[2] In order to close the gap between Dior's sales on both sides of the Atlantic, the company's president Maurice Roger commissioned a blockbuster fragrance that would dominate the American market.
[2] Dior developed a savvy marketing strategy based on the controversial name of Yves Saint Laurent's top-selling fragrance, Opium.
[2] It was a scent unlike any other with notes of wild berries, sandalwood, musk, jasmine, orange blossom, coriander, vetiver, pepper, cedar, cinnamon, rosewood, plum, heliotrope, tuberose, vanilla, rose de mai absolute, cistus labdanum and opopanax.
[4][2] The color of the apple shaped bottle is a deep shade of amethyst, and the neck is gold with a crystal stopper.
[3] In 1994, Flechier created a follow-up fragrance called Tendre Poison which he designed for a more youthful demographic.
[9] Most recently French actor Mélanie Laurent appeared in a commercial directed by David Lynch.
[10] Pure Poison was created by Carlos Benaim, Dominique Ropion and Olivier Polge in 2004.
[11][12] In 2006, Dior released Pure Poison Elixir, an updated version of the fragrance, in a spray bulb mother of pearl bottle.