Fragrance Terms

Amazing thread for terms that I don't know. Thank you. The best sandalwood perfumes I have come from Indian perfumeries. This thread is referring mostly to Western perfumeries or Western terms that I am not familiar with, I buy only natural perfumes from the East. The only western perfumes I have are Castle Forbes with real Neroli and oakmoss and some Indy houses. Back to sandalwood. My very best sandalwood perfumes (not oils, I have some Attars too) are:
1. Santa Maria - extrait de perfume 42% real Mysore Sandalwood that you can buy here: 
https://showroom.dotpe.in/startuparomas3...a---100-ml
Startup Aromas is maybe my favourite Indian house with only natural perfumes and Attars. Their incense is outstanding too. 
2. Red sandalwood and Iranian saffron extrait de perfume from here:
https://maisondefouzdar.com/products/santal-safran/
Thank you again for this amazing thread.

Thanks for the kind words and the information.

Cumin scent like a hooker eating a burrito!!   I’d have to ask the guy how he knows that particular scent ? 

Seriously, this thread is so chock full of fascinating information it’s truly one of the jewels of the DFS forum. Thanks for all the work you put into this thread.

Cumin scent like a hooker eating a burrito!!   I’d have to ask the guy how he knows that particular scent ? 

Seriously, this thread is so chock full of fascinating information it’s truly one of the jewels of the DFS forum. Thanks for all the work you put into this thread.

You're quite welcome. I enjoy doing it.

Cypress

Cypress is the name of a group of coniferous trees or shrubs in the family Cupressaceae. as well as other plants with the word as part of their common names. The family includes many genera, including junipers and redwoods, with possibly as many as 140 total species. It is an ancient family of trees, having been growing more than 200 million years ago on the supercontinent Pangaea. The separation of that supercontinent beginning around 150 million years ago isolated populations of the original cypresses, putting them on different evolutionary paths. The northern half, Laurasia, contained what would become North American, Greenland, Europe, and much of Asia; while the southern half, Gondwana, would later become South America, Africa, Indian, Australia, and Antarctica. By looking at fossil evidence and at the DNA of various species of cypress, researchers have been able to reconstruct timelines for their evolution. Living members of the Cupressoideae subfamily occur mainly in the former Laurasian continents, while those of the Callitroideae subfamily are found on remnants of Gondwana. The cypress family is the first to give such a detailed picture of the break-up of Pangaea. Says Susanne Renner, biologist and Director of the Munich Botanic Garden, "Over the past 15 years, these molecular methods, in combination with new fossil finds, have revolutionized the study of biogeography."


The word cypress is derived from Old French cipres, which was imported from Latin cypressus, the latinization of the Greek κυπάρισσος (kyparissos). This Greek word was the name of a mythical young man loved by the god Apollo. The young man accidentally killed his beloved pet deer; and to ease his pain, Apollo transformed him into a plant. This association with mourning and eternal life continued in Roman times and up to the present, partially because the wood is almost rot-proof and because of the scent's incense tone. Cypress roots planted in cemeteries grow straight into the ground, not damaging nearby burials. In past centuries, a solitary tree would be planted in a cemetery for a deceased child, and two trees would be planted for a couple. The French folk term 'dormir sous un cypres' (to sleep under a cypress), originating from this, means to be dead and buried.


Most cypresses are trees with evergreen foliage and acorn-like seed cones and pollen cones. They usually grow to 5-40m (16-131ft) tall but can reach a height of 116m (381ft). The bark of mature trees is orange- to red-brown and stringy, often flaking or peeling in vertical strips. On young plants, the leaves are needle-like, becoming small and scale-like on some mature plants and persisting for 3-5 years. Some varieties have needles that turn brown and fall off each autumn, replaced by new green needles in the spring. Many of the species are adapted to forest fires, retaining their seeds for years in closed cones until the parent trees are killed by fire, which releases the seeds to colonize the bare, burned ground.


Cypresses are widely distributed and found now on all continents except Antarctica, but they grow mainly in northern temperate regions, especially in eastern Mediterranean countries. Juniperus indica grows as high as 5200m (17000ft) in altitude in Tibet, the highest of any woody plant. Cypress trees are rare in deserts, with only a few species able to tolerate severe drought. Despite their wide overall distribution, many are endangered species. The world's largest (Sequoiadendron giganteum) and tallest (Sequoia sempervirens) trees belong to the Cupressaceae family, as do six of the ten longest-living tree species. Extensive cultivation of cypresses has led to a wide variety of forms, sizes, and colors.


Most commercial production of cypress occurs in southern France, the Catalonia and the Murcia regions of Spain, Morocco, and Corsica.


Use in Perfumery

Trees of the family contain a large number of aromatic extractives, especially terpenes and terpenoids, both of which have strong odors. The heartwood, bark, and leaves are richest in terpenes. The overall smell of cypress is said to resemble those of cedar and pine, but it differs from them in having a sweeter, more balsamic, and fresher undertone that is less reminiscent of winter.

Cypress essential oil is obtained mainly from needles and twigs by water distillation and is clear or slightly yellow to pale olive-greenish in color. Around 70-80kg (154-176lbs) of foliage yields 1kg (2.2lbs) of oil. Commercial distillation is done mainly in southern France. The distilled oil is 'topped off' (partially deterpenated) under vacuum improve the aroma. Cypress oil comes primarily from C. sempervirens (Mediterranean Cypress), but the oil often is adulterated by inclusion of material from other species, especially in countries other than France, and various lots of commercial oil display a wide range of quality. The oil also is sometimes tainted by addition of pinene, camphene, or juniper oil. An essential oil distilled exclusively from cypress cones is also produced, but only on demand by special order.


The oil or its absolute is used mainly for masculine compositions. In the aromatic/woody/mossy perfume families, it has a dry, spicy, herbaceous, resinous, slightly lemony, somewhat woody scent that is said to provide a sense of boldness and character. It is frequently used in combination sandalwood and with pine, which gives a blend of green sharpness and a grounding earthy feeling. Cypress aroma is very durable and long-lasting (up to 30 hours), and it is used with lavender, mandarin, sage, or chamomile to make bases, but it also appears frequently in top and middle notes. It blends very well with black pepper, ginger, tea tree, geranium, ylang-ylang, labdanum, clary sage, jasmine, musk, and citrus notes. Cypress is used occasionally as a modifier in fougeres, chypres, and modern amber aldehyde products.

Spanish cypress oils from Catalonia are said to have a similar odor profile to those of French cypresses, their higher cedrol content giving a woodier character; oils from the Murcia area are lower in cedrol and therefore more pine-like.

The Acqua di Parma perfume house particularly likes to use cypress, such as in its Blu Mediterraneo Cipresso. The scent appears as a base note in Cerruti 1881, Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Wood, Armani Code Ultimate, and Tom Ford Bois Marocain, and it shines as a somewhat lighter note in CK One Summer 2014. In Lalique Encre Noire it adds harmony and refinement to the vetiver.


Other Uses

The first physical evidence of the use of cypress dates to ancient Egyptian culture, where it was used in making mummy chests. In ancient Greece it was used to make urns in which the ashes of fallen soldiers were kept, and Plato wrote upon cypress boards.


J. bermudiana was used in Bermuda's shipbuilding industry and has been used in building houses and making furniture. Many of the species are major timber sources, and several are important in horticulture. Bald cypress 'knees' are sold as tourist knick-knacks and are made into lamps and folk art at Big Cypress National Preserve in Florida. Several species are country national or state trees. Baton Rouge ('red stick'), Louisiana was named after the red wood of J. virginiana. Calocedrus decurrens is the main wood used to make wooden pencils and is used for furniture. Thuja leaves were used by Native Americans and early European explorers in North America as a cure for scurvy, and essential oil was extracted from Fokienia (Fujian cypress) roots for use in medicine.

Cypress trees are used throughout Provence to line roads, outline fields, and decorate cemeteries and houses. They protect crops from the fierce winds that blow through the area. The cypress shape has long been a symbol of hospitality, with one tree on a sign indicating that a traveler could obtain lodging, and two trees meaning that they could also get food and drink.


In traditional folk medicine, cypress essential oil has been used to regulate blood circulation, to stop bleeding, to treat inflammation and infections, and for inhalation to improve breathing. It has been used for treating dysmenorrhea, water retention, menopause, rheumatism, and oily skin. The oil has appeared in aromatherapy for millennia for purifying and calming the mind in stressful situations, and it has been used as an insect repellant.

Cypress has been included for centuries in incense, especially in Nepalese and Tibetan civilizations.

Masculine fragrances with significant cypress notes include:

Abercrombie & Fitch 1892 Yellow, A&F Hempstead
Acqua di Parma Blu Mediterraneo Cipresso
Anglia Duncan
Animale Temptation
Armand Basi l'Eau
Armani Code Ultimate
Atelier Flou Katana
Atelier Segall & Barutti Cipreste Quintessence
Avon 300km/h, Avon Elite Gentleman Untailored, Avon Elite Gentleman Weekend
Bath & Body Works Cypress, B&B Works Ocean
Blöke Blake, Blöke Richard
Bvlgari Wood Essence
Calvin Klein CK One Summer 2014
Carven pour Homme
Castle Forbes Vetiver
Centurion Royal Chariot
Cerruti 1881
Chanel Allure Homme Sport Eau Extreme
Clive Christian XXI Art Deco Cypress
Comme des Garcons Hinoki, CdG Wonderwood
Creed Cypres Musc
Cremo Blue Cedar & Cypress
Crown Buckingham
Diesel Spirit of the Brave
Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue Discover Vulcano
DS & Durga J. Crew Homesteaders, DS&D Mississippi Medicine
Dueto Bijou Amber
Dzintard Mits 4
Esika Cardigan
Fragonard Secret Absolu
Gant Adventure
Gucci pour Homme, Gucci Guilty, Gucci Rush
I Coloniali Woody & Spicy
Issey Miyake l'Eau Bleue d'Issey, IM l'Eau d'Issey
Jack Black Silver Mark
Jivago Millennium Hope
Lalique Encre Noire
Lanvin Oxygene
M. Micallef Royal Vintage
Marc Joseph Killer
Marks & Spencer Infinite
Mazhu Kozhu Tourmaline
Nina's Nature Wolf
O Boticario Yang
l'Occitane Eau des Baux, l'Occitane Olivier Onde
Oriflame Amazonia
Proraso Cypress & Vetiver
Renato Balestra Caesar
Saint Hilaire Oud Ultime
Thierry Mugler A*Men Pure Wood
Tom Ford Bois Marocain
Tommy Hilfiger Tropics
Yves Rocher Cypres et Pamplemousse

Opoponax

Bisabol, usually given the commercial name opoponax (but also known as sweet myrrh or bisabol myrrh), is a natural resin from several Commiphora genus tree species (but primarily C. guidottii) in the family Burseraceae, tall perennial shrubs that are native to Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Arabia. They are unrelated to species of the named Opopanax genus. The resin is present within all of the plant tissue, but mainly beneath the bark. The shrub or tree usually grows up to 1-3m in height and has a green or brown peeling bark and branching stems. Large leaves appear in groups of 3 to 7 and are oval and serrated when mature. The clustered flowers are cream-colored or yellow. A rounded fruit is produced, around 1cm in diameter and containing a single seed stone. Though edible, the plant has a dominant bitter and acrid taste.


The name opoponax (or sometimes spelled opoponox or opopanax) was misapplied early in the 20th century to the gum resin bisabol used in perfumery, and it has persisted since then. The word itself comes from the Latin opo-panax, derived from Hellenistic Greek ὀποπάναξ (opopánax) that is thought to have meant 'medicinal vegetable juice.'


Southern Somalia, and to a lesser extent Ethiopia, are the primary current sources of the commercial resin. It has been a major export product of Somalia since ancient times. There it is also known as hagar or hagar ad, and it is sometimes sold under the name perfumed bdellium. Smaller crops are also grown in France, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, but some connoisseurs believe that opoponax grown in cooler climates is lower in quality than the crops of warmer areas. Most of the resin is shipped to the UK for distillation.


Some bisabol resin appears as a natural exudate and can be collected by scraping; but most harvesting is done through tapping of the trees, by making incisions in the bark. A gum seeps out of these wounds and solidifies into tear-shaped brown lumps the size of a walnut. These are collected and sun-dried. The resin is usually dark red in color but can be dark yellow or brown. Resinoid, absolute, and concrete are prepared from the gum resin by solvent extraction. Steam distillation of the resinoid produces the essential oil, which is usually pale yellow or olive in color. The oil is relatively thick and is insoluble in water. The resinoid and oil are both used in perfumery.


Opoponax, like myrrh and frankincense, has been a component of incense and perfumes at least since Biblical times, when King Solomon praised it as "the noblest of all incense gums." The ancient also Romans used it as incense in temples. In the modern era, known often in perfumery as bisabolene, it has been used especially in oriental fragrances to impart woody, balsamic notes, as well as in chypre compositions as a top note. (The absolute is used more often as a base note.) It can give an intriguing, dark tone to floral fragrances, especially those with jasmine and rose.

