Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli c1938

Launched in 1938, Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli was a poetic and culturally rich addition to the house’s repertoire of regal florals. The perfume was also occasionally sold under the shortened name Easter Lily, but the full title—Russian Easter Lily—evokes something deeper: an intersection of spiritual ritual, heritage, and opulence. The name “Russian Easter Lily” was likely chosen as both a nod to Prince Matchabelli’s own aristocratic Russian background and a romantic evocation of Orthodox Easter traditions, where lilies—symbols of purity, resurrection, and divine beauty—were prominently featured in church celebrations and home altars. By including “Russian” in the name, the fragrance carries with it a sense of exoticism and mysticism, conjuring images of candlelit cathedral interiors, icon-covered walls, and fragrant spring blossoms adorning traditional Easter festivities.

The scent’s title alone evokes a rich sensory narrative. “Easter Lily” brings forth visions of crisp white blooms with golden stamens, their heavy, creamy scent filling a room with solemnity and sweetness. The addition of “Russian” layers the impression with emotional depth—suggesting a cool, ceremonial stillness and perhaps even melancholy, the way lilies were often associated not just with rebirth but also with remembrance. The perfume would have resonated with 1930s women who longed for refinement, elegance, and a touch of romantic escapism during a time when the world was perched on the edge of war.

The year 1938 fell within the interwar period, a time marked by both uncertainty and refinement in fashion and culture. Women’s clothing was elegant and structured, echoing a return to formality after the more experimental 1920s. Perfumes, too, mirrored this shift—floral, powdery, and aldehydic blends dominated the shelves, but there was also a growing appetite for perfumes with a story, a soul, a sense of place and time. Russian Easter Lily would have appealed to this sensibility. It wasn’t just a floral—it was a narrative in a bottle, sophisticated yet sentimental.

Like many lily-based fragrances of the era, Matchabelli’s formula was almost certainly supported by synthetic compounds. True lily essence is nearly impossible to extract through traditional means, and by the 1930s, perfumers had refined the use of aroma chemicals like hydroxycitronellol, linalool, benzaldehyde, ethyl phenylacetate, and terpineol to recreate the effect of fresh-cut lilies. These synthetics allowed perfumers to heighten the bloom’s natural facets: its watery freshness, powdery softness, and green, spicy undertones. A hint of indole may have added the creamy, slightly animalic nuance often associated with white flowers. In Matchabelli’s hands, the resulting fragrance would have been hauntingly delicate yet full-bodied, luminous and reverent, with perhaps a whisper of incense or resin in the base to suggest sacred spaces.

Though many perfume houses had lily scents in their lineup, Russian Easter Lily distinguished itself through its storytelling and refinement. It aligned with trends of the day—floral elegance, soft aldehydic openings, warm powdery finishes—but elevated them through cultural and emotional resonance. In the crowded floral market of the 1930s, Russian Easter Lily offered something rare: not just a perfume, but a pilgrimage.

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli is classified as a floral perfume. Perfectly feminine, it is blended from the Black Sea lily, has a piquant delicacy that is intriguing. Can be worn with tailored daytime frocks, sports tweeds and printed evening frocks. Incidentally, this lily scent is ideal for brides.

• Top notes: Moroccan cassie, nerolin, linalool, benzaldehyde, hydroxycitronellol, ethyl phenylacetate
• Middle notes: terpineol, Manila ylang ylang, Tunisian orange blossom absolute, Portuguese tuberose, Grasse jasmine absolute, indole, Bulgarian rose otto, rhodinol
• Base notes: Jamaican cardamom, Zanzibar clove, Mexican vanilla, vanillin, Abyssinian civet

Scent Profile:

Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli opens with a luminous breath of spring, as if you’ve stepped into a sun-drenched chapel in bloom during an Orthodox Easter morning. The first notes shimmer with a delicate brightness: Moroccan cassie adds a honeyed, slightly spicy warmth with a touch of green freshness, evoking the first stirrings of nature in bloom. Cassie from Morocco is prized for its rich, multifaceted aroma—both floral and balsamic—imbued with a subtle dry woodiness that gives depth to the composition.

Nerolin, a natural floral material derived from orange blossoms, lends an airy, citrusy sweetness, a light that lifts and disperses the richness of cassie. This is reinforced by linalool, a floral alcohol with a soft, clean quality—somewhere between the cool clarity of lavender and the dewiness of lily of the valley. It creates a smooth, polished entry point for the fragrance, like lace gently brushing bare skin.

Benzaldehyde soon follows—a molecule that mimics the scent of bitter almonds. It brings a subtly powdery warmth and a sweet, faintly nutty creaminess that instantly recalls marzipan or almond blossoms—traditional ingredients in Eastern European Easter sweets. Hydroxycitronellol, with its dewy green rose and lily nuances, heightens the impression of fresh white petals glistening with morning dew. Ethyl phenylacetate, a powerful floral ester, adds a honeyed, fruity edge—think of crushed jasmine petals soaked in nectar and kissed by spring air.

As the heart unfolds, it becomes lush and heady, bathed in white floral radiance. Terpineol contributes a lilac-like coolness and faintly herbal lift, supporting the crystalline structure of the bouquet. The exotic Manila ylang ylang oil—sourced from the Philippines—is rich and buttery, with a touch of banana and custard softness that deepens the heart without overwhelming it. Tunisian orange blossom absolute, creamy and sensual, hums quietly beneath the surface, creating a soft-spoken elegance.

