Shocking (1936)

Shocking by Schiaparelli was introduced in France in 1936 and in the United States in 1937. It was created by Jean Carles, one of the great French perfumers of the twentieth century, and was presented as a highly personal expression of Elsa Schiaparelli herself. A 1938 advertisement claimed that it had first been developed for her own use—an ideal bit of mythology for a designer whose public identity was inseparable from daring, originality, and theatrical self-invention.

The name came from Schiaparelli’s celebrated hot pink, often used by her mentor, Paul Poiret, Shocking Pink: an intense, almost electric magenta-pink that became a visual signature of her house. In Shocking Life, Elsa described it as a color that seemed to flash before her eyes—bright, impossible, imprudent, and life-giving. To her, it suggested the brilliance of exotic birds, fish, Chinese lacquer, and Peruvian color: pure, undiluted, and startlingly unlike the restrained shades then associated with conventional good taste.

“Shocking” was therefore not meant simply to imply scandal. It was a declaration of exuberance and independence. The word promised a perfume for a woman who enjoyed being noticed and who treated fashion as an imaginative, almost surrealist form of self-expression. Schiaparelli’s account also records that some associates objected to the color using a racist slur; that language is part of the period’s ugly social record, but it underscores how deliberately she challenged the narrow conventions of respectable Western fashion.

In ordinary usage, shocking means startling, startlingly unconventional, or capable of provoking surprise. In Schiaparelli’s world, however, it became glamorous rather than merely offensive. It evoked a flash of vivid pink satin, scarlet lips, a surrealist jewel, a dramatic entrance, or a woman whose presence changes the atmosphere of a room. The emotional effect is one of confidence, mischief, sensuality, and controlled audacity. Shocking suggests a woman who is not apologizing for her beauty or intelligence. It is provocative, but polished; extravagant, but never careless. Like the designer’s clothes, the perfume made daringness feel sophisticated.

The Late 1930s: Fashion and Cultural Setting

Shocking appeared in the late interwar period, often called the late Art Deco era. Europe and America were still living with the effects of the Great Depression, while political instability and the approach of another world war gave the decade an undercurrent of uncertainty. Fashion responded partly with escapism: women embraced cinema glamour, dramatic evening clothes, luxurious fabrics, elaborate accessories, and an increasingly polished, feminine silhouette.

Schiaparelli stood at the fashionable edge of this world. Her work drew upon Surrealism, collaborating with artists such as Salvador Dalí and translating wit, fantasy, and visual surprise into dress. Her designs featured unexpected details—shoe-shaped hats, lobster prints, bold zippers, trompe-l’oeil embroidery, vivid color, and sculptural accessories. In this setting, a perfume called Shocking was perfectly aligned with her fashion philosophy: it was meant to be experienced as an event.

Perfumery, too, had become more adventurous. Aldehydic florals had transformed modern perfumery after Chanel No. 5; lush orientals such as Guerlain’s Shalimar had made amber, vanilla, balsams, and animalic notes fashionable; and warm tobacco-leather effects had already proved their allure in fragrances such as Caron’s Tabac Blond. Shocking entered a market receptive to rich, expressive compositions, yet gave those prevailing ideas an unmistakably Schiaparelli-like intensity.

For a fashionable woman of the later 1930s, Shocking could have represented permission to be vivid. It was not a retiring, fresh floral intended merely to suggest cleanliness or sweetness. Its name and presentation invited the wearer to be seen as cosmopolitan, modern, and perhaps a little dangerous—someone at home in Paris, at a cocktail party, in a theater box, or stepping from an evening car in a dramatic gown. It also offered fantasy during an uneasy era. Even for women who could not wear Schiaparelli couture, perfume was an accessible form of luxury: a small but potent means of entering the designer’s world. To wear Shocking was to borrow some of Elsa’s nerve, glamour, and unconventionality.