It has an intensely sweet, spicy, warm, honey-like aroma of medium strength. The scent difference between opoponax and myrrh is that opoponax has a warmer, smokier, lightly animalic 'vegetable-soup-like' smell, while myrrh has more of a fresh, medicinal sharpness. Opoponax is said to bring to mind the smoldering embers of a fireplace, as opposed to myrrh making one think of damp stones. Opoponax has been called joyful, while myrrh is somber; opoponax is lighter and less pungent and earthy than myrrh. Opoponax has been described as smelling of aged scotch, mahogany shavings, or bitter caramel, but also as having velvety and powdery qualities and sometimes a faint background resemblance to celery, angelica, or lovage. It is classified in perfumery in the same woody oriental family as sandalwood.

The dense and complicated opoponax aroma presents a challenge to perfumers, who must use it carefully. If not balanced perfectly, it can 'show up' too strongly as a perfume ages. It appears most often in middle or base notes; and like most oils derived from resin, it works as a fixative. Often it is used not in its pure form, but rather as part of an 'opponax base' (generally based on the 19th century perfume Bouquet Opoponax by Septimus Piesse), which also usually includes bright notes like lavender, bergamot, and lemon, and sometimes notes from sandalwood and vanilla.

Opoponax often is combined with amber, and it also blends well with clary sage, coriander, labdanum, bergamot, neroli, mimosa, and patchouli. It works well in many fragrances but appears more often in masculine ones, especially those with woody, herbal, floral, or citrus notes. Historically, it is known especially for giving a velvety, sensual impression to Guerlain's classic Shalimar and to Must de Cartier. It also has given a distinctive animalic, powdery softness to Yves St. Laurent Opium and Christian Dior Poison.

Opoponax also has been used as a flavoring agent in liquors and as a medication. Its extracts have been used in folk medicine to treat wounds, inflammation, tumors, spasms, GI infections, asthma and other respiratory ailments, and nerve problems, and the herb has been used to calm victims of hysteria and hypochondria. Medicinal use of opoponax has fallen out of favor for the most part in modern times.

The essential oil has been used in different cultures for cleansing, protecting against negative thoughts, strengthening intuition and creativity, and heightening of spirituality. For ritual use, the resin is typically sold in dried, red-brown chunks or as loose granules. In aromatherapy, opoponax oil or resin smoke been used, along with myrrh and frankincense, to ease anxiety; and it is employed in spas worldwide for various treatments and procedures. Often the oil used for aromatherapy is bisabol oil from the flowers. In these settings and in religious and folk medicine use, it often is combined with basil, star anise, cloves, and cassia.


Commiphora species are also popular with those growing decorative bonsai plants.


Men's fragrances with significant opoponax include:

Amouage Interlude Man, Amouage Jubilation XXV
Burberry London
Chanel pour Monsieur Concentree
Dsquared Wild
Elizabeth Arden Sandalwood
Fendi Fan di Fendi Assoluto
Giorgio Armani Attitude
Jacques Bogart De Viris
John Varvatos Oud
Laura Biagiotti Due Uomo
Le Galion Special
Moresque White Duke
Natura Essencial Unico
O Boticario Dimitri Redvolution
Princesse Marina de Bourbon Le Prince in Fire
Ralph Lauren Polo Red
Roja 51
Santa Maria Novella Opoponax
Smell Bent Desperado
Tom Ford Noir

There are many unisex products with opoponax. Some of the most popular are:

Acqua di Parma Note di Colonia IV
Bois 1920 Oro
Bond No. 9 Harrods Amber, Bond No. 9 New York Amber
Byredo Slow Dance
Calvin Klein CK Be We Are One
Carthusia Liegea
Chopard Bois Nomades
Diptyque Eau Lente
Dolce & Gabbana Velvet Amber Skin
D.S. & Durga Bleeding Heart Patchouli, DSD Amber Teutonic
Giorgio Armani Prive Jawhara Oriental
Guerlain Iris Torrefie
Houbigant Mon Boudoir
Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir
Les Nereides Opoponax
Mona di Orio Cuir
Prada Infusion de Mandarine
Xerjoff Amber Star, Xerjoff Star Musk, Xerjoff XJ 1861 Ecas

Early Commercial Perfumes - Part 1

I started researching the history of early fragrances and found that both men and women used many of the same fragrances, with Westen gender-scent stereotypes only originating late in the 19th century. It was clear from what I read that many of the perfumes that I mention below were purchased and used by both sexes, so I have not tried to categorize them in that way. Following some of the fragrance names is the phrase 'and various others,' which means that there were at least 3 others perfumes by the same house released that year.

I selected the 1880 cutoff date for my 'early' perfume list somewhat arbitrarily but with some rationale. First, for unknown reasons (but possibly related to the Industrial Revolution), there was an explosion of perfumes actually marketed in the year 1880; and since I was discovering that this topic already was going to require a lot of work, trying to include 1880 and thereafter would have been simply too much to do. Second, online sources often did not know the exact release date, so they arbitrarily gave the year of 1880 for a huge number of products that actually were created in some other year of the following decade. They did that for other years ending in 0 or 5 also, but to a lesser extent.

So here is the list, as best I could compile it, with brief historical discussions of the houses that created or produced the perfumes. No doubt I neglected to list some fragrances and made a few factual errors.


Fragrances 1370-1878

1370 Eau de la Reine de Hongrie (unknown brand)

1381 Santa Maria Novella Acqua di Rose

1390 Profumi di Capri Carthusia Fiori di Capri

1533 Santa Maria Novella Acqua della Regina (Acqua di SM Novella)*
        Santa Maria Novella Acqua di Colonia*

1668 Vita Citral Eau de Nice (?)

1669 Crown Maréchale

1689 Simon Barbe Orangerie du Roy

1690 Simon Barbe Aqua Angeli

1695 Giovanni Paolo Aqua Mirabilis

1700 Eau de Carmes (multiple European producers)
        Eau de la Reine de Hongrie (multiple producers)
        Eau de Mélisse de Carmes (multiple producers)

1709 Farina Gegenüber Eau de Cologne Original (aka Farina 1709)

1714 Jean-Marie Farina Kölnisch Wasser

1730 Floris Night Scented Jasmine

1750 Floris Jasmine
        Potter & Moore Mitcham Lavender

1760 Creed Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse

1765 Floris Lily of the Valley
        Floris Zinnia

1768 Bayleys Eau de Cologne Imperiale Russe

1770 Yardley Old English Lavender

1774 Michel Adam (later L.T. Piver) Eau de Cologne à la Reine des Fleurs

1780 Claude Mottet Eau de Fleurs d'Oranger
        Creed Royal English Lavender
        Caswell-Massey Cologne No. 1

1781 Creed Royal English Leather

1786 Floris Stephanotis

1789 Caswell-Massey Cologne No. 6*

1790 Jean-Louis Fargeon Sillage de la Reine

1792 Muelhens 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser (4711 Original)  (1792)*

1795 Rancé Le Vainquer (and various others)
        Jean-Marie Farina 4711

1798 Lubin Eau de Lubin
        J.G. Mouson & Co. Mouson

1799 Atkinson Gold Medal (English Lavender)

1800 J.H. Fargeon Eau de Cologne
        Rancé Empire
        Camus Femmes de France
        Castellane Parfums de Versailles
        D.R. Harris Arlington

1806 Jean-Marie Farina Extra Vieille (possibly 1772)
        Jean-Marie Farina Eau de Cologne Royale
        Floris Night Scented Jasmine
        Floris Limes (1832?)

1807 Houbigant Josephine

1808 Murray & Lanman (now Lanman & Kemp) Florida Water*
        Lubin Eau de Toilette

1810 Maison Violet Josephine

1812 Père et Fils Laugier Eau de Cologne

1815 Truefitt & Hill Freshman

1816 Laugier Pere et Fils Eau d'Ispahan

1818 Joseph-Alfred Marceau Pearl White

1820 Rancé Eau Superbe

1821 Floris Lavender

1822 E. Coudray Bouquet des Souverains (and various others)
        Rancé Eau de Noblesse

1824 Père et Fils Laugier Eau de Paris (and various others)

1825 Martin Friedsey Drey Alliirten=Wasser

1826 Père et Fils Laugier Eau de Lavande Royale (and various others)

1828 Guerlain Bouquet de Roi d'Angleterre (and various others)
        Santa Maria Novella Garofano
        Santa Maria Novella Marescialia
        Santa Maria Novella Potpourri

1830 Guerlain Eau de Cologne Impériale (and various others)
        J.B. Filz Wiener Lieblingswasser

1831 J.B. Filz Echt Pariser Damen-Conservations-Wasser

1832 Floris Limes
        Roger & Gallet Fugue

1834 Guerlain Eau de Camélia et Vétiver (and various others)

1835 Jules Hauel Philocomel
        Floris Wild Hyacinth
        Marcus Spurway Eau de Roses

1837 Atkinsons Bouquet de la Reine Adelaide (and various others)
        Luce of Jersey Eau de Cologne Britannica
        Treu & Nuglisch Doppeltes Krönungswasser (Double Coronation Water)

1840 Caswell-Massey Jockey Club*
        John Gosnell Prince Albert's Bouquet
        Guerlain Bouquet Cratorisky (and various others)
        Philippe Larbalestier Esprit de Lavanda (and various others)

1842 Rallet Eau de Cologne Russe

1843 Bourbon French Parfums Kus Kus*

1844 Père et Fils Laugier Bouquet de la Reine
        Père et Fils Laugier Jockey Club (and various others)
        John Gosnell Prince of Wales' Bouquet (and various others)

1845 Creed Fleurs de Bulgarie
        Creed Royal Water
        Leconte Ninon
        Maurice Levy Phénomenal
        Rimmel Jasmin

1846 Certosa de Pavia Ciclamino (and various others)

1848 Molinard Eaux de Fleurs
        Lubin Citronella Rose (and various others)
        Edouard Pinaud Lilas de France
        Certosa di Pavia Muguetto

1849 Molinard Eau de Cologne

1850 Creed Santal Impérial
        Jules Hauel À La Rose
        Jules Hauel Heliotrope Blanc
        Goet & Rifflard Bouquets (various)
        Lubin Eau Distille de Fleurs d'Oranger (and various others)
        Edouard Pinaud Bouquet d'Isly et Mogador
        Rimmel British Violets
        Guerlain Bouquet d'Esterhazy
        Guerlain Eau de cologne Russe
        Floris Moss Rose
        Jacques Collas Bouquet Impérial
        L.T. Piver Eau de Cologne des Princes
        L.T. Piver Héliotrope Blanc
        L.T. Piver Triple Extract au Corylopsis du Japan
        Molinard La Rose
        Viville Femmes de France
    J.B. Filz Imperiales Veilchen

1851 Lubin Bouquets (various)
        Mousson Floroïde-Aëtherion
        Rimmel Lind Bouquet
        Rimmel Jockey Club

1852 Breidenbach Royal Hunt Bouquet
        Lubin Amber Lavender
        Roussel & Bazin Bazin's
        Dralle Lilionese
        Mousson Floroïde Ess-Bouquet

1853 Acqua di Genova Colonia Classica 1853
        Guerlain Bouquet de l'Imperiale*
        Guerlain Bouquets (and other various)
        Lubin Bouquet de California
        Lubin Royal Amber
        Breidenbach Empress Eugenie's Noseday
        Breidenbach Wood Violet
        John Gosnell Jockey Club (and various others)

1854 Maurice Levy Honoré Payan
        Rimmel Sontag Bouquet

1855 Grossmith Mitcham Lavender
        Lubin Crystal Palace
        Lubin Extract of Rondeletia
        Rimmel Violet
        Rimmel Patchouly
        Rimmel Opera Bouquet
        Edouard Pinaud Bouquet de Victoria

1856 Lubin Bouquet de Caroline
        Edouard Pinaud Cédrat (and various others)
        Guerlain Mignon
        Creed Royal Scottish Lavender

1857 Lubin Almond
        Lubin Fleurs d'Italie
        Guerlain Gardenia
        Edouard Pinaud Bouquet de la Reine Victoria
        Edouard Pinaud Végetal
        Delettrez Brisas de Cintra
        Delettrez Eau de Cologne du Grand Cordon
        Delettrez Brisas de Cintra
        Parfums Violet Jacinthe Blanche
        John Gosnell Opera Bouquet

1858 Lubin Florimell
        Lubin Kiss Me Quick

1859 Lubin Frangipanni (and various others)

1860 Molinard Jasmine (and various others)
        Guerlain Cassie Cédrat
        Rimmel Royal Bridal Bouquet
        Rimmel Alexandra Bouquet
        Floris Bouquet de la Reine
        Yardley Exquisita
        Charles Lily Bermuda
        L.T. Piver Eau Triple
        Rigaud Ylang-Ylang
        W & G Rieger Bouquet de Faubourg St. Germain (and various others)
        Edouard Pinaud Bouquet de la Reine (and various others)
        Lubin Bridal Bouquet (and various others)
        Hunt's Bridal Wreath
        E. Coudray Chèvrefeuille
        Louis Bouis Eau de Cologne
        Louis Bouis Tuscia
        John Gosnell Garibaldi's Perfume (and various others)

1861 Lubin Extract of Pond Lily
        Atkinsons Bouquet de Madeire
        Breidenbach Zouave Bouquet

1862 Creed Fantasia de Fleurs
        Roger & Gallet Eau de Cologne
        Crown Lavender
        John Gosnell Empress Eugenie's Perfume
        Gill Essence of Champaca
        Yardley New Mown Hay
        True & Nuglisch Souvenir de Corfu
        Oriza L. Legrand Violettes du Czar
        Himmelbauer Eau de Vienne (and various others)

