Mystikum

Brand Portrait: Mystikum

The golden shimmer of a bygone world

Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of reading historical magazines from the 1920s may have come across several advertisements. Some of them were also used to advertise perfumes that were popular at the time. One of these legendary 1920s fragrances appeared again and again in the advertising sections of the magazines of the time - and it had a very imaginative name that radiates pure magic in itself:

Mystikum!

The advertisement for the Mystikum perfume shows a lady who, with a fervent gesture, hugs two hands full of delicate flowers to herself. She indulges in their scent, cradling them like precious jewelry; her eyes are closed in enjoyment, her head is passionately thrown back. The motif alone gives a clear indication of what the theme of this perfume was: flowers!

“The mystery of flowers”: That was the promising title of the advertisement – and it promised a hyper-floral fragrance composition made of no less than “28 different flowers”. A whole meadow of flowers in one bottle - created to “heighten the elusive charm of women”, as the advert goes on, available “at the better stores”. Where else?

In another ad from 1920, Mystikum is described as follows: “Perfume Mystikum is a very fine, subtle fantasy perfume with a characteristic, tangy scent.” Thanks to the advertisement, the price of the perfume at the time is even known: 100 German marks per bottle. According to a conversion table from the German Bundesbank, this would correspond to a value of around 170 euros today.

But where did that “fantasy perfume” with the extremely mystical name come from – and who produced it? The historical traces lead to what was the third largest city in the world back then: Berlin. The Scherk perfumery was located in Berlin's world-famous Kurfürstendamm promenade in the first half of the 20th century. Its founder and owner Ludwig Scherk initially worked as a sales representative for the Frankfurt cosmetics company Dr. Albersheim, but soon started producing his own perfumery and cosmetic products – with particularly high quality standards. Every detail was made with special attention: the composition of the premium fragrances as well as the design of the elegant bottles.

With outstanding success: In the 1920s, Scherk was one of the big names in the world of perfumery - especially in Germany, but also abroad, where there were around 50 Scherk branches from Vienna to New York. These were supplied from the company's own factory in the Steglitz district of Berlin, where the noble perfume and skin care products were manufactured.

The Scherk family was dedicated to the perfumery profession with heart and soul. The euphoric statement „Du bist bei den Parfümören angekommen!“ (“You've arrived at the perfumer`s house!”) with which Alice and Ludwig Scherk welcomed their first son Walter into their lives in 1913 is legendary. Alice Scherk was the niece of the Frankfurt perfumery entrepreneur Dr. Albersheim, and her second son Fritz would later even study the noble craft of fine fragrances in the “perfume capital” of Grasse in the south of France.

The glamorous Scherk fragrances had names like “Arabian Nights”, “Briza”, “Old Lavender”, “Mimikri” and “Renaissance” - all of which were often worn by style-conscious women in the turbulent 1920s. However, the most famous perfume was probably Scherk's debut fragrance, Mystikum, which was launched in 1910 - a fragrance that, due to its outstanding popularity, was also available as a cream, soap and hair tonic. And as a perfumed compact powder, “in a gold box with a tassel”.

Mystikum was undoubtedly one of the defining perfumes of the 1920s. A successful fragrance “made in Germany” that fascinated an entire generation and also caused a sensation overseas and in North America. At the time, some people even considered Mystikum to be the best perfume in the world.

A lot of time has passed since then. In the historical turmoil of the last 100 years, the former cult perfume from Berlin was almost forgotten. But now, a century later, the myth of “Mystikum” is back with a strong sign of life - in the form of a vintage brand that not only proudly bears the name of that 1920s perfume icon, but also breathes the unique spirit of that eventful era: A melange of energy and elegance, of intoxication and decadence, of vague uncertainty and new possibilities, of sweet sin and “dance on the volcano”.

The golden shimmer of a bygone era shines out from the fragrance bottles with their noble Art Deco aura, which are unmistakably inspired by the original flacon of the Mystikum perfume. With extraordinary, exciting and sometimes daring fragrance notes such as smoked black tea, gin and tonic, cannabis, birch tar or absinthe - but also with a sea of captivatingly fragrant flowers that are reminiscent of the lush floral richness of the original perfume: in the Mystikum perfumes of the 2020s Hyacinths and daffodils, roses and geraniums, carnations and jasmine flowers are blooming... and many other floral miracles.

The “Roaring Twenties” are here again – so let’s boldly open the bottles of the new Mystikum fragrances and… let them out! At least for some wonderful moments...