Culture: 426 posts

One of the first famous female perfumers, Germaine Cellier (1909-1976) was a creator ahead of her time, relying on short formulas to paint dazzling abstractions and treating notes as colors, much like a painter would. She was not afraid to use a large quantity of the aggressive aroma-chemical isobutyl quinoline in creating of the leather accord for Robert Piquet Bandit or 8% of galbanum for infusing Balmain Vent Vert with a fierce verdancy. She was also responsible for Robert Piguet Fracas (1948), Balmain Jolie Madame (1953), Balmain Monsieur Balmain (1964), and Nina Ricci Coeur-Joie (1946).

It is said that she was a striking woman—elegant, tall, thin, blond, blue-eyed. She had a sharp sense of humor and was full of vitality. She posed for André Derain and counted other famous painters and sculptors among her friends. …

Continue reading →

Estée Lauder and her husband Joseph started a business in 1946 to market her uncle’s skincare preparations. Lauder launched her first fragrance Youth Dew in 1953 (created by perfumer Josephine Catapano), cleverly marketing it as bath oil. Although at the time perfume was considered a luxury item reserved for special occasions, bath oil could be applied every night. In 1964, Lauder introduced her first masculine fragrance, Aramis, which like Youth Dew has become an enormous success.

Photo: Estée Lauder, read more on osmoz.com.

Guild of Glovers was among the most important guilds, and in 1268 it was granted a status of corporation in Paris. Due to the fact that tanning process made use of malodorous nitrogenous wastes, gloves and leather goods had to be scented. Therefore, it would be fair to say that glove-making was an important starting point for the inception of perfumery in France, and particularly in Grasse. “In March of 1673, Colbert’s Ordinance of Commerce put the industry of gantiers-poudriers-parfumeurs on a more stable footing as part of the Six Corps, the six most powerful business societies of the day, with priviledged access to products from overseas” (156).

Leather goods would remain an important part of the luxury industry, however in the 1760s the government introduced high imposts on hides, which crushed the revenues of the gantier-parfumeurs, the glove-making associations. Thus, Grasse retained its prominence in perfumery to this day, since its rival Montpellier had invested much more in glove-making aspect of perfume industry and could not survive the industry collapse.

Reference: Morris, Edwin T. 1984. Fragrance: The Story of Perfume from Cleopatra to Chanel. E.T. Morris and Co., New York.

What are your favorite American fragrance classics?

The first American pharmacy opened in 1729 in Philadelphia, where drugs and perfumes could be purchased. After several ownership successions, the pharmacy ended up in the hands of Hazard, Caswell and Massey. Thus, Caswell-Massey can rightfully claim to be the oldest pharmacy in the United States. Many others soon followed.

Elizabeth Arden, originally Florence Graham, opened up her beauty shop in 1910, creating Blue Grass to commemorate her favorite Virginia retreat.

Charles Revson, a son of a Russian immigrant, along with his brother Joseph and a chemist, Charles Lachman—the “L” in the company name, founded Revlon in 1932. Their first fragrance Norell, named after the designer Norman Norell, debuted in 1968.  …

Continue reading →

Isabelle Doyen says that she became a perfumer through a convergence of circumstances. At the age of 4, she asked herself how a pear can smell of rose and a rose smell of pear. She found this mystery dizzying. She was intrigued by the notion of perfume and she thought that it was a very unique pursuit. Now, it has been 18 years, since she has been practicing the art of perfumery.

She created the following fragrances for Annick Goutal: Ce Soir Ou Jamais, Duel, Eau du Fier, Eau du Sud, Gardenia Passion, Grand Amour, Les Nuits d’ Hadrien, Mandragore, Petite Cherie, Sables, Vanille Exquise, and Songes, to be released in 2006. Her other fragrance is Eau du Prince Jardinier by Prince Jardinier.