1863 Guerlain Bouquet Napoléon (and various others)
        Phalon Night Blooming Cereus
        William H. Brown The Earth Filled
        Maczuski Rezéda
        Maczuski Violette de Mars

1864 Rimmel Turkish Scented Charm
        Rimmel Patti Bouquet

1865 d'Orsay Eau de Bouquet
        Rimmel Frangipane
        California Perfume Co. Crab Apple Blossom

1866 Rimmel Alexandria Bouquet (and various others)
        Maczuski Magnolia (and various others)

1867 Guerlain Bouquet de l'Exposition
        Gill San Paquita
        Roberts Acqua Distillata alle Rose*
        Delettrez Bouqet de Prince Imperial

1868 Floris Red Rose
        Rimmel Ihlang-Ihlang
        Rimmel Vanda
        Phalon Flor de Mayo
        Maczuski Schützen-Bouquet
        Palmer Garland of Roses (and various others)

1869 Rigaud Eau de Kananga
        Rimmel Coffee
        Maczuski Kiss Me Quick

1870 Rigaud Bouquet de Victoria (and various others)
        Floris Tuberose
        Borsari Violetta di Parma
        Borsari Fiordaliso (?)
        Crown Bouquet Versailles
        Creed Jasmin Impératrice Eugénie
        L.T. Piver Violettes de Parme
        Brocard Flowering
        Brocard Muguet de Mystère
        Brocard Empress Bouquet
        Maubert Fougère
        Mignon-Boucher Violette de Parme
        Guerlain Le Flacon Carre
        Guerlain Héliotrope Blanc
        Joseph Burnett Cologne
        Joseph Burnett Kalliston
        Joseph Burnett Heliotrope
        Penhaligon's Eau de Cologne (and various others)
        Cottan Eau de Toilette Mandarine
        Girard Essence Bouquet
        Girard White Heliotrope
        Vibert Frères Au Muguet
        Rimmel Essence of Millefleurs (and various others)
        Truefitt & Hill West Indian Limes

1871 Acqua di Biella No. 1*
        Edouard Pinaud Bouquet des Enfants
        Edouard Pinaud Pensez-à-Moi
        Delettrez Imperial Russe
        Delettrez Nuit Etase
        Mülhens Jacaranda
        Crown Jockey Club Bouquet

1872 Penhaligon's Hammam Bouquet
        Crown Essé Bouquet
        Crown Ylang-Ylang
        Guerlain Cuir de Russie
        Lautier Fils Edelweiss

1873 Crown Sandringham (and various others)
        Guerlain Exposition de Paris (and various others)
        Delettrez Bouquet Mexicain
        C.B. Woodworth Centennial
        Yardley English Lavender
        Piesse & Lubin Hungary Water
        L. Leichner Leichner
        John Gosnell Lemon Flowers (and various others)

1874 Crown Esterhazy
        Young, Ladd & Coffin California Water
        Young, Ladd & Coffin Fascination
        Lazell, Dalley & Co. Red Wood
        Rimmel Étoile du Nord
        Rimmel Star of India
        John Gosnell Forget-Me-Not               

1875 Creed Bois de Cédrat
        Creed Tabarôme
        Roger & Gallet Eau de Cologne Extra-Vieille*
        Guerlain Véritable
        Atkinson Essence Bouquet
        Atkinson Frangipanne
        Atkinson Heliotrope
        Boucicaut Essence Violette
        Boucicaut Heliotrope
        Rimmel Fougère Royal
        Rimmel Cuir de Russie
        B.D. Baldwin Queen Bess
        Lundborg Recherche
        Piesse & Lubin White Rose

1876 Rigaud Indian Violet (and various others)
        Edouard Pinaud Corbeille Fleurie
        Edouard Pinaud Lixora Breoni
        Rimmel Hyacinth (and various others)
        Geo. F. Trumper Wellington*
        B.W. Dows East End
        C.F. Knapp Geranium
        Henry Tetlow Heliotrope
        Henry Tetlow West End
        Alfred Wright Margareta
        Alfred Wright Mary Stuart
        Buck & Rayner Mars
        George Mitchell Mitchell's Memorial
        Breidenbach Talipat Blossoms from Ceylon

1877 Young, Ladd & Coffin Criterion
        Charles Lubrecht Imperial
        Geo. F. Trumper Marlborough*
        Geo. F. Trumper Wild Fern
        Guerlain Pao Rose

1878 Edouard Pinaud Bouquet de l'Exposition
        Edouard Pinaud Brisas de las Pampas
        Rimmel Marimon
        John Gosnell Florida Water (and various others)
        Young, Ladd & Coffin Arcadian Pink
        Young, Ladd & Coffin Tally-Ho
        Charles Lubrecht Circassian
        Prochaska Madeira Bouquet (and various others)
        Frères Gellé Jockey Club
        Frères Gellé Violette
        Palmer India Bouquet

1879 Crown Alpine Lily
        Krigler Pleasure Gardenia
        Guerlain Eau de Cologne pour Frictions (and various others)
        Goetting Florida Water (and various others)
        Young, Ladd & Coffin Edenia
        Oriza L. Legrand Essence Oriza
        Palmer Frangipanni
        Palmer White Lilac
        Palmer White Rose
        Colgate Wedding March



Perfume Houses

Carthusia - Fiori di Capri (1380)

The history of Carthusia perfumes starts with the monastery of San Giacomo on the island of Capri. Legends recounts that in 1380, the father prior of the Carthusian Monastery of St. James on the island, heard that queen Joan of Anjou was going to visit. He picked a bouquet of the most beautiful flowers there and put them in a vase of water to honor her. After 3 days, when was going to throw them out, he noticed that the water had acquired a beautiful but mysterious fragrance unknown to him. He consulted a friar who specialized in alchemy, and the friar traced the origin of the scent to Garofilium silvestre caprese, Capri's wild carnation found on Mt. Solaro.

In 1948 the Carthusian Prior found the old perfume formulae, and with the permission of the Pope, he revealed them to a chemist from Piemonte in the North of Italy, who then created for the monastery the smallest perfume laboratory in the world, calling it "Carthusia", i.e. Charterhouse. Fiori di Capri by Carthusia is a chypre floral fragrance for women and men, reformulated and launched in 1948. The nose behind this fragrance is Laura Bosetti Tonatto. Top notes are ylang-ylang, gardenia, tuberose, white flowers, orange blossom, Mandarin orange, cyclamen, Turkish rose, and Bergamot; middle notes are carnation, hyacinth, white honey, cloves, wild strawberry, incense, iris, violet leaf, pineapple, plum, and nutmeg; and base notes are oakmoss, white musk, sandalwood, amber, labdanum, cedar and patchouli. Carthusia fragrances continue to be developed from the ancient distillation techniques that were used by the monks.



Santa Maria Novella - Acqua di Rose (1381)

The Officina Profume Farmaceutica dei Santa Maria Novella, one of the oldest pharmacies in the world, began when Dominican friars arrived in Florence, founded a monastery, and began to cultivate a garden that included medicinal herbs for balms and pomades. Around 1332, when the merchant Dardano Acciaioli fell ill, he was treated by the SMN friars with extracts of bearberry. As a sign of gratitude, he finance the construction of their Chapel of San Niccolò, which is still the main hall of the museum-store.

The first documented evidence of the production of scented waters dates back to 1381, when Santa Maria Novella monks introduced Acqua di Rose. The Black Death plague had ravaged the population for decades, and in response the Dominican friars distilled their rose water. Many schools of ancient and medieval medicine were based around the theory of miasma: essentially, the belief that illness in the body was caused by foul-smelling, unclean air or vapors. It was assumed that sweet-smelling air had the capacity to negate the effect of bad air, and therefore it was believed that pleasant scents like those of fragrances could be used to fight disease. So at the time, the rose water was used both to sanitize rooms and for personal care, taken with wine or in pills.

Their concoctions served the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella Rosa all through the Middle Age. They supplied balms, perfumes, and herbal and fruit essences mixed with liqueurs provide relief to weary, ill in decaying cities. One could consider this practice the first true naturopathy. In 1533, young Catherine de Medici commissioned SMN to create a perfume for her marriage to the future king of France. When she left Florence, she asked for a perfumer, Renato Bianco (René le Florentin later in Paris), to be in her entourage to make the fresh fragrance, Acqua della Regina, in France. He had been given the recipe by the friars, and he created the perfume for Catherine. Its top notes are citrus fruits and petitgrain; middle notes are neroli, rosemary, cloves, and lavender; and its base notes are patchouli and musk. This perfume, which made SMN famous, is still made today. (Its formula is also the one that young Giovanni Paol Feminis took to Cologne, Germany and re-introduced in 1725 as Eau de Cologne.) The original Acqua della Regina is still made and sold today.

In that same year, the friars of SMN created Acqua di Colonia. It is a citrus aromatic fragrance with bergamot, Amalfi lemon, neroli, and tangerine top notes; lavender, petitgrain, clove, and rosemary heart notes; and a benzoin base note. It too is still made.

Though word of their renowned remedies spread world-wide, it wasn’t until 1612, that Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella opened its doors to the public. At that time Fra Angiolo Marchissi established a retail operation in Florence, selling essentially unnamed elixirs and liqueurs. In 1659 the company received the title of His Royal Highness' Foundry from Ferdinando II de'Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany, placing it under the protection of the Medici family. During that century, Santa Maria Novella increasingly developed new alcoholic liqeuers with medicinal properties, and by 1700 they were famous throughout Europe. In 1749, the Officine's apothecary codified and standardized its recipes in a book.

In 1828, the perfumes Garofano, Marescialia, and Potpourri were introduced, and the company's fame continued to grow. However, in 1866 its property was confiscated by the Italian state, and the pharmacy ownership eventually passed to Cesare Augusto Stefani, nephew of the monastery's last director. Since then, four generations of his family have run the business. The company has continued its devotion to the original, centuries-old recipes and production methods, combined with modern technology and innovation.



Vita Citral - Eau de Nice (1668)

Eau de Nice is said to have been released in 1668 by Vita Citral of Monte Carlo. It was a woody scent apparently meant primarily for women, but this is not well documented.



Crown - Maréchale (1669)

In 1669 a company called Crown Perfumery created Maréchale as a sachet powder for Madame la Maréchale d'Aumont, wife of the Marshall of France under King Louis XIV. Subsequently it was said that the air in the salons of the time was frequently heavily perfumed with this powder for hair and wigs. The sachet powder perfume is said to have included coriander, iris, and nut grass. (However, some sources claim that it was rather a chypre type of formulation, containing rose, orange flower, vetiver, vanilla, orris, neroli, musk, ambergris, cloves, and santal.) After her use of it made the scent popular, Crown apparently produced it for sale to others of the aristocracy. No further history is known of the Crown Perfumery of that time.

However, in 1872, the corsetier William Sparks Thomson founded a Crown Perfumery Co. and was granted the use of the royal crown symbol by Queen Victoria. He catered to the city's high society with his patented corsets and later with opulent perfumes. He had found that due to the tightness of corsets, ladies often would faint; and he produced lavender-based smelling salts to help revive the customers, which led him to opening the perfumery. In its first year, Crown created several perfumes, including Essé Bouquet, Ylang-Ylang, Hwthorn Bloom, and Wild Flowers of India. Over the next 75 years the company made other perfumes and went through several sales. In 1989 it was sold by Unilever to biochemist Bary H. Gibson. He said that his goal was to return to it the 'art of the perfumer,' hand blending formulations based on traditional recipes.

Earlier in the 1980s, Gibson had bought several antique perfumery books, including an original 1669 formula book from the Crown Perfume Company that included a recipe for Maréchale. He attempted to recreate the classic Crown fragrances using recipes from this book, starting with Crab Apple Blossoms renamed as Crown Bouquet. Eventually his business sagged as profits declined, and product quality decreased. Crown Perfumery was sold in 1999 to Clive Christian Perfume, which then resurrected it and brought back some of the original scents, which are still made.



Simon Barbe - Orangerie du Roy (1689)

Simon Barbe, the first glover-perfumer in Paris, created this fragrance for King Louis XIV, the Sun King who was said to have been terrified of bathing (because he, like many of the nobility of the 17th century, believed that water spread disease, partially by causing the skin pores open) and only took three baths during his life. His Versailles court was called the 'Perfumed Court' because its bowls were filled with flower petals, its furniture was coated with perfumes, the main fountain was scented, and visitors were sprayed with perfume upon entering the palace.

Barbe is credited with creating Aqua Angeli, a perfumed water for scenting the shirts of the King, around 1690. It was composed of aloe wood, nutmeg, clove, storax, and benzoin boiled in rosewater, with a jasmine, orange flower, and musk base.

Barbe wrote two perfumes manuals, the first one in 1693, 'Le Parfumeur François,' which "teaches all the ways to extract the odors of flowers and to make all forms of perfume compositions," was meant to instruct non-professionals. His second and most famous treatise was 'The Origin of Perfumes,' published in 1699. It was intended for professional perfumers, presenting his knowledge for "those who pick up flowers and necessary to the glovers, wigmakers and liqueur sellers."



