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A Brief History of Guerlain Perfumes

Guerlain is a French perfumer. The brand was created in Paris, Rue de Rivoli to be exact, in 1828 by Pierre François Pascal Guerlain. It stayed in the Guerlain family for over one hundred and fifty years. Then, in 1994, It was bought by the French group LVMH which possesses Louis Vuitton among other brands.

Some of Guerlain’s most famous perfumes are Shalimar, Mitsouko, Guerlinade and more recently La Petite Robe Noire.

History of the brand

During its 180 years of existence, Guerlain has had five famous perfumers. They all brought their singularities to the brand, making the brand what it is today.

Pierre Francois- Pascal Guerlain, The founder.

Pierre François-Pascal

ÌýThe history of the brand starts with this man. He opened his first shop in Paris in 1828, in the rue de Rivoli. He used to personalize each perfume according to his different clients.

In the 1830s, people liked perfumes with flowery and fresh scents. Pierre François-Pascal followed the trend while adding his personal touch to it. In 1840, he moved to rue de la Paix, a very trendy area at the time. Two years later, in 1842, Guerlain is the official supplier of the European court. Queen Victoria, the Hungarian queen as well as the Russian Emperor have awarded Guerlain with this title.

Mr. Guerlain spent the rest of his life helping his two sons Aimé and Gabriel continue creating perfumes for the brand. When he died in 1864, his eldest son Aimé took over the creative department and his younger son Gabriel was in charge of management.

´¡¾±³¾Ã©±ð Guerlain: the trend-setter

´¡¾±³¾Ã©±ð

At the time ´¡¾±³¾Ã©±ð Guerlain took over as head of Guerlain, there was a new trend among the artistic world. Artists were drowned by exotic places, attracted by travels. It inspired ´¡¾±³¾Ã©±ð Guerlain and led him to his first creations: Fleur d’Italie in 1884, Skin in 1885 and Rococo in 1887.

In 1889, he created Jicky. This one was completely unconventional at the time. The perfume was originally made for women but as the scent was not appreciated by them, it ended up being used by men. It was also original in the sense that it was the first ever perfume to use synthetic components. In memory of his father, Gabriel Guerlain chose to design the cork in the shape of the ones you find on champagne bottles. After Jicky, he created Excellence in 1890, Belle France and Cipricime in 1892 and Cologne du Coq in 1894.

Jacques Guerlain: The Prodigy

Jacques

ÌýJacques was the son of Gabriel. He took over as head of creation following ´¡¾±³¾Ã©±ð Guerlain. He was a precocious child: by the age of sixteen, he had already created his first perfume named Ambre.

He was always seeking new ideas and used to develop his imagination with all kinds of the artistic universe like drawings, music, literature, or paintings. This way, he created Après l’Ondée in 1906. He used to say that this perfume was made to transport you into the universe of Impressionism.

One night, in 1912, he even recreated a special hour with L’Heure Bleue. The scents reminded him of his favorite time of the day: « At dusk, when the sun is out and night is slowly falling. The last hour when men are in harmony with the world of light ». Several will follow like Mitsouko in 1919 and Vol de Nuit in 1933.

Jacques was very interested at the time by the new synthetic molecules that were coming out in the 1920s. In 1925, at the occasion of the « art décoratifs » exhibition in Paris, a brand new perfume with very oriental scents was brought to life. Shalimar. The creation of this perfume was made possible thanks to the inclusion of the molecule « ethyl-vanillin » that intensifies the natural fragrance of vanilla. Legend has it that Jacques Guerlain would have poured a few drops of synthetic vanilla into the perfume Jicky « just to try it out » and ended up creating Shalimar. Shalimar is the name of the Srinagar Garden that ShahÌý Jahan created in honor of his late wife.

Victims of bombing during the Second World War, Guerlain’s factories have stayed quiet for several years. After the Liberation of Paris in 1944, American soldiers were queuing in front of the Champs ELysées’ store with the will to offer their fiancée a little glimpse of Paris.

Jean-Paul Guerlain, the aesthete

Jean-Paul

In 1979, Jean-Paul Guerlain was so fascinated by Catherine Deneuve’s beauty that he chose to dedicate his new perfume Nahema to her. Then, dedicated to all women this time, he created Chamade in 1969 and l’Eau de Guerlain in 1974.

Samsara is created in 1989, it is an audacious creation with strong scents of sandalwood. The red bottle is created by the sculptor Robert Granai, it has the shape of a Khmer dancer from the Guimet Museum in Paris. It is said that it was this creation that allowed Jean-Paul Guerlain to win his lover’s heart. He had met her at a horse show, horse riding being another one of his passion. Fun fact, it was to honor riders wearing red vests that he created « Habit Rouge » in 1965.

In 2002, Jean-Paul Guerlain decided to leave Guerlain, it was the first since its creation that the company was run by someone outside the family.

Thierry Wasser, The new generation

Thierry

ÌýPerfumes were now created under the direction of a company named Symrise and Sylvaine Delacourt was nominated as the head of creation. In September 2003: launch of the perfume L’Instant de Guerlain created by Maurice Roussel. A year after, the masculine version is commercialized. In 2007, Thierry Wasser is named Artistic Director. It was him (with the help of Delphine Jelk) that launched La Petite Robe Noire that came out first as a limited edition. It was such a success that it became a regular of the brand in 2012. The perfume is based on scents of black cherry and bergamot orange. Its name, which literally means « the little black dress » is a tribute to Coco Channel’s creation.

La Maison Guerlain

The House of Guerlain

DESIGN YOUR PRIVATE PARIS TOUR NOW Ìý »

ÌýIf you are going to Paris and are interested in the brand, La Maison Guerlain is the place to go to! Located number 68 on the very famous Champs ELysées avenue, this place allows you to experiment with the real French Art de Vivre.

You can attend a fragrance workshop led by a fragrance expert from the House of Guerlain. The course lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes during which you will discover the creative process of a Guerlain perfume. You will also be given the possibility to create your very own fragrance.

It takes place only once a month and costs 180 euros per person (including lunch) and 35euros for children.