Shocking Interpreted as a Scent

As a woody floral oriental, Shocking translates its name into scent through contrast. Its opening was aldehydic and floral, giving an immediate impression of brightness and lift—almost like the first visual impact of Shocking Pink. This was followed by a more voluptuous heart of rose and jasmine, softened and deepened by a honeyed sweetness. Carnation contributed a peppery floral spice, preventing the bouquet from becoming merely pretty or polite. The base was where the fragrance became truly “shocking”: warm woods, patchouli, incense, cedar, tobacco, and animalic materials gave it a sensual, smoky, lived-in depth. Rather than smelling sugary, sharp, or overwhelmingly heavy, it aimed for a poised tension between floral femininity and dark allure. The reported tobacco-centered structure would have lent a warm, slightly dry, smoky richness—an effect that made the perfume feel adult, intimate, and faintly forbidden.

Shocking followed important 1930s trends rather than appearing in complete isolation. Aldehydic florals, floral orientals, animalic bases, and tobacco-leather nuances were all familiar components of serious French perfumery by 1936. Yet its particular combination of a radiant floral opening, honeyed rose-and-jasmine heart, tobacco-like warmth, and emphatically sensual base made it distinctive. Its real originality lay in the total effect. Schiaparelli gave the perfume a name, color, attitude, and identity so forceful that it became more than a fragrance: it became an extension of her fashion house. Vogue’s 1936 description—“Like a drum roll it expands. Insinuating, warm, bold, persevering”—beautifully captures that effect. Shocking was not intended to whisper; it announced itself gradually but unmistakably.

A 1945 description in La Femme Chic associated Shocking with Paris itself: jasmine-based, fresh yet heady, recalling an evening in the Champs-Élysées or tea at the Ritz. This is an especially revealing image, because it presents the fragrance not as vulgar provocation but as cultivated Parisian glamour—refined, worldly, and quietly intoxicating.

By 1950, L’Amour de l’art could say that Shocking did not truly shock at all, but “captivates.” That shift shows how quickly the perfume’s audacity became classic elegance. Its crystal mannequin bottle and its rich floral-oriental composition made it feel like “a dress of perfumes”: an invisible garment that could clothe a woman in Schiaparelli’s distinctive, dramatic style.

 

Fragrance Composition:

So what does it smell like? The vintage version of Shocking is classified as a woody floral oriental fragrance for women. It starts off with an aldehydic, lightly green flowery top, followed by a sweet, honey accented floral heart of rose and jasmine, layered over a sensual powdery, warm, woodsy animalic base. Dry and smoldering, it was reportedly built around the provocative aroma of tobacco. Very heavy wood odor with a rose note. High doses of civet are deliberately incorporated into Shocking to create its sweet, animalic, and erogenous quality.

• Top notes: aldehydes, Calabrian bergamot, French tarragon, raspberry, gardenia, syringa, hyacinth
• Middle notes: magnolia, Grasse rose, Provencal honey, oriental rose accord, Egyptian jasmine, carnation, Manila ylang ylang, Algerian narcissus
• Base notes: Omani frankincense, Atlas cedar, Singapore patchouli, Java vetiver, Yugoslavia oakmoss, amber, Mysore sandalwood, Madagascar vanilla, quinoline, Tonkin musk, ambergris, Zanzibar cloves, Abyssinian civet, Canadian castoreum

Scent Profile:

Vintage Shocking is a deliberately provocative woody floral oriental: a rose perfume made immense, dry, and smoldering by woods, animal notes, and a tobacco-like accord. It begins in a flash of aldehydes—those cool, waxy, champagne-bright aroma chemicals that give flowers an unreal, polished radiance. Calabrian bergamot adds its distinguished bitter-green citrus peel, softer and more floral than ordinary lemon, while French tarragon brings a sweet aniseed herbiness. 

Raspberry, usually a constructed accord since the fruit yields no useful perfumery essence, lends tart red juice and makes the rose seem darker and riper. Gardenia, syringa, and hyacinth are also largely composed accords: gardenia becomes creamy white petals; syringa gives a fresh mock-orange bloom; and hyacinth supplies the dewy green smell of flower stems and damp spring earth. Their synthetic elements heighten the fleeting, elusive qualities of the living flowers and keep the opening airy rather than dense.