Giovanni Paolo Feminis - Aqua Mirabilis (1695)

Giovanni Paolo Feminis, born in 1660, was very young when he left his village of Crana in the Italian Alps and went to Germany to find a job. He settled first in Bergka (today Rheinberg), working as an apprentice, then in Mainz, and finally Cologne. Here he opened a distillery in 1693 and focused on the production of herbal and soothing infusions. He built a reputation by personalizing perfume recipes he had received from monks. Feminis developed a distillation method that allowed him to create perfumes that were 95% alcohol-based. Such a high level of alcohol distillate meant that he was able to create scents that were much lighter and fresher than the oil- and water-based products that came before. The first of these products in 1695, was called Aqua Mirabilis, which loosely translates to 'wonderful' or 'admirable water,' and its medinical properties were certified by the Cologne Faculty of Medicine. He apparently made several similar perfumes shortly after the first one.

When Feminis became too old to keep the business running, he invited his nephew, Giovanni Maria Farina, to take over. Farina tweaked a few of his uncle's established recipes, including one that astounded him. In a letter to his brother, he described it, saying, "My perfume is reminiscent of a beautiful spring morning after the rain. It is made of oranges, lemons, grapefruit, bergamot, flowers and fruits from my native country... It refreshes me while stimulating my senses and my imagination." This fragrance was composed of 30 essences. Its name was changed eventually to the famous Eau de Cologne (now made by Roger & Gallet). It quickly became so popular that the name became a generic term for a certain kind of fragrance product.




Giovanni Maria (Jean-Marie) Farina - Eau d Cologne (1709)

In 1709, Giovanni Maria Farina founded his Farina gegenüber, the oldest perfume factory still in existence, in Cologne. He created Eau de Cologne, the basic recipe for which he had inherited from his master and uncle, Giovanni Paolo Feminis, and it rapidly became famous worldwide. He chose its name to honor his new hometown in gratitude for being granted citizenship, because there were strict laws then regarding foreign immigrants. The fragrance was given a French version of the name because French was the language spoken then in European high society and by tradesmen. His ability to produce a constant, homogeneous fragrance consisting of dozens of mono-essences was seen as a new sensation. A single vial of this formulation cost half the annual salary of a civil servant of the time. When free trade was established in Cologne by the French in 1797, the success of Eau de Cologne prompted many other businessmen to sell their own counterfeit fragrances under the same name of Eau de Cologne, which contributed to the term becoming generic. Registered trademarks did not exist then.

The perfume company has held royal warrants as purveyors of to the German, French, Italian and British Royal Families. Today the 8th generation of the Farina family still produces the original eau de cologne under the Roger & Gallet brand as Jean-Marie Farina Extra Vieille and still uses a red tulip, implying great beauty, as the company logo. (The tulip was a precious item that originally bloomed mainly in the gardens of Turkish palaces, and the Dutch had paid huge sums for bulbs.) The company headquarters is still in Farina House in Cologne, where the Farina Fragrance Museum is also located. The formula for Eau de Cologne remains a secret.



Floris - Night Scented Jasmine (1730)

Floris was founded by Juan Famenias Floris at 89 Jermyn Street in London in 1730. Floris had learned about making fragrances in the Montepellier perfumery on the Cote d'Azur and had worked as a resident barber in the London St. James Hotel for a number of years. Recently married, he and his wife Elizabeth invested her dowry in the shop. The couple and their seven children lived upstairs from the shop, while all the perfumes were created in the cellar below it. His first creation that year was Night Scented Jasmine, created in an attempt to capture the notes of warm Mediterranean nights, made after a visit to his family home in Menorca, Spain.

Floris Limes was created and documented by Floris in his black ledger book in 1740. (However, its official launch apparently was recorded later as either 1806 or 1832.) Limes was said to have been made to cut through the sticky fog of summertime London. It has top notes of Amalfi lemon and petitgrain, middle notes of Linden lime blossom, neroli, and lily of the valley, and a musk base note. Lily of the Valley (1760), a green floral composition, was another of the earlier fragrances created by Juan Floris. Although it is a traditional single-flower scent, there are over 250 different perfume oils used to formulate it. (It was re-launched in a slightly different version in 1847.)

In 1820, Floris received its first Royal Warrant as 'Smooth Pointed Comb Maker' to King George IV. In 1878, Mary Anne (Floris) Bodenham and husband James took over the business from Mary Anne's brother, Joseph Floris. Production continued at the Jermyn Street location until 1989, when a factory was opened in Devon. The Jermyn Street location continues to be the company's headquarters and flagship store, under direction of descendants of the Bodenham and Floris families.

Floris continues to offer fragrances that have been in its collection from its earliest days, such as Limes (1832) and Stephanotis (1786), as well as newer scents. Floris also creates bespoke perfumes, giving customers the opportunity to customize an existing Floris scent. Notable company customers of the brand have included Florence Nightingale, Mary Shelley, Beau Brummell, Queen Victoria, explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, the Duke of Windsor, and Marilyn Monroe.



Potter & Moore - Mitcham Lavender (1750)

John Potter and William Moore, known as 'garden physicists' (experts in herbs and flowers), founded their house and distillery in 1749 and began to produce bath and body products with natural ingredients, many of the scented with lavender. The London headquarters store became known as Lavender House. Potter and Moore named their first product Mitcham Lavender in 1750, after the town which was then a center of herb production, and especially of lavender. An 1881 census records 230 Travellers (Romany herb sellers) living in vans and tents on Mitcham Common, and there was an annual Mitcham Fair, which was an important Traveller gathering. The Travellers would buy bunches of lavender at the Fair, which they then sold on the streets of London. Buyers placed the lavender in drawers or behind books in their bookcases to perfume the air.

The business grew and flourished, especially under the control of James Moore, grandson of William. When James Moore died in 1851, the business went to his illegitimate son, James Bridger, who ran it until his death in 1885. In 1886, the company was bought by W.J. Bush & Co. and continued to produce distilled products, with peppermint, spearmint, rose, pennyroyal, lavender, and chamomile. In the 1890s the firm merged with Stafford Allen & Sons. Eventually it fell into stagnation, but it was re-started in 1937 by the famous comedienne Gracie Fields. In 1968 it merged with two other companies to form Bush Boake Allen, the world's largest supplier of flavors and perfumes, and the Potter & Moore division was sold to E.C. De Witt & Co. In 2000 the perfume firm was acquired by International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF).




Creed - Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse (1760)

The Creed company was founded as a London tailoring house in 1760 by James Henry Creed, and in that year he delivered a pair of scented leather gloves to the newly crowned King George III as a gift. At the King's request, he then created Zeste Mandarine Pamplemousse perfume. This was followed in 1781 by Royal English Leather, made in honor of the King and still available today. In 1854, the firm relocated their headquarters to Paris at the request of Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie, for whom Creed made Imperatrice Eugenie. Its history during this time is not documented well, but it is known that it flourished and became a supplier to most of the royal courts of Europe, including France, Austro-Hungary, and Spain. In 1885, the company created Fleurs de Bulgarie for Queen Victoria.

20th century clients included the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Winston Churchill (Tabarome), John F. Kennedy (Vetiver), and Grace Kelly, and more recently the perfume Love in White has been worn by both Laura Bush and Michelle Obama. In 2006, Princess Kate Middleton received the first bottle of Creed Royal Ceylan. The house has been passed continuously from father to son. It is now under the control of Olivier Creed and his son Erwin, the seventh generation descendant, although a majority share was purchased in 2020 by the equity group BackRock.



Bayleys - Eau de Cologne Imperial Russe (1768) (Cussons Imperial Leather)

Bayleys of Bond Street was founded in London in the early 1700s by William Bayley. In 1768, Russian Count Grigory Orlov, a favorite of Empress Catherine the Great, commissioned Bayleys to make a perfume called Eau de Cologne Imperiale Russia. At the time, high-quality leather was exported widely from Russia and was recognizable by a distinctive aroma left by its birch oil tanning process, and the Count wanted a fragrance reminiscent of this leather. The company continued to make popular fragrances, and in 1921 Bayleys was purchased by Cusson Sons & Co. of Manchester. Cussons perfumes have included Eau de Cologne (1925), Lily of the Valley (1925), and Mists of Moon (1930). In 1938, Tom Cussons used the original version of the first Bayleys perfume to create the soap Russian Leather, soon renamed Imperial Leather. More recently, because Tom Cussons was a keen admirer of orchids, an orchid was used on the Bayley's logo when Cussons collaborated with design agency Hark to launch a new Bayley's of Bond Street brand making bespoke fragrances.



Yardley - Old English Lavender (1770)

Yardley of London was officially established by the Cleaver family in 1770, producing perfumes and soaps. (Apparently an earlier version of the company existed prior to this, but records of it were lost in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and little is known about it.) Their first perfume was Old English Lavender in 1770, with additional notes apparently added to it in 1801. In 1823 the firm was purchased by William Yardley after it went into bankruptcy; and in 1841 it became Yardley & Statham, which expanded the product line and exported products to the U.S. In 1851 the company exhibited in the Crystal Palace at the Great Exhibition, and that same year the name was changed to Yardley & Co. In 1860, the perfume Exquisita was introduced.

Yardley re-launched English Lavender, their signature scent, in 1873, using Lavandula angustifolia grown for them in the South of England. Top notes of this version included lavender, rosemary, eucalyptus, and bergamot; middle notes were clary sage, cedar, and geranium, and base notes were musk, tonka bean, and oakmoss. Later, a different contemporary edition was launched in 2015.

Business boomed during the later years of the 19th century. Around 1910, Yardley moved into retail with the opening of their first store in London. During the Second World War, product output was cut to 25% of pre-war figures due to government orders, but it rebounded after the war. Yardley was acquired by British American Tobacco in 1967. Since then it has been sold several times until it was acquired in 2009 by Wipro.




Michel Adam (L.T. Piver) - Eau de Cologne à la Reine des Fleurs (1774)           

The company A la Reine des Fleurs was founded in 1774 by Michel Adam, a master glove perfumer, on rue des Lombards in Paris. That was also the name of his first fragrance that year. Adam soon became an official supplier to the court of Louis XVI and other royal families of Europe. In 1799 the business went to his son, who then passed it on to a cousin, Pierre-Guillaume Dissey in 1805. Dissey hired Louis-Toussaint (L.T.) Piver as an apprentice, and in 1813 he became a partner. When Dissey died in 1823, Piver became sole owner.

In 1850, Piver created Eau de Cologne des Princes and Héliotrope Blanc, followed by other fragrances, including Violettes de Parme in 1870. In 1889 the company produced Rêve d'Or and in 1896 Nijni-Novgorod. In 1896, Jacques Rouché, son-in-law to L.T. Piver, became director of the business. Rouché was convinced that the future of the business lay in the use of chemistry knowledge, and he hired Georges Darzens, a prominent chemist, to assist in product development. In 1896, Darzens had discovered amyl salicylate (an aromatic, orchid herbal note used as a blender), which he described as "the fragrance of flowering clover under the heat of August." He used this substance in a Piver perfume, Le Trèfle Incarnat, which was introduced in 1898. Piver claimed that its Trèfle Incarnat was the first perfume to contain artificial essential oils.

After 1817 the business expanded to dozens of branches, and Piver products could be purchased England, Belgium, Spain, Austria, Russia, and Brazil. L.T. Piver clients included the Bonaparte family and Sarah Bernhardt. A factory was opened in Grasse for processing flowers, a second factory was opened in Aubervilliers to manufacture cosmetic products, and by 1926 Piver employed a workforce of 1,500, producing 50 tons of products per day. During the Art Deco era, both Lalique and Baccarat provided sculpted crystal containers for the firm. L.T. Piver claimed a number of prizes and medals in the Universal and Colonial Exhibitions. Today L.T. Piver headquarters is still located in Paris, and it offers contemporary versions of some of its classic fragrances in addition to newer perfumes.




Claude Mottet - Eau de Fleurs d'Oranger (1780)

Mottet built one of the first commercial perfume factories in Grasse in 1841. It was taken over in 1926 by Fragonard and the perfumer Eugène Fuchs, whose business eventually became the Fragonard perfumery. There is little information available about Mottet, but it is known that he introduced the perfume Eau de Fleurs d'Oranger and 1780, and it is thought that this fragrance may have been the inspiration for some of Jean-Louis Fargeon's compositions.



Caswell-Massey - Cologne No. 1 (1780)

Caswell-Massey was the first apothecary and fragrance company in the U.S., and it now is the oldest American consumer brand still in operation. It was founded in Newport, Rhode Island in 1752 by Scottish-born Dr. William Hunter and initially sold medical supplies, such as lavender and verbena oils. Subsequently they began to make triple-milled bath soaps and hand soaps, shaving soaps, and other grooming accessories. They also sold imported fragrances from Europe. Hunter blended 20 of his own numbered colognes, and it is believed that Cologne No. 1, called Elixir of Love, was created in 1780. Cologne No. 6 (1789) was used by George Washington, and the company still makes it. At about the same time, White Rose perfume was introduced for women and became a favorite of Dolley Madison. The fragrance Jockey Club, introduced in 1840, represented a large jump in popularity for the company products that had outdoorsy scents.

The firm took its present name when then-owner John Rose Caswell formed a partnership with businessman William Massey in 1876, operating a store in Newport and one in New York City. The company was owned and managed by a Taylor family from 1936 to 1989, at which time it was sold to another group. In the 1970s, profiles could be created for each customer – what they liked to do, eat, their size, shape, favorite colors and pastimes - to land on the perfect bespoke scent. Customers would ‘try on’ scents for a few weeks before their personal formulations were mastered. Around that time, Caswell-Massey began to struggle with increased competition, and in the last 45-50 years it has undergone several sales and re-brandings.

