Once, perfumes and creams from the Mykolaiv-based “Scarlet Sails” factory were sold throughout the Soviet Union. Some cosmetics were so popular that, according to local lore, they could even help you get a room at a fully booked hotel. More than 1,700 people worked at the enterprise, its products were supplied to 100 wholesale depots, and its range included over 170 products. But in time, one of Mykolaiv’s best-known perfume producers went bankrupt and was liquidated.
Today, the former factory buildings, now put to other uses, along with old photographs, perfume bottles and cosmetic packaging kept by collectors, are reminders of the factory’s past glory. For many Mykolaiv residents, “Scarlet Sails” remains part of their memories of youth.
From a small factory to a major enterprise
The enterprise’s history began in 1927, when the Astra perfume and cosmetics factory was established on the basis of a chemical and pharmaceutical laboratory that had existed in Mykolaiv since before the revolution.
According to records from the State Archives of Mykolaiv Region, by the late 1930s the factory was producing more than 80 products. These included perfumes, colognes, toilet water, soap, tooth powder, face powder, lipstick, creams and shampoos.
During World War II, the factory was evacuated to the city of Kinel, where munitions were produced at a local plant. In occupied Mykolaiv, its production buildings at 22 former Karl Marx Street were completely destroyed, while its equipment was either destroyed or taken away.
After the city was liberated, the enterprise had to be rebuilt almost from scratch. In 1944, it was decided to establish perfume production on the grounds of a glass factory at 106 Mala Morska Street.
Thus, the Mykolaiv Glass and Perfume Factory was established. Cosmetics and glass packaging production began first, and in 1945 the factory started expanding its production facilities.
In 1947, the enterprise was renamed the Mykolaiv Perfume and Glass Combine.
Perfumes, creams and shampoos—even for seawater
In 1950, the combine produced around 40 varieties of floral cologne and 20 types of perfume. It also made face powder, creams, petroleum jelly, tooth powder, lipstick and rouge.
The enterprise gradually adopted new technologies. In 1959, an imported production line for tubes used for creams and toothpastes began operating.
In the years that followed, the product range grew to include the nourishing vitamin-enriched creams “Gentle” and “Moonlit,” “Cucumber” cream and lotion, made with fresh cucumber juice, as well as special shampoos for washing hair in hard water and even seawater.
In 1962, the enterprise began producing the “Scarlet Sails” gift set. It appeared before the combine itself adopted that name.
It was not until July 1965 that the enterprise was officially renamed “Scarlet Sails.” Its products would later become known far beyond Mykolaiv Region.
Fragrances awarded the Quality Mark
Perfumes brought the combine particular popularity. They were sold in glass bottles, including gift packaging.
In 1975, four varieties of Mykolaiv perfume received the state Quality Mark:
- “Rosinka”;
- “You Are the Most Beautiful”;
- “Night”;
- “Brigantine.”
Other well-known names included “Scheherazade” and “Nika,” as well as the gift sets “Mykolaiv Souvenir,” “Spring Tale” and “Scarlet Sails.”
It was not just the fragrances that were popular. Customers knew the “Nadezhda,” “Tenderness” and “Scarlet Sails” creams, shampoos, compact face powder and “Zheme” cream-powder.
Production continued to expand. According to archival records, in 1970 the combine produced more than 310,000 cosmetic products a day, up to 140,000 of them in tubes.
More than 1,700 people worked at the enterprise. The combine included perfume, cosmetics, soap-making, glass and other production facilities.
In 1980, the enterprise was renamed the Mykolaiv Perfume and Cosmetics Combine “Scarlet Sails.”
By 1987, its product range exceeded 170 items, and its products were shipped to 100 wholesale depots throughout the USSR.
A cream that could supposedly get you a hotel room
In the conditions of Soviet-era shortages, quality cosmetics were not only a means of personal care but also a much-desired gift.
An intriguing piece of local lore is associated with the popularity of the Mykolaiv combine: supposedly, a tube of hand cream brought from Mykolaiv could help someone get a room at a hotel in the capital, even when guests were told that no rooms were available.
This story has been mentioned in articles about “Scarlet Sails.” However, there is no documentary evidence to confirm such incidents, so it remains a tale reflecting people’s attitude toward scarce cosmetics.
How a combine known across the Union went bankrupt
The first serious difficulties emerged in the late 1980s. The combine faced disruptions in the supply of raw materials, glass bottles and components.
After the collapse of the USSR, the situation deteriorated sharply. In 1991–1993, business ties with suppliers were disrupted, prices rose rapidly, and the enterprise lacked the funds to purchase the materials it needed.
Raw-material shortages forced the enterprise to cut back on cosmetics and perfume production. In 1993, for example, production of tubes was halted due to a lack of aluminum blanks, affecting the output of toothpaste, creams and other products.
The combine tried to adapt to the new conditions: it modernized its equipment, looked for suppliers and developed new products. However, its economic problems continued to mount.
The enterprise eventually changed ownership, and financial difficulties led to bankruptcy proceedings.
According to case file No. 14/352/06, bankruptcy proceedings were initiated on October 2, 2006. The reason was the enterprise’s inability to repay tax debts exceeding 1.84 million hryvnias.
In June 2007, the court approved the register of creditors’ claims, totaling more than 5.9 million hryvnias.
On August 15, 2007, the Commercial Court of Mykolaiv Region declared the “Scarlet Sails” combine bankrupt and opened liquidation proceedings.
The court issued its final ruling on July 10, 2008. It approved the liquidation balance sheet and ordered the enterprise’s liquidation. On July 15, 2008, according to the Unified State Register, the legal entity was officially dissolved.
This brought to an end the history of a major perfume and cosmetics combine that had operated for more than 80 years, dating back to the founding of the Astra factory.
Today, bottles of “Rosinka,” “Night,” “Brigantine” and other perfumes from the combine have become collectors’ items. For many residents of Mykolaiv, they still evoke memories of an enterprise whose cosmetics were once sold throughout the Soviet Union.
We wrote earlier:
- A loan for Ocean, court battles over the estuary, and a rocket near a house: October 10 in Mykolaiv’s history
- The Mykolaiv Alumina Plant port, repression in Shyroka Balka and fresh water: what made October 7 memorable in Mykolaiv
- From an aircraft carrier to a trolleybus: what made October 4 memorable in Mykolaiv
- In 1918, the shipyard lacked money; in 2012, shipbuilders lacked their wages: November 2 in Mykolaiv
- A newspaper, shipbuilders, a cruiser and a “three-day stint” at Ocean, shelling of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant: a very Mykolaiv October 1
