Nina Ricci launched L’Air du Temps in 1948.
The perfume was created for the Nina Ricci fashion house by perfumer Francis Fabron. Its name translates from French as “the spirit of the times,” a fitting title for a fragrance introduced shortly after the Second World War.
L’Air du Temps is especially famous for its bottle, designed by Marc Lalique. The stopper features two doves, which became a symbol of peace and helped make the bottle one of the most recognizable objects in perfume history.
The fragrance is sometimes identified only by its dove bottle, but the doves are not the product name. L’Air du Temps is the original Nina Ricci perfume; later editions and flankers use additional names.