Other famous clients of Caswell-Massey have included the Marquis de Lafayette, Lewis and Clark (who took the Castile soap on their Western expedition), Cole Porter, George Gershwin, the Astors and Vanderbilts, Judy Garland, Katharine Hepburn, Greta Garbo, John Denver, John F. Kenney and Jacqueline Onassis, Debbie Harry, Joni Mitchell, and The Rolling Stones.



Jean-Louis Fargeon - Sillage de la Reine (1790)

Jean Fargeon was an apothecary with 'royal privilege,' providing products for the royal court. His shop in central Montpellier on the Grand Rue was called Le Vase d'Or (Golden Vase). By 1668, it was said that he "had perfected the recipes of a large number of products, classed according to usage as either 'compositions for health' or 'perfumes for embellishment.'" His son Jean-Louis, born in Montpellier in 1748, apprenticed with his father as a glover and perfumer and later set up a shop in Paris. He was a favorite of the socialite Madame Du Barry, and through her he met young Queen Marie Antoinette, who was convinced by his perfumed gloves into making him her personal perfumer. Using themes of naturalness and adapting them to the Queen's changeable moods and preferences, he became he made ever-more-lavish fragrances. In 1790 he created Sillage de la Reine (The Queen's Wake) in her honor, after she had asked him to visit her in Trianon and to create a perfume that would capture its ambience for her. Sillage de la Reine was a lush floral blend featuring tuberose, rose, jasmine, and bergamot. This was the first perfume that he subsequently sold to other aristocrats. For Marie Antoinette he also created Le Jardin Secret, with bergamot, cardamom, jasmine, incense, rose, sandalwood, vanilla, patchouli, amber, and tonka bean.

It is said that when imprisoned in the Temple Tower of Paris, Marie Antoinette kept Sillage de la Reine in a midnight-colored jade vial. She eventually slipped it to her most trusted confidant, the Marquise de Tourzel, shortly before her own execution. This original flask, nicknamed the Black Jade, remains in the possession of de Tourzel's descendants.

Jean-Louis had many apprentices, including Pierre-François Lubin. In 1801 he published a classic treatise on the preparation of perfumes. After his death in 1806, the business was taken over by one of his descendants but eventually failed. The modern historian Elisabeth de Feydeau stumbled upon an original recipe for Sillage de la Reine while preparing a biography of Fargeon and mentioned it to a friend, perfumer Francis Kurkdjian. Kurkdjian subsequently recreated the perfume over the course of 18 months, and it has been made available for sale by subscription.



Mülhens - 4711 Echt Kölnisch Wasser ('Real Cologne Water,' or 4711 Original) (1792)

Sometime after Jean-Marie Farina's Eau de Cologne became popular in 1709, its rights and licenses were sold to entrepreneur Wilhelm Mülhens. He went into partnership with another unrelated individual named Farina and formed a company with that name, producing a fragrance derived from the original recipe. However, he diluted and preserved the flower essences in alcohol in a new way, giving the scent a standard strength, an innovation for the time. Years later, when a court ruled that further use of the Farina name was illegal, Wilhelm Mülhens' grandson Ferdinand renamed the company 4711, which referred to the house number of the original Farina business in Cologne. He was allowed to continue use of the geographical indication in its title because the fragrance had been made there since 1799.

4711 eventually was used in most of the royal houses of Europe, and it was said to be a favorite of Mozart, Napoleon, and Queen Victoria. The scent revolves around a base of citruses and orange flower, similar to many of the modern eau de colonia compositions. In 1990 the company name was changed to Mülhens GmbH & Co., and in 1994 it was bought by Wella. Procter & Gamble bought Wella in 2003, and in 2006 they sold the 4711 brand to Mäurer & Wirtz. 4711 is still in production today.




Rancé - Le Vainqueur (1795) (masculine)

The Rancé family had been famous since the early 1600s for producing perfumed gloves in Grasse for the French aristocracy. In 1795, François Rancé turned entirely to perfumery. He created innovative and refined perfumes, which secured him the favour of Napoleon. He became the Emperor's favourite perfumer, and he created for Napoleon Le Vainqueur ('The Winner'), Triomphe, L'Eau de Austerliz, and Le Roi Empereur. He was then appointed official purveyor to the Imperial Court. In honor of Josephine Bonaparte he created l'Impératrice, which he presented to the Empress in a precious Sevres porcelain box. The last example of this objet d'art is kept in the Rancé archives. Other early Rancé fragrances included Eau Superbe (1820) and Eau de Noblesse (1822).

In 1902, Alexandre Rancé moved the company to Milan. Several generations of Rancé have followed. The head of the family firm today is Alexandre's granddaughter Jeanne Sandra Rancé, along with her son Jean Maurice Alexandre Rancé. Its headquarters in Milan now houses a museum that brings together vintage Rancé products, parts of the archives, and the Rancé collection of perfumery objets d'art.



Lubin - Eau Vivifiante (later Eau de Lubin) (1798)

At age 18 in 1792, Pierre-Francois Lubin, an apprentice to Jean-Louis Fargeon, moved from Paris to Grasse. There he worked for another perfume master, Tombarelli, and learned his 'Italian Method.' In 1790, he moved back to Paris and completed his training under Jean-Louis Fargeon, and in 1798 he opened his own house there. It was called Au Bouquet de Roses, a discrete tribute to the dead queen Marie Antoinette, but later was called Aux Armes de France after the Royal Coat of Arms. He provided perfumed ribbons, ball masks, and rice powders to 'Les Merveilleuses,' socially exalted women trendsetters who frequented the drawing rooms of Napoleonic France. His creations became popular with 'Les Incroyables,' the first Parisian dandies who emerged after the Revolution of 1789. His most famous creation was the perfume Eau Vivifiante, later renamed Eau de Lubin. This fragrance won him the favor of the Imperial Court and Empress Joséphine, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1821 he became the official supplier to King George IV of England and in 1823 to Tsar Alexander of Russia. In 1830 House of Lubin was again named Official Perfumer of the French Royal Court by King Louis-Philippe, the last King of France. In 1830, he became one of the first perfumers to become popular in the U.S.

In 1844, Felix Prot, who had trained under Lubin and remained close to him, took over the house, and he expanded its retail network. He also constructed Europe's first modern perfume factory, on the Côte d’Azur in Cannes, in 1873. It used steam machines to extract essential oils for the perfumes. The Prot family remained involved until the end of the 1960s. In 1969, Paul Prot, Jr., the great-grandson of Felix, sold the company to an industrial group. In the 1970s it was run by Roger & Gallet, and then it was purchased in 1984 by the German perfume house Mülhens. In 1994, Mülhens was taken over by Wella. The house acquired in the early 2000s by Gilles Thevenin, a former head of creation at Guerlain, with the support of Laurent Prot, son of Paul Jr. Production was moved back to France in 2004. Lubin perfumes are now produced in small quantities in the Loire valley and distributed through a network of several hundred high-end retailers in about 30 countries. Its wares and antique documents can be found displayed in the Musée international de la Parfumerie in Grasse.




J.G. Mouson & Co. - Mouson (1798)

House Mouson was founded in 1798 by August Friedrich Mouson in Franfurt, Germany. He had been trained in Berlin as a soap boiler, and he had worked as plant manager for a soap factory in Breitgasse.  After the factory's owner died, he took over the company and released his first perfume, Mouson. He eventually handed the perfume firm over to his son Johann Georg, who expanded its business and began to produce his own perfumes. They had branch offices in Paris and London and displayed their wares at the World's fairs of the second half of the 19th century. By 1898 their catalogue offered more than 700 products, including famous fragrances influenced by Japanese fashion. The company produced perfumes and soaps until 1972.



Atkinson - Eau de Cologne Gold Medal (English Lavender) (1799)

Atkinson was founded in London in 1799 by James Atkinson. Originally he mainly sold rose-scented bear grease balm. He had traveled from Cumberland with a tame bear, and his shop became known as 'that marvelous perfume shop with the most terrifying bear.' The company's logo was a chained bear. In 1799 James invented English Lavender Eau de Cologne Gold Medal, strikingly different (warmer, spicier, and stronger) from the Italian-style colognes then dominating the market. It featured notes of bergamot, lemon, orange, lemon, mandarin, bitter orange blossom, lavender, rosemary, and rose. King George IV loved it, and in 1826 he named James as official perfumer to the Royal Court. In 1832 the company moved to Old Bond Street. Bouquet de La Reine Adelaide, another English Lavender, and several others were produced in 1837, and in 1861 Bouquet de Madeire was introduced.

The bear grease, reputed to facilitate regrowth of hair for bald men, remained in production until after the First World War. For a long while, the company was nearly dormant, producing occasional perfumes and being sold several times. But in 2013 it was bought from Procter & Gamble and relaunched by Italy-based firm Perfume Holding.

Atkinson products have been used by Napoleon Bonaparte, the Duke of Wellington, Admiral Nelson, the Tsar of Russia, the King of Italy, Sarah Bernhardt, and Beau Brummell.



D.R. Harris - Arlington (~1800) (masculine)                                                                                 

Originally named Harris' Apothecary, D.R. Harris is the U.K.'s oldest chemist. The company takes its name from those of its two founders, surgeon Henry Harris and his cousin, pharmaceutical chemist Daniel Rotely (D.R.) Harris. It was founded in 1790 on James Street in London. It became a favorite of inebriated high-society gentleman, including Oscar Wilde, for its 'Pick-Me-Up Hangover Cure.' Over two centuries, the family established a reputation selling Lavender Water, Classic Cologne, and English Flower fragrances to the fashionable gentry. In 1938 it was awarded its first Royal Warrant as chemists to Her Majesty the Queen, later the Queen Mother. In 2002 they were appointed as chemists to the Prince of Wales, and in 2012 a Royal Warrant for the Queen was added. Arlington, a citrus aromatic fragrance, is still produced and sold. Their pharmacy and their perfumery production continue at 29 St. James Street, with many of the items still produced by traditional methods.



Truefitt & Hill - 1805 (1805)

Truefitt & Hill was established in 1805 in the Mayfair district of London by William Francis Truefitt, who styled himself as hairdresser to the British Royal Court. It claims to be the oldest barber ship in the world. The first product from Truefitt was 1805, introduced that year. It is an aromatic fragrance for men, with top notes of Mandarin orange, bergamot, and cardamom; middles notes of geranium, lavender, and clary sage; and base notes of sandalwood, cedar, and musk. Freshman, a woody aromatic composition, was launched in 1815. Its top notes are bergamot, rosemary, and Amalfi lemon; middle notes are lily of the valley, clary sage, and jasmine, and base notes are woody notes, musk, and amber. The firm received several Royal Warrants, beginning with one from King George III and with a current appointment by the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1911, Edwin Hill set up a barber shop on Old Bond Street, and H.P. Truefitt (William's nephew) moved his company to that address in 1935 to create T&H. Other Truefitt regional outlets were merged into the current company in 1941. In addition to the headquarters on St. James Street, there are many other locations, including Toronto, Beijing, Sydney, Dhaka, Prague, Singapore, Bangkok, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and Kuwait. They sell a mixture of traditional and modern toiletry goods, including the original Spanish Leather, Sandalwood, West Indian Limes, Lavender, and Rose, and main shop still provides a traditional hot towel wet shave.

Famous clients include Charles Dickens, William Thackeray, Lord Byron, Oscar Wilde, Beau Brummerl, members of Parliament, William Gladstone, the Duke of Wellington, Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Winston Churchill, Alfred Hitchcock, Frank Sinatra, Stewart Granger, Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, and John Wayne.



Houbigant - Josephine (1807)

Houbigant Parfum was founded in Paris in 1775 by Jean-François Houbigant of Grasse. He hung a hand-painted sign of a basket of flowers or the door of his little shop on rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. Originally the firm sold gloves and bridal bouquets, but in 1807 Armand-Gustave Houbigant, son of the founder, joined the house and was commissioned to create Josephine, a special perfume for the French Empress. He also was appointed official perfumer to Napoleon Bonaparte and his court, and it is said that Napoleon carried Houbigant scents in his campaign chest during his years of conquer in Europe. Armand-Gustave taught the titled women at the Court of Versailles how to perfume their fans so that just a flutter would send out a fragrant romantic message.

In 1838, Houbigant was awarded the license of official supplier to Queen Victoria of the U.K. Paul Parquet became joint owner in 1880, and in 1882 he created Fougère Royale. Considered a breakthrough in the world of perfumery, the earthy notes of Fougère Royale opened up a new segment of men’s perfumes. While still having some notes of floral and citrus, it tended toward earthy, mossy, woody notes, with Mediterranean herbs like lavender and clary sage, amber, patchouli, and tonka beans. During this period, company branches were opened in the U.S., England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Romania. The New York office had its own perfume manufacturing facility.

Tsar Alexander III named Houbigant perfumer to the Imperial Court of Russia in 1890, and he created the perfume The Czarina Bouquet in honor of the Empress, Maria Fyodorovna. In 1912, perfumer Robert Bienaimé joined the firm and created fragrances, including the renowned Quelques Fleurs (the first true multi-floral bouquet made), until founding his own company in 1935. Production of the famous Fougère Royale stopped for a period of time but was revived in 2010 with the help of perfumer Rodrigo Flores-­Roux from Givaudan. Houbigant fragrances now are being manufactured by LOFT Fashion and Beauty Diffusion of Monaco.

