Banded Bottles (1922)

The "Flacon Borne Ovale Perlée" or more commonly, the Banded Bottles, represent a distinctive line of Coty flacons, notable for their elegant simplicity paired with decorative detail. The Borne ovale perlée is an oval, pillar-shaped perfume flacon decorated with a border of small raised “pearl” beads, typically around the shoulders, edges, or framing the label area.

Each bottle features a subtle embossed band along the upper portion of the body, providing a refined accent that complements the frosted glass stopper, which is molded with delicate flower motifs and ridged textures. While these bottles have sometimes been misattributed to Lalique or Baccarat, they were in fact produced entirely by Coty’s own glassworks in France, and do not appear in the catalogs of either company.

At Coty’s Suresnes glassworks, the design process involved creating gilded bronze models or maquettes, serving as prototypes for the final glass flacons. These prototypes were produced in four sizes: 8.5 inches, 6.7 inches, 5.5 inches, and approximately 3.5 inches tall. For the parfum versions, the bottles were made in three small sizes—1/4 oz, 1/2 oz, and 1 oz, with corresponding heights of 2.25 inches, 2.75 inches, and 3.75 inches, respectively. The parfum line was discontinued in 1932, though the 1/4 oz miniature continued until 1934.

Larger versions of the Banded Bottles were also created for boudoir display, standing at 6 inches, 7.25 inches, and 8 inches, primarily intended to hold Eau de Toilette. These flacons were versatile and housed a variety of Coty’s most popular perfumes, including Eau de Coty, L’Origan, Chypre, Paris, La Rose Jacqueminot, and L’Aimant. A 3 oz version of the bottle was also produced, combining both practicality and elegance. The line is a testament to Coty’s approach of blending decorative design with accessible manufacturing, producing flacons that were both attractive and functional for a wide range of perfumes.

These bottles were discontinued in 1932. Old store stock continued to be sold for several years afterwards.

The parfum bottle was available in three sizes: 1/4 oz, 1/2 oz and 1 oz. The bottles were discontinued in 1932. The 1/4 oz bottle itself was discontinued in 1934.

Bottles stand:

• 2.25" tall - 1/4 oz
• 2.75" tall - 1/2 oz 
• 3.75" tall - 1 oz

Larger sizes of this bottle were also created for the boudoir, standing at 6" tall, 7.25" tall and 8" tall and hold Eau de Toilette. These bottles were also used for other Coty perfumes: Eau de Coty, L'Origan, Chypre, Paris, La Rose Jacqueminot and L'Aimant.

• 3 oz bottle.

The banded bottles with the metal screw caps were discontinued in 1937.

In 1927, the House of Coty Inc. took decisive legal action to protect its intellectual property and the integrity of its brand by filing suit against the T.C. Wheaton Company, a prominent glass manufacturer in Millville, New Jersey. This lawsuit emerged in the aftermath of a major counterfeiting case involving Richard E. Ives, who had been arrested for producing highly convincing—and fully illicit—imitations of Coty’s well-known ½-ounce L’Origan perfume presentation. Ives had duplicated the Coty package “in all details,” from the bottle to the label, resulting in products so accurate that they posed a direct threat to Coty's reputation for quality and authenticity.

During the investigation into Ives’s counterfeiting operation, evidence revealed that many of the bottles he used had been manufactured by T.C. Wheaton Co. Although Wheaton was a legitimate and respected glassworks, Coty alleged that the company knowingly produced bottles matching Coty’s patented design without authorization. The design in question was covered under Design Patent No. 63,351, protecting the specific form and decorative details of Coty’s “Flacon Borne Ovale Perlée”—the distinctive oval, pearl-beaded bottle used for Coty’s half-ounce perfume size. This patented form was not merely ornamental; it was a signature Coty silhouette, instantly recognizable on the market and deeply associated with the brand’s identity.

Coty’s formal complaint asserted that Wheaton had infringed on the company’s patent rights by manufacturing this bottle while fully aware that Coty owned the design. Coty claimed damages exceeding $100,000, a substantial sum at the time, arguing that Wheaton’s actions had materially contributed to the distribution of counterfeit Coty perfumes. Beyond monetary compensation, Coty also requested the court to grant the standard remedies for patent infringement, including injunctions preventing further unauthorized production.

This lawsuit highlights how fiercely Coty defended its designs, trademarks, and brand reputation during the early 20th century—a period when counterfeit cosmetics and perfumes were a persistent concern. It also underscores the importance of the “Flacon Borne Ovale Perlée” within Coty’s product line: a bottle so iconic and commercially valuable that protecting its form became a matter not only of aesthetics, but of business survival.