The heart blooms into a lavish, honeyed floral mass. Grasse rose is prized for its rich, petal-soft scent—at once fresh, rosy, faintly lemony, and delicately spicy—and here it is made deeper by an “oriental rose” accord: darker, velvetier, and touched with amber, spice, and honey. Provençal honey suggests warm wax, pollen, dried hay, and golden sweetness rather than dessert; it begins to create the fragrance’s suggestion of cured tobacco. 

Egyptian jasmine contributes a sun-warmed, indolic sensuality, its creamy floral sweetness carrying a subtle hint of skin and ripe fruit. Magnolia adds lemony, waxy petals; carnation brings the dry clove-like spice of crushed pink flowers; and Manila ylang-ylang gives a lush tropical creaminess, with banana, jasmine, and soft balsamic facets. Algerian narcissus is the shadow in the bouquet—green, haylike, leathery, and faintly animalic—turning the flowers from innocent blossoms into something more intimate and strange.

The base is where Shocking earns its reputation. Omani frankincense has a particularly fine, pale resinous character: lemony and silvery at first, then peppery, woody, and softly smoky. Atlas cedar, from the mountains of Morocco and Algeria, is warmer and more ambery than the pencil-shaving dryness of American cedar. Singapore patchouli—historically a trade designation for a refined Southeast Asian material—brings dark earth, damp leaves, camphor, leather, and bitter chocolate. Java vetiver is especially smoky, rooty, and earthy, giving the perfume its dry, almost burnt-leaf quality. Yugoslavian oakmoss deepens this effect with the scent of wet bark, forest floor, leather, and old green velvet.

Mysore sandalwood provides the famous creamy, milky, softly spicy woodiness for which Indian sandalwood was once incomparable; it is smoother, richer, and more enduring than many later substitutes. Madagascar vanilla adds dark pod-like sweetness, balsam, and a faint rumlike warmth. Amber is not one material but a constructed golden accord of resins, balsams, vanilla-like notes, and warm synthetics; it gives Shocking its glowing, powdery warmth and binds the flowers to the woods. Zanzibar clove supplies a dry, hot eugenol spice that echoes the carnation and helps create the impression of tobacco cured with honey and aromatic leaves.

Its animalic materials are intentionally lavish. Quinoline is a synthetic aroma chemical with a dry, bitter, smoky leather smell—sometimes reminiscent of old gloves, saddle leather, or ink—and it gives the base its severe, almost masculine tobacco-leather edge. Tonkin musk originally referred to natural musk deer material, treasured for its warm, sweet, skinlike depth; modern perfumery uses synthetic musks to create this effect humanely. 

Ambergris brings a salty, mineral, tobacco-like warmth and a remarkable ability to make the whole perfume seem to glow from within; today its effect is often reinforced with ambergris-style aroma chemicals. Canadian castoreum contributes a warm leathery, smoky, slightly sweet animal nuance, while Abyssinian civet—used in a notably high dose in vintage Shocking—supplies its famous erotic undertow. In dilution, civet is not simply dirty; it makes rose, jasmine, honey, and musk feel warmer, sweeter, and startlingly alive.

The result is a rose fragrance with an enormous woody shadow: brilliant aldehydes and green flowers at first, then honeyed rose and jasmine, finally a dry, smoky mélange of tobacco-like leaves, sandalwood, leather, moss, civet, and incense. It smells less like a polite floral bouquet than crimson roses arranged in a cedar-lined room where frankincense burns and a box of spiced tobacco has just been opened.

 

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Bottles:

Shocking appeared in several bottle designs over the years, and these variations can offer helpful clues to a bottle’s approximate age. In this article, I will cover as many known examples as possible—from the earliest presentation bottles to later forms, label changes, stoppers, and packaging—so that collectors can compare their own bottle’s shape, glass, decoration, and markings with the different periods of production.

The Galveston Daily News, 1947:

"Schiaparelli's famous scent . ....Shocking. Schiaparelli's Dusting Powder 3.75, Schiaparelli's Shocking Cologne 5.00, Schiaparelli's Shocking Sachets 3.50."

The Dressmaker Dummy Bottle:

While working for Elsa Schiaparelli Leonor Fini designed the flacon for the parfum, "Shocking," which was based on Mae West's dressmaker dummy. 

