Lancome Perfumes Blog: Flacon de Sac Sphere Magique Bottle (1952)

Inspired by the Kermesse aux Étoiles, Lancôme introduced a charming and innovative miniature bottle design for its fragrance Magie. The Kermesse aux Étoiles—which translates to "Festival of the Stars"—was a glamorous postwar charity gala held annually in Paris from the late 1940s into the 1950s. These events combined elements of theatrical performance, fashion, and celebrity appearances, and often served as inspiration for fashion and beauty houses looking to associate their products with elegance, fantasy, and cultural refinement. Lancôme’s decision to reference this lively and enchanting event reflects the house’s emphasis on theatricality and poetic presentation in its perfume line.

The bottle itself was spherical in shape, but not merely decorative. It was engineered with a clever design: weighted at the base, the bottle could rock and tilt without ever falling over, always returning upright—an embodiment of the culbuto principle. The culbuto is a French term for a roly-poly toy, a figure that wobbles when pushed but never tips over completely due to its low center of gravity. This playful quality gave the bottle both a tactile appeal and symbolic charm, echoing the whimsical magic implied by the fragrance’s name, Magie.

This little globe of perfume was not a one-off curiosity. It was part of a coordinated series of seven purse-sized bottles created by Lancôme during the mid-20th century. These miniature flacons were meant to be portable luxuries—elegant enough for display, yet practical enough for a handbag. Among them, the Magie "culbuto" bottle stood out for its sense of motion, its poetic nod to balance and grace, and its embodiment of refined playfulness.

Launched for the 1952 Christmas season, La Sphère Magique was an enchanting limited-edition perfume presentation created to evoke wonder and elegance during the holidays. Designed by Georges Delhomme, this small flacon was conceived not only as a container for Magie perfume, but also as a festive ornament, able to be hung on a Christmas tree using its attached golden cord. The concept cleverly combined perfumery with the spirit of seasonal décor, making it both a luxurious gift item and a decorative keepsake.

The bottle stands 4 cm tall (approximately 1.57 inches), and is made of frosted glass, or verre dépoli, molded with an étoilé—or star-studded—pattern that adds a celestial charm. The frosted texture gives the bottle a soft, glowing appearance, enhancing its magical quality. It was fitted with a gilded inner stopper (contre-bouchon doré) that continued the star motif, completing the theme of enchantment and festivity. The outer cap is a golden cover adorned with stars, visually linking it to the starry frosted bottle beneath.

Due to its ethereal design and frosted finish, La Sphère Magique has long been misattributed to Lalique. Even advertisements from the time mistakenly credited it as a Lalique creation, likely because the frosted glass and star motifs were stylistically similar to Lalique’s earlier Art Deco work. However, the bottle does not appear in Lalique’s catalogue raisonné, and no official documentation from the Lalique company confirms their involvement. Its true creator, Georges Delhomme—Lancôme’s in-house artistic director—was responsible for many of the house’s most memorable flacons.

At launch, La Sphère Magique retailed for $10.00, which included 0.25 ounce of Magie perfume. The presentation was described in advertisements as “filled with Magie perfume and doubles as a Christmas tree ornament which can be hung from its golden cord. Both the 1/4 ounce crystal flacon and the golden cover are studded with stars.” This bottle remains one of Lancôme’s most charming and collectible mid-century designs—a playful fusion of perfumery, holiday celebration, and artistic vision.