The Portuguese tuberose sings next—a bold and creamy note with narcotic sweetness, its full bloom intensity tempered by the more delicate Grasse jasmine absolute, which brings a shimmering, indolic sensuality. The jasmine is fresh yet animalic, as if both sunlight and shadow cling to its petals. A hint of indole adds a hushed intensity, deepening the intimacy of the bouquet. The heart is crowned by Bulgarian rose otto, considered among the finest in the world—its scent is velvety, lemon-touched, and deeply romantic. Rhodinol, a rose-like aroma chemical, reinforces the rose’s natural sweetness and brightness, making the floral heart feel fuller and more vivid.

The drydown is where Russian Easter Lily turns from innocence to something more ceremonial and mysterious. Jamaican cardamom brings a whisper of cool spice, both woody and balsamic, while Zanzibar clove adds a fiery snap—tingling warmth like incense drifting through an old cathedral. These spices ground the florals in something ancient, evocative of dark wood altars and burnished metals.

Mexican vanilla unfurls next—deep, rich, and earthy, tempered by the cleaner sweetness of vanillin. This duality adds a smooth, creamy base with traces of toasted sugar and gentle smoke. The composition is anchored by Abyssinian civet, once derived from the scent glands of civet cats (today likely replaced by synthetic alternatives), lending a musky, animalic undertone that gives the fragrance sensuality, warmth, and longevity.

As you wear it, Russian Easter Lily evolves from a dewy lily in sunlight to a sultry floral incense in shadow. It is a scent of ritual and romance—elegant, layered, and quietly powerful. At once pure and mysterious, it captures the feeling of reverence and rebirth, of tradition carried gently forward into modern grace.

Bottles:

c1940s Prince Matchabelli Easter Lily perfume bottle and stopper as a crown in clear glass with gold detail, label, in Lucite box. btl. 2 1/8 in. Photo from Perfume Bottle Auctions.

1/2 oz perfume, photos from worthpoint

Easter Bonnet perfume presentation, 1/8 oz Stradivari and 1/8 oz Easter Lily parfum in crown bottles. Photos from worthpoint.

Cue, 1948:

"A little gift of great charm is Prince Matchabelli's hand painted Easter egg containing three well known fragrances, Stradivari, Duchess of York and Ave Maria in miniature crown bottles. The glistening eggs are decorated with flowers. $5 plus tax. Matchabelli also has a little Easter bonnet, a tiny black sailor trimmed with frills of  net, under the crown of which are two tiny bottles of Stradivari and Easter Lily. This little remembrance is $3 at Lord and Taylor."

Fate of the Fragrance:

Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli, introduced in 1938, was more than just a floral perfume—it was a poetic expression of the season, a fragrant tribute to rebirth, renewal, and the refinement of feminine beauty. This fragrance was designed not only to celebrate the Easter holiday but also to align with the hopeful mood of springtime itself. Its positioning as a versatile scent—appropriate for tailored daywear, sporty tweeds, or printed evening frocks—underscored its adaptability and timeless grace.

The perfume debuted in the same elegant sceptre-shaped bottle Matchabelli used for his colognes, a signature vessel that subtly evoked nobility and ceremony. The bottle’s refined silhouette mirrored the fragrance's theme of courtly splendor and religious tradition, particularly with the name invoking Russia's deeply symbolic Easter customs. This association gave the perfume a cultural richness, elevating it from a simple floral to something more evocative—an olfactory ritual.

As noted in the Drug and Cosmetic Industry in 1938, Russian Easter Lily was marketed as an ideal fragrance for the earliest days of spring. With its floral heart centered around the exotic Black Sea lily, the scent was described as having a “piquant delicacy”—suggesting a quiet sensuality wrapped in the innocence of white petals. It was the kind of perfume meant to accompany a woman from the morning sunlight of a chapel to the glow of an Easter evening gathering.

By 1942, in the midst of World War II, The New Yorker offered a poignant description of the perfume’s emotional resonance, describing it as “richest of flower perfumes” and in “special harmony with this Easter… this Spring of high emotion.” During a time of global uncertainty and longing for beauty, Russian Easter Lily was cast as a symbol of hope and spiritual grace, its luxurious floral blend acting almost as a balm for the soul.

Esquire in 1946 highlighted its role as a gift—a crown bottle “suspended in lucid loveliness”—reaffirming the perfume’s regal quality. Russian Easter Lily had become more than a scent: it was a vessel of beauty, culture, and sentiment. Its legacy lies not only in its composition but in the emotional and ceremonial elegance it captured.

Launched in 1938, Russian Easter Lily by Prince Matchabelli remained a beloved part of the house's perfume collection for over a decade. Its gentle floral composition, framed by the poetic concept of the “Black Sea lily,” captured the romantic imagination of women throughout the 1940s, especially during the wartime and postwar years when symbolic gestures and nostalgic beauty were especially cherished. However, by 1953, the perfume was quietly discontinued. Whether due to changing tastes, the rising popularity of more modern aldehydic or green florals, or shifts in the company's direction, Russian Easter Lily slipped from department store counters into memory. Today, it survives in advertisements, scent recollections, and the rare bottle, a graceful echo of a perfume once described as ideal for brides and perfectly suited to the fresh, emotional air of spring.