The entrancing surrealist container: Dressmaker's form under a Gay-90's crystal dome, hand-etched with Schiaparelli's signature. A spray of bright flowers typify the lovely escaping scent. Seamstress tape certifies high fashion origin. Boxed in the famous Shocking-pink satin.

The whole presentation is made up of 20 separate parts, made in three different countries, and it took thirty ladies to assemble it.

1. The tiny colored glass flowers represent anemones, morning glories and poppies. The fragile flowers were blown in Murano, Italy. The colors are baby blue, pink, red, yellow and sometimes dark blue with contrasting stamens.
2. Two fragile green glass leaves, also blown in Murano, Italy.
3. Wires attached behind the pierced flowers and pierced leaves
4. Wires wrapped with green florist's tape.
5. Wires gathered like a nosegay, twisted into a point and held in place with a measuring tape. 
6. Frosted glass stopper 
7. Gilding on frosted glass dauber
8. Gilt baudruchage cord wrapped around neck of bottle
9. Onionskin membrane seal
10. Bottle Made in France
11. Silk-Screened cotton tape measure
12. Gold "navel" label
13. "S" logo for Schiaparelli embossed on "navel" label to be placed over tape measure
14. Clear, fragile blown glass dome imported from Czechoslovakia
15. White lace pattern silk-screened on glass dome
16. Pink velvet cushion for bottle
17. Gold platform for pink cushion
18. Pink velvet base for gold platform
19. Perfume
20. Closeup of glass morning glory with contrasting glass pistil

The dressmaker bottle came in four sizes, from 4 3/4" tall down to a 1 3/4" miniature size. The 1/3 oz bottle that came in a leather travel pouch dates to after 1948.

Originally the bottles were made in Czechoslovakia and some newspaper ads at the time indeed mentioned that the glass was "Bohemian". While other sources claim the bottles were French. The bottles were then fitted with tiny Czechoslovakian (other sources say Murano blown glass) molded colored glass flowers which were wrapped around the neck of the bottle in a bouquet. A faux tape measure with the words "Shocking" and "Schiaparelli" glued over top the bust served as the perfume's label.

The resulting bottle was housed in an elegant glass domed case with printed white lace accents. Domed glass "bell jar" cases for perfume were also used for other perfume companies,, most notably,  "Yesteryear" by Bab's Creations (1939) and "It's You" by Elizabeth Arden (1938). The fragile glass domes recalled romantic notions from the Victorian era,  a style that enjoyed a revival during the late 1930s and early 1940s. The ensemble was then packaged in a shocking pink presentation box lined in Shocking pink satin. Various editions of the box were launched over the years as the styles changed.

One presentation was made to resemble a bound book, it's green velvet spine is stamped in gold with the name of the perfume and Schiaparelli. This is known as the "Book of Hearts" presentation, it held the cube stoppered bottle in a half ounce size.

Shocking's torso flacon was first only introduced in one size (1 3/4 oz) and retailed at $27.50, but in 1938 it was introduced in a smaller size (approximately 7/8 oz, about 3/4 oz) and retailed at $12. The smallest size was the adorable miniature and held just one dram (1/8 oz), it has a tiny brass screw cap and can often be found in various charming novelty presentations.

The bottles ranged in sizes (all sizes listed below are bottles only, not including domes):

• 1 3/4 oz (sometimes rounded up to 2" in old ads) bottle stands
• about 3/4 oz (sometimes rounded up to 1" in old ads) bottle stands 4" tall. This size was introduced in 1938.
• 1/2 oz bottle stands 2 7/8" tall.
• 1/3 oz bottle stands 3.14" tall (this is the 1979 10ml version)
• Dram bottle stands 2" tall.

The little dressmaker dummy bottle could also be found in a leather pouch for travel. The bottle holds 1/3 oz of parfum. Leather travel case dates this to after 1948. The bottle stands 2.75" tall.