Early Commercial Perfumes - Part 2

Murray & Lanman - Florida Water (1808)

Florida Water was introduced in New York City in 1808 by its creator, perfumer Robert Murray. His recipe included an alcohol citrus base with water. It emphasizes sweet orange rather than lemon or neroli, and it adds spicy notes including lavender and clove, as well as cinnamon, bergamot, and rose. Florida Water was an answer to the issue of colognes at the time being too strong. Many colognes were considered to be tacky for women because of how odorous they were, as if saying, "I have to prove how much of a lady I am." Fresh and light, this unisex fragrance was considered acceptable to the Victorian women, whose etiquette dictated that ladies should not wear perfumes that were particularly strong or overpowering. It was also used in sachets for dresser drawers to scent their clothing, in foot baths to soak tired feet, as an aftershave, and as a home remedy for various ailments.

In 1835, Murray was joined by David Lanman to form Murray & Lanman, and in 1853 George Kemp also became part of firm. The company has continued to produce perfumes, including Rose Cologne in 2000. Singer-songwriter Solange Knowles carried a bottle of Florida Water on the red carpet at a Met Gala.

The perfume name Florida Water is a reference to the legend that explorer Ponce de León, searching for the Fountain of Youth, believed he found it at a spring in St. Augustine, Florida. Florida water was mentioned in the book 'Gone with the Wind,' where it was stated that "A book of poetry or an album or a small bottle of Florida water are the only things a lady may accept from a gentleman." Still available today, Florida Water comes in a clear bottle with a long, slender neck and a label decorated with an ornate illustration of the Fountain of Youth. It claimed that it is also good for household use in wiping down kitchen counters or in laundry, and it has been used ritually for cleansing and protection in spiritual practices in Latin American and the Caribbean.



Maison Violet - Josephine (1810)

Maison Violet was established on rue St. Denis in Paris around 1810 by François-Étienne Violet, with the business originally known as A la Reine des Abeilles. Their first perfume that year was Josephine, named after the French Empress. Not longer after this, the Empress herself declared them to be an official supplier of the Court. They also created a violet scented soap for her, Savon au Baume de Violet. By 1827, they were using the name Parfumerie Violet, and then Maison Violet in 1858. The company's reputation grew, and they continued to be a royal supplier for France's Empress Eugenie. Eugenie's symbol, a bee, was affixed on each perfume bottle and became a trademark. They also created perfumes for the royal courts of Russia, Spain, and England. In addition to perfumes, their laboratory manufactured nail enamel, face powders, bath salts, lipsticks, rouges, soaps, and creams. They also marketed ivory brushes and bottles, combs, and pins of ebony, tortoise shell, and cut crystal, sometimes with colored enamel.

The house and its director Louis Claye won several awards at the 1867 World Fair. Aaron-Marc Rehns became head of the company in 1885, at which time they increased, including products sent to the U.S. under the name Veolay. By 1902, the firm was owned by A.M. Rehns & Co. The World Wars and various world crises weakend the house, and they closed in 1955. However, in 2017 the firm was revived again in Paris by three young Frenchmen, graduates of l'École Supérieure du Parfum. They have modernized some classic perfumes, claiming to have reinvented the neoclassical genre, and they now have a worldwide sales network.



Père et Fils Laugier - Eau de Cologne (1812)

The company, originally Laugier Père et Fils, was established on rue Bourg l'Abbe in Paris in 1756 by M. Laugier and is thought to have been one of the first perfumeries in the city. He is known to have produced Eau de Cologne in 1812 and numerous other fragrances from 1816 through the 1830s. One of the sons, Victor, started his own store in Paris in 1820, while another son, Antoine, continued the old shop.

The company was taken over by Henri Renaud in 1839 and renamed Renaud & Co., then bought by Joseph Sichel-Javal around 1840. It continued to make perfumes under both the Laugier and Renaud names, including the famous Bouquet de la Reine in 1844. Starting in 1928, the Renaud perfumes were advertised as long lasting because they were 'specially processed in amber,' meaning that their main base note was ambergris, and the term 'Ambree' was added at the end of their names. In 1929, they claimed that their crowning achievement was their perfume Sweet Pea (1925). However, they continued to created perfumes at least through 1949.

An interesting side story is that when perfume chemists Édouard Laugier and Auguste Laurent were working in Laugier Père et Fils in the 1830s, they spent their evenings searching for what scientists of the time believed was a unique essence that differentiated living matter from nonliving material. The performed experiments, seeking to prove this 'vitalism' theory, and they claimed to have discovered structural differences between naturally occurring molecules and their synthetic counterparts, even when the molecules are chemically identical. (However, in 1828, German chemist Friedrich Wöhler had obtained urea artificially by treating silver cyanate with ammonium chloride, the first time that an organic compound was synthesized from inorganic materials without the involvement of a living organism. This urea was chemically identical to naturally occurring urea, which discredited the idea of vitalism.)



E. Coudray - Bouquet des Souverains (and others, 1822)

The small perfume shop M.Maugenet & E.Coudray was established on rue Saint-Honore in Paris around 1810. Edmond Coudray, a doctor-chemist, traveled over the world bringing back exotic raw materials to make fragrances. He was what was called an 'avant-gardiste,' experimenting to create new scents. From 1837, the firm was a supplier for the crowned heads of France, Italy, Austria, Portugal, Russia, and England. For England's Queen he made the perfume Reine Victoria. One of their most famous products was Agua Divina (1860), which was reputed to have been used in ritual magic ceremonies. Coudray's relatively early perfumes also included Reve de Paris (1920), Nohiba or Tulip Noir (1922), Charme de France (1920), and Onyx Noir (1930). Upon the death of Emond Coudray in 1860, his son-in-law took over the company. Coudray Parfums remained a family business until 1908, when it was acquired by Edouard Colmant. Among their clients was the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt, preferred Meduline body cream, featuring patchouli and rose.

The company became nearly defunct around 1920, but after World War II it was revived. The truly modern history of Coudray began in 2002 with a new owner, who determined to restore the traditions and the image of the house. Almost all current fragrances of Coudray are based on old formulas and even have the same names (Vanille et Coco, Jacinthe et Rose, Givrine, and Nohiba).




Guerlain - Bouquet de Roi d'Angleterre (and various others, 1828)

Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain had studied soap-making and essence distillation in London. In 1828, he opened the first shop of the Guerlain house in the Hôtel Meurice in Paris, selling vinegars, scented soaps and cosmetic products (including the liquid ‘Bloom of Roses’ for lips). Initially, perfumes were only customized for particular individual clients, without any 'off the shelf' products or mass marketing. However, very soon the company began to produce perfumes for the general public, beginning with Bouquet de Roi d'Angleterre, while continuing to create custom fragrances for high society Parisians. There were several of these 'common' perfumes made in 1828, followed by Guerlain and Eau de Cologne Impériale in 1830.

In 1840, Guerlain moved to Rue de la Paix. By that time, his sons Aimé and Gabriel had entered the business, and Guerlain was named official provider for the Queen of Belgium. In 1853 Guerlain re-introduced a version of Eau de Cologne Impériale, created for Empress Eugénie de Montijo, wife of Napoleon III, and the firm received a warrant as royal supplier to the French Court. Also among early customers were England's Queen Victoria and Queen Isabella II of Spain.

Pierre-François' son Gabriel eventually took over the business, and his son Aimé Guerlain (nicknamed Jicky) continued the creation of perfumes after Pierre-François died in 1864. The fragrance Jicky was introduced in 1889, the year the Eiffel tower was erected. In 1895, Jacques Guerlain — son of Gabriel Guerlain and grandson of Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain (and perhaps Guerlain's most legendary perfumer) introduced his first fragrance, Le Jardin de Mon Curé. He went on to create such classic fragrances as L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko, Shalimar, and Vol de Nuit. Then after Jacques died in 1963, it was his grandson Jean-Paul Guerlain who continued the family business. In 1994, in a break with tradition, the family sold the company to the conglomerate Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). In the years that followed, other perfumers were brought in to formulate products, which some perfume aficionados saw as a step towards cheapening and commercializing of the legacy. Jean-Paul Guerlain had stayed with Guerlain only in an advisory consultant role, and LVMN cut its ties with him in 2010.

Guerlain still operates from Paris and remains one of a handful of fragrance houses which control their natural ingredients 'from field to flacon.' For example, ylang-ylang comes from their own plantations in the Comoro Islands, bergamot is specially grown for them by farmers in Calabria, vetiver in Tamil Nadu, roses in Bulgaria, as well as orange blossom and petitgrain in Tunisia. In addition, they source their own jasmines. They sell updated versions of some of the early fragrances, and the original Eau de Cologne Impériale (1853) is still in production.




J.B. Filz - Wiener Lieblingswasser (1830)

Anton Filz founded his first perfumery in Vienna in 1809, providing perfumes and cosmetics for the International Congress there in 1814 and 1815. In 1818 he died, and his young son Johann Baptiste took over the company but struggled because clients were not trusting of someone unknown. But in 1829 the Danube Steamship Company started regular service to Budapest, and Johann Baptiste was able to sell his products in the markets there. He created Wiener Lieblingswasser (Viennese Favorite Water) in 1830, and the next year he made Echt Pariser Damen-Conservations-Wasser (Real Parisian Ladies' Conservation Water). These became very popular, and the volume of business expanded. Subsequently he traveled to Paris and London, setting up a network for sales there. In 1860 he passed the business to his son Wilhelm, and the company was appointed a royal supplier to the Austrian court in 1872. The firm remained in the family through both World Wars, run by Wilhelm's son Rudolf and primarily making soaps during that time. After Rudolf's death in 1949, his daughter-in-law Gertrude continued the family tradition, then gave business management to her daughter Helga Zmrzlik-Filz and granddaughter Angelika Liebhart in 1978. Currently the family is still making creams, soaps, pomades, makeup items, and 'fragrance waters' as Vienna's oldest perfumery.



Roger & Gallet - Fugue (1832)

Charles Armand Roger and Charles Martial Gallet were married to two sisters. These sisters were heirs to an uncle who had bought the historic Jean-Marie Farina perfume house in Paris, and the men were able to purchase the perfumery in 1806. In 1832, they introduced the perfume Fugue. Its top notes were bergamot, neroli, orange blossom, and lemon; heart notes were rose, ylang-ylang, jasmine, oakmoss, and labdanum; and base notes were galbanum, sandalwood, cedar, patchouli, vetiver, and ambergris. They had been able to purchase the complete catalog of perfumes, including the original Eau de Cologne, and in 1862 they continued production of them under their officially established name of Roger & Gallet. They produced Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille in 1875 and offered the scent also in perfumed soaps. It has top notes of Amalfi lemon, bergamot, and Mandarin orange; middle notes petitgrain, rosemary, neroli, carnation, and rose; and base notes clove, myrtle, cedar, vetiver, musk, white amber, and sandalwood. This unchanged fragrance is still available.

Roger & Gallet specialized in toilet soaps and made a name for itself with its luxury bath soaps, which first appeared in their signature round shape in 1879, wrapped in crinkled silk paper. The company collaborated with Baccarat glass, and in 1923 they worked with glass artist René Lalique, who produced 'The Jade' and other bottles for them.

Eventually the founders were replaced as directors by their sons, and the firm went through several sales. In 1975 the company was purchased by the Sanofi Group, and in 1999 Gucci acquired it, then sold it in 2008 to l'Oreal. Finally, in 2020 it was bought by Impala SAS.




Jules Hauel - Philocomel (1835)

Jules Hauel was a very early American perfumer, with a shop on Chestnut Street in Philadelphia. He was a druggist who had started his business in 1839 as a 'Fancy Goods Dealer.' Initially he just imported perfumes from Europe, including Guerlain. The first perfume he actually created was Philocomel in 1835, and in 1850 he produced À La Rose. He was well known also for producing his own shaving creams in very elaborate and beautiful pots, which today are valuable collector items. In 1863, Hauel partnered with F.B. Strouss, and the business was described as 'Perfumers & Fancy Soaps Mfrs.' They continued to make perfumes and other toiletries, including his popular Depilatory Powder, Bear's Grease, Balm of a Thousand Flowers, and Indian Vegetable Hair Oil, until around 1865. The Company also published an Almanac & Monitor of Fashion 'for gratuitous distribution' in 1854, providing guidance for use of products for different seasons, occasions, and emotions.



Marcus Spurway - Eau de Roses (1835)

In 1825, Marcus Spurway's uncle Hermann opened the first family distillery in Cannes while vacationing there, calling it La Parfumerie de l'Ile Notre Dame. Marcus went to work there and began to create perfumes, including the 1835 Eau de Roses. In 1893, management of the business was taken over by Marcus Humphrey Spurway and Herbert O'Donoghue, a descendant of the royal house of Munster in Ireland, and the name was changed officially to Spurway. By 1897, they had expanded with workshops in London, New York, Vienna, and Sydney, and in 1905 the house became an official supplier for the Queen of England. Prominent perfumer Jacques Langasque assumed control in 1935. During the Cannes Film Festival in 1945, the brand caught the attention of an international audience and they began to develop custom perfumes for celebrities, including Michelle Morgan. An additional company branch, Club Parfum, was created in Grasse in 1999. Still headquartered in Cannes, the company produces a range of cosmetic products, as well as creating scents for other companies that include Dior, Givenchy, and Chanel.



