The story of Dana
Javier Serra learned the trade at Myrurgia, the big Barcelona perfume house, before starting Dana in 1932. He picked a short name that worked in any language. The company soon moved to Paris, on rue de la Paix near Place Vendôme. Its first hit was Tabu by Jean Carles, a dark spicy oriental at odds with the polite florals of the day. Canoe followed in 1935, again by Carles, this time for men. In 1940 the German occupation pushed Dana to shift its main operations to the United States. There it became a mass-market name found in drugstores. Ownership has changed hands several times since the 1990s. Dana Classic Fragrances now sells the classics from New York. The formulas have been adjusted along the way, but the names and bottles have held on.
An olfactory signature
Canoe is an old-school fougère, soapier than most modern ones. Lavender and bergamot open onto a slightly bitter petitgrain. Geranium and clove then give the heart a barbershop feel. The base is where it gets interesting: oakmoss, heliotrope and a quiet vanilla that recall old-fashioned shaving soap. Tabu, not in our database, shows the other side of Jean Carles at Dana as a heavy patchouli oriental.
Which Dana perfume to choose?
Our database features Dana through Canoe, an eau de toilette from 1935. Pick it if you like barbershop scents and powdery fougères. It costs very little, which makes it a good way to learn the fougère family before spending more elsewhere. Spray freely on skin and shirt collar. Current bottles are reformulated, so do not expect your grandfather's exact bottle. To place it, smell it next to Azzaro Pour Homme, which is more anisic and modern. Guerlain Jicky, its distant ancestor, makes a good second reference.