  

Baccarat Cube Stopper Bottles:

First presented in 1938 and used throughout the 1940s, this clear glass bottle was created to hold the pure parfum, and was not only used for Shocking, but served as a standard bottle for several other Schiaparelli perfumes such as So Sweet, Sleeping, Salut, Le Roy Soleil, Zut, etc. I believe that this sober bottle style was used in response to World War II restrictions on importations, especially glass bottles and supplies from Czechoslovakia and Italy. At that time, no one, not even the perfume companies could not afford to be ostentatious as before.

This bottle is a domestic French product, Baccarat model #788, manufactured for Schiaparelli only. It is a tall, upright rectangular shape and features a faceted glass cube as the stopper. The smallest size features a stopper that has an attached dauber. The base of the bottle is usually molded with "Schiaparelli" and "French Bottle". 

This bottle came in various sizes:

• 1/4 oz stands 2.5" tall. (this stopper has an attached dauber)
• 1/2 oz stands 3" tall.
• 1 oz stands 3.5" tall.
• 4 oz stands 3.75" tall.

These are the various measurements of the bottles I have found online.

• 2 3/8" tall
• 2 1/2" tall = 1/4 oz
• 3" tall = 1/2 oz
• 3 1/2" tall = 1 oz
• 3 5/8" tall = 1 oz
• 3 3/4" tall = 4 oz
• 4 1/2" tall = 2 oz
• 4 3/8" tall

The bottle was also used for the "Beau Geste" presentation which featured hands offering the flacon of perfume and faux flowers.. Its acetate cover was printed with a lace pattern.

Eau de Colognes:

Shocking was also available in cologne concentration by 1938, originally presented in a modified form of the dressmaker dummy bottle, but later cologne bottles were more simplified cylindrical shapes.

The Stage, 1938:

"Schiaparelli is launching a Shocking cologne, in the dressmaker's- dummy bottle."

Eau de Parfum:

In 1964. Shocking was presented in Eau de Parfum Mist, a 3 oz aerosol perfume. Please be aware that if you purchase the aerosol bottles in either the Eau de Parfum or Cologne Concentrée, the plastic spray mechanism inside the bottle deteriorates with age and the propellant inside can change the scent of the fragrance over the years. The bottle can also leak during transit especially if going via air.

Solid Perfume:

Adorable heart shaped lockets containing solid perfume were decorated with lattice studded with hot pink rhinestones, these lockets were attached to key chains and necklaces.

Ancillary Products:

Shocking spawned many matching products from soaps, dusting powders, talc, lotion, rouge, lipstick.

The Bath Essence was introduced in 1939. "Only ten drops and the entire bath will be perfumed."

The Shocking Talcum was launched in 1941, it was highly scented and left a "clinging", non-streaky texture that was perfect for the warmer months.

All items were packaged in the familiar shocking pink cartonnage, sometimes trimmed with printed lace for a totally romantic feel. The happy intermingling of red, gold and white attracts the eye of the roving shopper to Schiaparelli's Shocking scented lipstick, rough- and face-powder containers. The 1950s "So Sweet" makeup line was scented with Shocking. Vivacious' lipstick from the Shocking perfume line.

Introduced in 1939, the scented bath sponges were small, fluffy round pads when dry in the package but when they come in contact with the bathwater, they blossom into big, soft washcloths scented with Shocking.

Who could resist the adorable heart shaped or the dressmaker dummy shaped bath soaps? These are harder to find today, so buy them if they are a good price!

From 1948:

"A dual gift of Valentine significance is Schiaparelli's "Two Shocking" a heart-shaped cake of soap plus a small bottle of Shocking perfume. This fragrant pair is ribbon-trimmed and attractively packed in a gift box at $5 at Saks Fifth Avenue."

List of Special Presentations:

In the 1930s and 1940s, competition between perfume companies was extremely fierce, coupled with the ending of the great Depression and the second World War, money was tight for customers, so the perfume companies had to devise new ways to entice customers to part with their money. One way to catch the customer's eye was to package the perfume in colorful and imaginative packaging.

Elsa Schiaparelli was the queen of perfume presentation. Her ingenuity spawned curious and unique presentations that would have delighted any woman. By using mixed material such as glass, fabric, plaster, metal and early plastics such as acetate, she was able to get around the wartime restrictions that were placed on supplies that were usually reserved for perfume packaging.