Luce of Jersey - Eau de Cologne Britannica (1837)

George Luce began to produce his Eau de Cologne Britannica in 1837 at his home on Jersey in the Channel Isles. The product had over 40 different ingredients, including attar of roses and musk deer pod. It was sold worldwide through the early 1900s, including the U.S., Canada, Japan, Argentina, India, Australia. A second manufacturing plant was established in South Africa by 1924. The Eau de Cologne was bottled in 30 different shapes and sizes for the different markets. In 1920 they also produced the slightly different All-English Eau de Cologne. Most manufacturing later was transferred from Jersey to Southampton, where the perfumes were made in the cellars of an 11th century house. In 1917 James Wilfrid du Pré bought the remaining Jersey part of the business from his brother George and subsequently formed a partnership with their younger brother Harold to produce perfumes and toiletries. Harold also created Eau de Cologne in stick form, calling it Frozen Eau-de-Cologne. Eventually the Jersey operation was sold to Elegance. It is not known whether they continued to produce the Eau de Cologne separately, nor is it clear when the Southampton business closed.




Treu & Nuglisch - Doppeltes Krönungswasser (1837)

Treu & Nuglisch was founded in Berlin in the 1820s and became an official supplier to the Prussian Court. They created Doppeltes Krönungswasser (Double Coronation Water) in 1837 to honor Ernest Augustus, King of Hanover, but most of their perfumes were made around 1890. In 1902 the firm was acquired by Berlin perfumers Paul Köthner and Max and Franz Schwarzlose.



Philippe Larbalestier - Esprit de Lavanda (~1840)

The Larbalestier family settled on the Channel Isle of Jersey by 1309, according to a census, with a member named Raoul Le Arblaster named. (Arblaster is an English cognate.) The name Larbalestier ('crossbowman') apparently honored an ancestor who was a bow-bearer for William the Conqueror. The first known Philippe Larbalestier came from a branch of the family in Jersey's Trinity parish. He founded a jewelry and apothecary shop in 1813. After marrying Marie le Bourdonin in 1820, he began to develop perfumes. His first commercial perfume product is thought to have been Esprit de Lavanda, released sometime around 1840. However, the company released at least 27 fragrances around that year. Eventually his grandson Philippe took over the business and sold it to his cousin, also named Philippe, before emigrating to Australia. An advertisement placed by that cousin Philippe in Jersey Illustrated in 1895 states:

"Mr Philippe Larbalestier - Jeweller and Perfumer, Charing Cross - this establishment is well known as one of the best in Jersey for high class jewellery and perfumery... Amongst the more fashionable kinds of scent for which the house is noted Eau de Cologne, White Lilac and Mikado, Jersey Bouquet, Esprit de Rose, Esprit de Lavande... take pride of place, but in addition to these, Mr Larbalestier distils and sells large quantities of White Moss …and other popular perfumes. We may add that the business has been in the hands of the Larbalestier family ever since the time of its foundation in 1813 so that records date over a period of nearly sixty years. Locally it has always been patronised by the elite of society, whilst its general ramifications extend to literally every quarter of the globe."

House Larbalestier apparently made perfumes through the 1920s, but the history is unclear.



John Gosnell - Prince Albert's Bouquet (1840) (Eau de Cologne 1760?)

Although said to have roots dating back to 1677, the perfume house was officially established by John Price on Lombard Street in London in 1760 as a wholesaler and exporter of soaps, brushes, and perfumes. It went through various name changes over the next 150 years. In 1790 the name became John Price & Sons, and in 1806 it was listed as T. Price & Co. In 1814 John Gosnell became a partner, and the company traded as Paley, Price & Gosnell. In 1818 Price and Gosnell continued in partnership, and they became perfumers to the Prince Regent, later King George IV. Gosnell died in 1832, and the business was distributed among his family, being listed in 1840 as J. Gosnell & Co., 'Wholesale Perfumers and Flower Distillers.'

Prince Albert's Bouquet was created in 1840. Its top notes were neroli, citron, bergamot, orange, cassia, and angelica; middle notes werre cloves, rosemary, cardamom, jasmine, tuberose, and rose; and base notes were clary sage, ambergris, musk, balsam of Peru, and tonka bean. This was followed by Jockey Club and several other fragrances in 1853, Garibaldi's Perfume and others in 1860, and group batches of fragrances in 1873 and 1878. There are claims that Gosnell's Prince Albert's Bouquet actually was a copy of a perfume with the same name made by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain the same year, and it is known that other companies copied it to commemorate Albert's marriage to Queen Victoria, hoping to receive royal warrants.

During Victoria's reign, the company expanded globally, using inventive advertising such as flying perfume-shaped hot air balloons over Paris and London and dropping leaflets and samples to the people below. The house began to face commercial decline in the 1920s and relocated to Lewes in 1929, but they continued to produce perfumes until at least 1947.



Rallet - Eau de Cologne Russe (1842)

Rallet was founded as a candle factory in Moscow in 1843 by Frenchman Alphonse Rallet. He was joined by his older brother Eugene, and by 1855 they were also producing perfumes, soaps, powders, and lipsticks. That year the company was named an official supplier to the Imperial Russian Household. Subsequently they met Emile Baudrand, a French trader, who became their distributor for western Europe. In 1856, having made his fortune but suffering from progressive lung problems, Rallet sold the business and returned to France with his wife and daughter, where he began to restore a chateau in Biviers. Meanwhile, the business retained his name. In 1898 the company was purchased by the large Chiris company, of Grasse, and by 1900 it had become an official supplier to the royal courts of Persia and Montenegro as well as Russia.

By the early 20th century, Rallet offered around 1500 products and had three retail stores in Moscow in addition to a wholesale business in St. Petersburg, with shipments throughout Russia and to China, Persia, and the Balkans. In 1912, Rallet's technical director, Ernest Beaux created the very popular Le Bouquet de Napoleon. When the new Soviet government assumed power in 1917, Rallet & Co. was nationalized under the names Svoboda (Freedom) and Nova Zayra (New Dawn). Nova Zayra continues now to be a major cosmetics enterprise in Russia. After this nationalization, Rallet's French staff regrouped at the main Chiris plant in La Bocca, France, and they were joined in 1926 by Beaux. However, Beaux left to become technical director for Chanel, and Rallet was sold to Coty. Rallet's existing fragrances were offered at least until late 1948, but the firm never regained prominence and soon closed. Information on the many fragrances Rallet produced between 1843 and 1914 is very fragmented, with a bit more information available about products released after World War I. The last new fragrances to be developed were Last Paradise and Le Success in 1935.



Bourbon French Parfums - Kus Kus (1843)

Arriving in New Orleans, Louisiana from France in 1843, August Doussan established Bourbon French Parfums in the French Quarter. He began creating perfumes for the wealthiest local families, first launching Kus Kus that first year. He took on a business partner, a young chemist named J.H. Tindel, who had studied perfumery in Europe, and they changed the store's name to Bourbon French Perfume Company. The store prospered and eventually was sold to Marguerite Caro, who had worked there and studied perfumery under Tindel's guidance. In 1973, Marguerite's granddaughter Alessandra Crain inherited and ran the business. She sold it in 1991 to the current owner, Mary Eleftorea Behlar. The house continues to offer some of the original fragrances created by Doussan and Tindel, as well as newer ones in a number of collection series.



Lecontre - Ninon (1845)

Maison Lecontre was established in Paris by a Dr. Lecontre (or Leconte). In 1845 the company launched their 'Ninon' line, which apparently became very successful. I could find no other information.



Rimmel - Jasmin (1845)

Eugène Rimmel, born in 1830 in France, moved with his family to London when his father accepted a position there managing a perfumery. He apprenticed with his father, and in 1834 he opened his own House of Rimmel on Bond Street and began to produce his first cosmetic products. By the age of 24, he had become a renowned perfumer by making bespoke fragrances. He created his first big commercial success, Jasmin, in 1845. He released Jenny Lind Bouquet and Jockey Club in 1851.

Rimmel is considered by experts to have been a beauty and healthcare trail blazer, contributing significantly to concepts of bathing and hygiene. He developed the first commercial nontoxic mascara, which became so popular that 'rimmel' even now is the word for mascara in several languages. He received 10 Royal Warrants from various European heads of state, including Queen Victoria. In 1865 he published 'The Book of Perfume,' a very knowledgeable text on the subject.

Rimmel's two sons assumed control of the company after he died in 1887, but they delegated management of it, and ownership eventually passed out of the family hands. After difficulties and several sales, the brand is now owned by Coty.



Certosa de Pavia - Ciclamino (1846), Gelsomino (1846), Gra Car (1846), Muguetto (1848)

The Certosa de Pavia is a Carthusian monastery located in Italian Lombardy, north of the medieval town of Pavia and close to Milan. It was commissioned as a monastery and family mausoleum by Gian Galeazzo Visconti, the first Duke of Milan. Building began in 1396, but the buildings were not fully completed until 1523. It was originally home to an order of monks, who lived there until being expelled by the Austrian Emperor Joseph II in 1782. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, the monastery owned large estates comprising over 5700 acres of irrigated farmland, producing wine and herbs with which they made perfumes beginning in 1846. In that first year they launched Ciclamino, Gelsomino, Muguetto, and Gra Car.

From the late 1800s, the Certosa was then variously occupied by other orders of monks who also made herbal products, or was temporarily closed, until the current Cistercian community arrived in 1968. The Cistercians who now occupy the monastery are a silent order. They live in individual two-story cells, each one having its own small garden and a hatch by the door which allows food to be delivered without any need for communication. The monks now are making liqueurs, soaps, and perfumes again, which are sold to visitors. (The monk who serves in the shop is allowed to speak to customers, but only in a whisper.)




Molinard - various Eaux de Fleurs (1848), including jasmine, mimosa, and rose

The early history of Molinard is uncertain. Albert Sittler is said by some sources to have founded Maison Molinard in 1848 in Grasse, producing scented floral waters that year. But the official history dates its origin to 1849, when chemist Jeaune Molinard opened a shop there selling floral waters made with his own secret recipes, including several Eaux de Cologne. This history states that Sittler then purchased the company from Molinard in 1852 but retained the original name. In 1860, Molinard began producing single floral fragrances (solaflores) which became renowned and extremely popular, including Jasmin, Mimosa, Violet, and Rose. These were introduced in elegant crystal bottles designed by Baccarat.

In 1894 Molinard set up its own distillery, and in 1900 it expanded with the purchase of an old perfume factory whose structure had been designed by Gustave Eiffel. The company headquarters was moved to Paris in 1920. The distinguished glassmaker Julien Viard also created glass flacon designs for Molinard perfumes in 1920. In 1921 the company created two innovative and revolutionary products, Habanita and Concréta. Habanita (Little Havana) was first introduced as a perfume for tobacco. Then in 1924, it was offered directly to consumers as 'the world's most long-lasting perfume.' Concreta, also introduced to the public in 1924, claimed to be the world's first compact (solid) perfume, in which 'natural flower wax is used directly as a perfume.' Both Habanita and Concreta are still sold today, and vintage Concreta has become a favorite of collectors for its individually hand-painted pot tops.

During the Art Deco 1920s and 1930s, they hired famous master glassmaker René Lalique, who created the stunningly beautiful bottles for the perfumes Iles d'Or and Madrigal and Le Baiser du Faune. During World War II, when perfume production was curtailed, the firm produced 'prisoner's parcels,' which included soaps, to comfort French prisoners of war. Since 1981 the company has been controlled by a fourth generation Molinard family member, Jean-Pierre Lerouge-Bernard, whose two daughters are also now employed in the business. It still produces perfumes, soaps, body care products, candles, and aromatherapy products.



Edouard Pinaud - Lilas de France (1848)

Edouard Pinaud left home in 1823 at age 13 to become a perfumery apprentice in Paris. In 1830 he founded his own perfume house by buying A la Corbeille Fleurie, and he began to make custom bespoke fragrances. His first well-known commercial product was Lilas de France in 1848. In 1852 he partnered with his friend Emile Meyer to found the perfume factory La Villette and opened four of their stores in the city. When Queen Victoria visited Paris to attend the Universal Exposition in 1855, they created a perfume, Bouquet de la Reine Victoria, in her honor. It won a gold medal, and in response she named Pinaud an official supplier to her court. They also became a supplier to French Emperor Napoleon III. Following Pinaud's death in 1868, Meyer took over management of the company, passing it to his son-in-law Victor Klotz in 1883.

In 1900 the company chemists launched the hair gel Brilliantine, which became a common generic name for such a product in several languages. In 1908, Henri and Georges Klotz took over from their father and contintued to expand the business, including opening a large store in New York City. The Klotz family controlled the firm until going bankrupt after the 1929 stock market crash. Roger Goldest succeeded in relaunching the brand in 1935 as Parfum Pinaud. In the 1950s, he was the first to market skincare products and perfumes for children. The company's last prestigious perfumes were Moskva (1945) and Sensation (1949), with subsequent items lower priced for mass marketing. The house now manufactures men's grooming products under the Clubman-Pinaud brand name, registered by Billion Venture Singapore.



Goet & Rifflard - Bouquets (various, ~1850)

Goet & Rifflard were the predecessors of the perfumers Roger & Gallet. Jean-Marie Farina of Eau de Cologne fame sold his perfumery business to Leonce Collas of Goet & Rifflard in 1840. Goet & Rifflard launched Bouquet de Chantilly, Bouquet de l'Empereur, Bouquet de l'Imperatrice, Bouquet d'Eugenie, Bouquet de Victoria, and Bouquet du Prince Impérial in or around the year 1850. In 1862, Collas transferred ownership of the firm to his two cousins, Armand Roger and Charles Gallet, and they folded it into their own company.



