual performance now depends heavily on storage and batch age. ## Wearing Context Zen is a feminine, formal, cool-season green chypre-floral of the 1960s school. Modern reviewers split between those who find it timelessly elegant and those who read the mossy-musky drydown as dated "old lady" territory - Chapman candidly admitted the cologne's "musty, fusty musk/oakmoss finish" felt "more than slightly outdated... a flower print hot summer nylon dress and tights at the back of the bus," while conceding the parfum was a revelation. It rewards a wearer who appreciates vintage green florals (Chanel No. 19, Y by YSL, early Miss Dior) and the contemplative, incense-adjacent stillness the name evokes. Best in cool weather and dressed-up contexts. ## Comparisons & DNA Zen sits squarely in the green-chypre-floral lineage of its decade. The most apt comparisons are Bandit (Robert Piguet) for the bitter-green leather-chypre attitude (though Zen is gentler and more floral), Miss Dior (1947) and Y by Yves Saint Laurent (1964 - exact contemporary) for the floral-chypre architecture, and Chanel No. 19 (1971) for the galbanum-green opening. Reviewers also invoke Van Cleef & Arpels First and Nina Ricci's original Nina as drydown relatives. Catapano's own Fidji (Guy Laroche) shares, per one wearer, "a green soapiness, like a green bar of soap," though Zen is the more chypre-leaning of the two. The mimosa-and-narcissus floral richness over moss is what most distinguishes Zen from the drier, more austere green chypres. ## Reception Zen is a connoisseur's vintage cult object rather than a mass-recognized classic. Among critics, the vintage parfum draws consistent admiration (Yesterday's Perfume's "nearly perfect"; The Black Narcissus's "a revelation," "a delight"). On Luca Turin's involvement, the evidence points to a review: his earliest French guide Parfums: le guide (1992/1994) is documented as running alphabetically "de Acasiosa (Caron) à Zen (Shiseido)," literally ending on this perfume. Secondhand citations (a wearer and a forum thread) report that Turin gave Zen three stars and called it "a perfect woody rose," using the two-word "fruity woody" descriptor characteristic of the English Guide. Industry insiders held Catapano in high regard; a perfumer commenting on Yesterday's Perfume recalled her as "a wonderful lady." ## Versions & Reformulation Three distinct generations bear the Zen name and they are not interchangeable: the 1964 original by Josephine Catapano, a chypre-floral in a matte-black bottle with gilded floral pattern; the 2000 Nathalie Lorson version in a white bottle, described as lighter and "more pellucid"; and the 2007 Michel Almairac version in a gold cube, a fruity-floral-woody essentially unrelated in character. The original was produced in eau de cologne, eau de parfum, parfum/extrait, solid perfume and bath-oil formats. The original is discontinued; vintage stock circulates. ## Acquisition Notes This is a vintage or secondary-market purchase rather than a normal retail item. Condition, fill level, storage history, and top-note freshness matter more than nominal bottle size; sample where possible and verify packaging details before paying collector prices. ## Notable Facts & Lore - Zen was Shiseido's first perfume created for and sold on the world market, in 1964. - The black bottle's gilded floral decoration is tied to traditional Japanese maki-e lacquer aesthetics; the perfume was marketed as an expression of Zen Buddhist calm. - Perfumer Josephine Catapano (1918-2012) also created Norell and Estée Lauder Youth Dew and is credited with Guy Laroche Fidji; she was a mentor to Sophia Grojsman and, per her obituary and reference sources, received the American Society of Perfumers' Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993 (and the Cosmetic Career Women's Award in 1980). - A recurring sense-memory in reviews: One writer associates Zen's mossy drydown indelibly with childhood readings of Tolkien's The Hobbit, the scent having soaked into the family copy from a mother's hands. - Zen (1964) was Shiseido's first fragrance launched for the international market, and it is historically significant on two counts: as Japan's first globally-distributed prestige perfume, and as an early major composition by Josephine Catapano, one of the first prominent women perfumers of the 20th century (her résumé includes Estée Lauder Youth Dew, Norell, and Guy Laroche Fidji). - The catalog correctly flags that this dossier concerns the 1964 original - a chypre-floral in a matte-black bottle decorated with a gilded floral pattern - and not the 2000 reformulation by Nathalie Lorson (white bottle) or the entirely unrelated 2007 fruity-floral-woody by Michel Almairac of Robertet (gold cube bottle).