Here are some of her fabulous presentations:

In 1938 the "Shock-in-a-Box" jack in the box presentation. When the lid is opened, up jump four purse size flacons of Shocking perfume crowned with flowers and a golden tinkle bell.

Also in 1938, "Beau Geste",  takes the form of a white surrealist plaster hand cushioned luxuriously in a Shocking pink satin and holds a bottle of Shocking perfume (in the bottle with the cube stopper), all encased in crystal.

For Valentine's Day of 1939, a cute little heart shaped acetate box held a fragrant sachet and two miniature dram size dressmaker dummy bottles of Shocking perfume. The little bottles were the perfect size to carry in your handbag, while the sachet could be tucked inside your lingerie drawer.

In 1939, a 1/4 oz bottle of parfum was housed inside of a box that simulated a book covered in the signature pink Schiaparelli hearts. Called the "Shocking French Novel" as well as the "Book of Hearts", this presentation was reused for several years into the 1950s.

Town & Country, 1950:

"Schiaparelli's Shocking Book of Hearts is a satin - striped volume of sentiment with sophistication."

For 1939, "Set to Music": Straight from France comes this Alpine chalet with four dram-size, dressmaker model-shaped bottles of Schiaparelli's Shocking perfume peeping from its double doors. Touch a spring at the back and the chalet becomes a music box playing "Amaryllis."


The New Yorker, 1939:

"Schiaparelli : Shocking, its bottle shaped like a dress form, tricked out with flowers, and sheltered by a glass bell, is still the ideal of glamour girls ... Set to Music consists of four bottles which revolve slowly through the doors of a little house while a music box plays; $10."

Get lucky in 1939 with the Spin and Win! The "Spin & Win" presentation consists of a mock roulette wheel holding four mini dram size perfume bottles. A spring mechanism allows the wheel to revolve when pressed. The box is covered in shocking pink paper adorned with numbers in white. The inside of the lid is covered in shiny gold foil paper.

The New Yorker, 1939:

"Spin and Win, four little bottles of Shocking, whirl around like a roulette wheel when you open the box; $5."

The Winnipeg Tribune, 1939:

"Spin and Win" Schiaparelli's joyous "spin and win" roulette wheel setting holds four "baby" dressmaker dummies, each filled with a half - dram of "Shocking"$5."

Easter 1939 gave us a rayon satin covered "Easter Egg"with a print designed by Vertes containing a bottle of Shocking perfume.

The Shocking Scamp was a limited edition for Christmas of 1940. Designed by Fulco de Verdura, it is a little figural fencer brooch to be worn on a lady's lapel, it was also called the "vest bottle" in a 1949 newspaper ad. Made of enameled metal, the cage would hold a dram sized bottle of Shocking perfume. To use to the perfume, you just remove the head which served as the stopper. The perfumed brooch stands 5 1/2" tall. This little cutie was discontinued by 1949 and is very hard to find today.

The New Yorker, 1940:

"Schiaparelli's Scamp lapel pin, a gaga little figure flailing its flexible arms about, contains a dram of Shocking perfume and comes with two bottles of the stuff for refilling ($7.50)"

Fashions of the Hour, 1940:

"Wonderful Schiaparelli fantasy, a perfume boutonniere she can pin on her lapel. This stalwart gilded fencer holds a 1-dram bottle of Shocking perfume and in the box are two extra drams.  $7.50."

1940 Schiaparelli's Shocking Love Birds perched in a gilded cage with tiny flowers strewn about. The two bottles hold 1 dram each of intriguing Shocking perfume. 

c1947 A pink heart decorated box lined with tufted satin, holds 3 miniature bottles of such well known perfume favorites as "Shocking", "Sleeping", and "Salut".

For Christmas 1951 and 1952, Shocking could be purchased in a gold color metal filigree flacon studded with simulated rubies. It came in a protective case of blue calfskin leather. Screw Top, 2 1/2" tall.

Shocking For the Boudoir:

Other items were for the boudoir, a shocking pink satin and black lace panty shaped pouch for nylons, another pretty item is a pink and white lace printed satin lingerie case. Cute scented sachets to be tucked inside your dresser drawers or to be hung inside your closets would freshen up your clothing. More whimsical items like a pink and black lace printed box contained four decks of cards.

In 1969/1970, Shocking was available in the following formats:

• Parfum Presentation: In a luxury bottle (bust design) (three sizes); In a rhodoid bust bottle; In an "Edition" bottle; In a "container" bottle (Nos. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9); In a "Shocking-S" gift set (of 2, 4, 6) (Selection); Purse spray.
• Related products: Eau de Toilette spray; Eau de Cologne (six sizes)
• Ancillary Products: Lotion; Soap; Bath oil; Liquid brilliantine; Talc; Extra-fine powder; Lipstick.

Fate of the Fragrance:

Shocking was reformulated by perfumer Martin Gras,and repackaged in 1979 by Schiaparelli-Pikenz. Up until then, the torso parfum bottles displayed the crisscrossed dressmaker tapes with a round golden seal with a S. On the 1979 onward bottles, shocking pink velvet replaced the dressmaker's tape measures and were covered by a small pink heart with a stylized S in the center.

Fate of the Fragrance:

In 1984/1985, Shocking was available in:

• Parfum Presentations: Jewel box bottle (10ml, 25ml, 44ml); Travel spray in a gift box (9ml)
• Related Products: Eau de Toilette splash bottles (100ml, 200ml); Luxury Eau de Toilette Spray (100ml); Refillable Luxury Eau de Toilette Atomizer (90ml); Luxury EDT Atomizer Refill (90ml); High Concentration Eau de Toilette Atomizer (30ml, 90ml)
• Ancillary products: Soaps in a gift box, heart-shaped soap (4 x 50g); Soap on a cord (200g)

The original Shocking fragrance was discontinued. Discontinued, date unknown. Still being sold in 1991.

In 1990/1991, Shocking was available in:

• Parfum presentations: Splash (10ml, 25ml, 44ml); Purse spray (9ml)
• Related products: Eau de Toilette splash bottle (100ml, 200ml); EDT Deluxe Spray (100ml); EDT Deluxe refillable spray (90ml); EDT Refill (90ml); EDT Haute Concentration Spray (30ml, 90ml)
• Ancillary products: Soaps (box of 4 heart shaped soaps, 4 x 50g); Soap on a rope (200g)

1997 Reformulation & Relaunch:

In 1997, it was reformulated by Martin Gras of Dragoco and relaunched again in new packaging (shown below) by Schiaparelli-Pikenz. As you can see, these are spray bottles of eau de parfum. Notice the heart shape logo is angled higher on one side.

To advertise the newly relaunched perfume, a large dummy bottle (called a factice) was produced in 1998. The Shocking torso bottle stood 15" tall  and is made up of heavy glass bottle and is fitted with a ball shaped solid frosted glass stopper. The measuring tape is actually frosted into the glass. This bottle was for the "new" Schiaparelli Company in 1998. The company has since gone out of business. It is filled with colored water and not perfume. You can see the differences in the original 1936 factice bottle and the 1998 version. The original 1936 version stands 15.25" tall and is molded with "Japan" on the base. It has a gilded glass stopper and paper measuring tape.

Compare the original torso bottles used for the parfum to the 1979 and 1997 versions below. The 1979 and 1997 version have velvet ribbons standing in for the paper measuring tapes. The 1979 and 1997 versions have a flower bouquet which can be removed from bottle and worn as a brooch. The glass flowers are different colors and shapes, also these versions have little gold leaves instead of the tiny green glass leaves found on the original 1936 version.

Zut was also reformulated and relaunched in 1997 as you can see from this advertisement.

In 2008, Shocking was relaunched in its original formulation by the Roja Dove Haute Parfumerie at Urban Retreat at Harrods, London. Notice the bottle design looks like the original 1936 version.

"Composed of over 500 ingredients, the original floral has been re-launched in a limited edition Baccarat numbered crystal bottle, the shape of which is based on the curvaceous torso of Mae West."