Viville Parfum - Femmes de France (1850)

The company was first established in 1836 by Albert Camus, and Femmes de France was created by his perfumer René-Albert Viville in 1850. It remained his most famous perfume. The house was officially established as Viville on ave de l'Opera in Paris in 1892. Other perfumes created by Viville Parfum included Violette Reine, Caresse de Fleurs, and many others in 1895; Cage d'Amour, Irresistible Muguet, and others in 1900; and Fleurs d'Or, Iris Bleu, and others in 1903. One of their best known fragrances was Bacchanale (1909), which featured 'the fresh clean scen of the blossoming grape.' Around 1924 Viville was purchased by Yardley and was called Viville-Yardley. Their entire showroom in Paris at that time was famous for being decorated by Emile-Jacques Ruhlmann with Art Deco ebony furniture, fixtures, metalwork, and carpets. Their last products in 1930 were Proche de Moi and Boton di Oro.



Breidenbach - Royal Hunt Bouquet (1852)

Breidenbach & Co. was first established by Aaron Page in London's Grosvenor Square in 1793. Page was listed as a hairdresser, perfumer, and distiller of eau de cologne. He passed the business to his son William, the to his son-in-law Francis Henry Breidenbach. Francis Breidenbach had been born in Cologne and was trained in Paris. In 1936 he changed the house name from Page to Breidenbach, and in 1852 he moved the business to New Bond Street. That year he created Royal Hunt Bouquet, followed the next year by Empress Eugenie's Nosegay, Eau de Cologne, and several others. In 1853 the house began to use cut glass bottles made by the artists C. Depinoix et Fils. The company received a Royal Warrant in 1841.

An advertisement in The Spectator in 1859 stated: "Breidenbach Distiller by to the Queen 157 New Bond Street. The following will vouch for the superior perfumes distilled by H. Breidenbach. Mr. Breidenbach has become a perfect artiste in parfumes, he touches the rose with the scent of the lily, and adds a perfume to the violet, until at last he finds himself in such a flowery maze, that it becomes absolutely necessary to create names for his refined aromas. Amongst a perfect galaxy of refreshing scents all bearing names of some notability of political military or even literary culture we can recommend from our own preference the Malakoff bouquet the Palmerston or the Panmure all deliciously fragrant yet differing essentially from one another."

The business moved to Burlington Arcade in 1900, and the next year they produced Coronation Lily as a coronation presentation for Edward VII. In 1916 the family name was changed to Bryden because a German-sounding name was not advantageous due to emotions around the First World War. The firm was sold to Eugene Rimmel Ltd in 1930 and folded into their operations.



Roussel & Bazin - Bazin's (1852)

Xavier Bazin served as the laboratory director for perfumer Eugene Roussel from around 1840 to 1849, when he took over ownership of the business (after which Roussel focused on his soda and mineral water business). Roussel had opened a branch on Broadway in New York City, and Bazin operated it and continued to use Roussel's name with his own until about 1853. In 1852 he launched his first creation, the fragrance Bazin's. Bazin continued to be very successful with his perfumes, hair and body products, and shaving creams, the latter sold in pots with ornately decorated lids. He was the sole proprietor until the mid-1870s, when his sons joined. In 1875 he formed a partnership with Robert O. Kilduffe, forming X. Bazin & Co. in Philadelphia, described as a 'steam fancy soap works and perfumery.' The Bazin family owned the firm until 1884. The history after that is unclear.



Dralle - Lilionese (1852)

The Dralle perfumery house was established in Hamburg around 1850 by perfumer Georg Dralle. He created Lilionese in 1852. In 1886, his business had expanded, and produced greater number of perfumes, including Lily of the Valley (1886) and Eau de Cologne (1887), and with large groups launched in 1911, 1920, and 1924. In 1894 they introduced the August-Victoria-Veilchen line, the most famous of which was the very concentrated flower essense Illusion (1908). They advertised that Illusion was the most costly perfume in America and that 'a single drop goes further and keeps the fragrance longer than many that are apparently less expensive.' Dralle appears to have continued to produce perfumes until the 1960s.



Acqua di Genova - Colonia Classica (1853)

Acqua di Genova was created in 1853 for the Royal House of Savoy by the famous Genoese distiller and perfumer Stefano Frecceri. The perfume was a great favorite of all the European royal families, and it quickly became an indispensable part of the morning toilet of every important personality of the time. Illustrious society figures of the time such as Camillo Benso, Count of Cavour and Constantino Nigro didn’t hide the fact that they used the fragrance to add the final touch to their appearance.

Italian King Vittorio Emanuele II was so impressed with Acqua di Genova that he granted Frecceri a royal warrant and appointed him as official purveyor to the court. Virginia Oldoini, the Contessa di Castiglione, then hailed as one of the most beautiful women of Europe, loved the fragrance. She was was a role model for many men and women at the time, and she became a favorite at the French court of Napoleon III. Her charm and charisma were so great that the women at the French court began to imitate her by adopting her favorite fragrance, Acqua di Genova Colonia.

The house was awarded 24 gold medals at international expositions from 1855 to 1894. After 170 years, Acqua di Genova Colonia Classica still is made according to the unchanged formula and has the same original hand-made bottles. The house also offers modern fragrances, including La Superba, Gold, Silver, and 1853 Lady.



Grossmith - Mitcham Lavender (1855)

J. Gorssmith & son Ltd., one of England’s oldest perfume houses, was founded in London in 1835 by John Grossmith, but it was his son, John Lipscomb Grossmith who developed the firm into a brand that involved not only parfumerie alcoholique, but also soaps, powders, toilet preparations, and dozens of other scented products. Grossmith was the only British company to receive a prize meal for perfumery at the 1851 Great Exhibition. Royal warrants were given to the firm by Queen Alexandra (consort of King Edward VII), as well as the Royal Courts of Greece and Spain. Grossmith offered a custom fragrance for the 1893 wedding of Prince George of Wales and Princess May (later King George V and Queen Mary). The house perfumer John Liscomb, trained in Grasse, was reported to be responsible for 300 formulae, 96 of them fragrances.

The company launched several perfumes in limited edition Baccarat flacons, individually numbered and etched in gold, including the classics Hasu-No Hana (1888), Phul-Nana (1891), and Shem-el-Nessim (1906).

Grossmith was family run for three generations until 1924. But by 1970 it had changed hands several times, and trading stopped in 1980. Subsequently, Simon Brooke, the great-great-grandson of the founder, brought the company back into family ownership.



Louis Panafieu - Eau de Cologne (~1858)

Panafieu created several versions of Eau de Cologne for Napoleon III, as well as a pomade for the musketeers to use on their mustaches, and he subsequently sold the same fragrances to high-class Parisians. The ingredients and notes of his products are not known. He apparently died in Aveyron, France in 1722. In 1991, his great-granddaughter Marie-Hélene Rogeon founded Les Parfums de Rosine.



Rigaud - Ylang-Ylang (1860)

Jean-Baptiste François Rigaud moved to Paris from Auvergne around 1853 and bought the Victoria perfumery, where he began to create perfumes, mainly floral ones. His first formulations under the Riguad name in 1860 were Ylang-Ylang, Bouquet of Manila, Bouquet of Paris, and Victoria Bouquet. By 1876 he had begun to use synthetic ingredients, one of the first to do so. He opened outlets in New York City, throughout Europe, and in Asia and South America. In 1906, Victoria Riguad assumed control of her father's perfumery and opened another shop in Paris, subsequently marketing under the name V. Rigaud Parfumeur. Later her son Henri joined her in the business. In the early 20th century house Rigaud became known for having famous opera stars as their clients, including Geraldine Farrar, Mary Garden, Emma Trentini, and Carolina White. In 1950, the company was one of the first to make scented candles, supposedly after Viviane, wife of the owner Mario Rigaud, requested such candles to be used to scent their Paris boutique. Rigaud Paris still makes and sells perfumes and scented candles.



Oriza L Legrand - Violettes du Czar (1862)

The name of the perfume House is the combination of two names: Maison Oriza and L. Legrand. Maison Oriza was founded on rue Saint-Honore by the famous royal perfumer Jean-Louis Fargeon in 1720. The name Oriza, a joining of words 'or' (gold) and 'riz' (rice), was created by perfume master Louis Legrand, who took over the house in 1811. It refers to rice powder that was a key ingredient of their original cosmetics. The house was an official supplier for Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife, Empress Josephine, as well as Emperor Napoleon III, and they were provisioners for the royal courts of England, Italy, and Russia. In 1860, Legrand was succeeded by his partner, Antonin Raynaud, who set up in Levallois-Perret the first known steam-powered perfume factory.

Oriza created Violettes du Czar in 1862. Under Raynaud's guidance, the company released in 1879 the perfume line Parfumerie Oriza, the first in the world in which each perfume was accompanied by cosmetic products with the same name and package design. In 1887 the company Oriza patented and produced the world's first solid perfume (Essence Oriza Solidifiee). They launched a new luxury store on Place de la Madeleine in 1890.

The refinement of Oriza fragrances was said to be matched only by the elegance of their flacons, made of Baccarat crystal from the mid-19th century. Oriza L. Legrand has successfully participated in international exhibitions and has been regularly awarded prizes and medals, from the bronze medal at the 1867 Universal Exhibition in Paris to the Grand Prix there in 1900. Following the fashion trends of the Art Deco period, the company has violet fragrances Violettes Prince Albert (1900) and Violettes de Nice (1924), amber fragrances Fin Comme l'Ambre (1913) and L `Ambre (1920), the chypre fragrance Chypre Mousse (1920), and oriental fragrances Kadidja (1920) and Venise (1925). Today the owners are bringing back to life some of the early creations, after years of historical research.




Phalon - Night Blooming Cereus (1863)

Edward Phalon opened a hair preparation shop in New York City in 1840, then expanded the business to three stores. By 1856, he was selling Macassar Oil, Bear Oil, depilatories, hair dyes, and his own Hair Invigorator. Around 1858, his son Henry joined him, and the company began to make fragrances under the name Phalon & Son's Perfumery. One of their first scents was Night Blooming Cereus in 1863. In 1873, Henry opened his own soap business, while his father moved into 'gentlemen's furnishings' (socks, ties, gloves, underwear, etc.). During his last years in business (1880-85), Edward was advertised as a barber.



William H. Brown - The Earth Filled (1863)

William H. Brown opened his apothecary shop around 1815 in Baltimore, expanding by 1852 to importing and creating perfumes, with house perfumers named George and Frank Drexel. In the 1860s the company advertised as 'Importers and Jobbers of Drugs, Medicine, Chemicals, Essential Oils, Corks, Sponges, Fancy Goods, Perfumery, and Druggists' Sundries.' Their somewhat strangely named fragrance The Earth Filled was marketed in 1863. By 1879, they displayed a full line of perfumes, sachets and sachet powers, and toilet boxes. In 1903 it was incorporated as William H. Brown & Brother. Their fragrances included Triple Apple Bloom (1900), Violet Simplicity (1906), Violila (1906), Lilioptus (1906), and Japonita (1911). The firm continued to produced perfumes until at least the mid-1920s.

Early Commercial Perfumes - Part 3

d'Orsay - Eau de Bouquet (1865)

The d'Orsay house was founded in 1865. However, its first product, Eau de Bouquet, was said to have been created in 1830 by Count Alfred Guillaume Gabriel Grimod d'Orsay, a famous 'Dandy' who died 13 years before his namesake perfumery became a business, to reflect his forbidden love for the married Marguerite Gardiner, Countess of Blessington. He also formulated the legendary perfume Etiquette Bleu, which still is in the d'Orsay line of fragrances. The company remained a small venture until 1908, when the Compagnie Française de Parfums d'Orsay was established by a group of investors who had acquired the name from the family. In 1911, Chevalier d'Orsay was introduced and became very popular; it is still availalbe. It has lavender, Amalfi lemon, orange, and basil top notes; nutmeg, cinnamon, pepper, and mint heart notes; and musk, patchouli and vanilla base notes.

In 1916 d'Orsay was purchased by Jeanne-Louise Guérin and Théophile Bader. Under Guérin's management, the company flourished. After studying chemistry, her son Jacques joined the company. In the 1920s, bottles were created for d'Orsay by Baccarat and Lalique. In 1936 Jacques became director, a position he held for over 50 years. By 1983, however, the company foundered. Groupe Marignan acquired the name in 1993, then sold it in 2007 to Marie Huet, a professional marketer. Since then the house has been run by Huet and once again has a reputation for quality and elegance.



California Perfume Co. - Crab Apple Blossom (1865)

David McConnell was a book salesman and publisher but was not satisfied with that occupation; and in 1865 he apparently created a perfume called Crab Apple Blossom (although I could find no documentation other than the names of the company and the perfume). The history for the next 20 years is unclear, but in September 1886, he started a fragrance business in lower Manhattan, New York City. In 1892, at the suggestion of his business partner Alexander D. Henderson, he changed the name to the California Perfume Company. The firm published their first sales brochure in 1896. The direct sales model still used by the Avon company began with the California Perfume Company's earliest representative, Mrs. P.F.E. Albee. By 1902, the business had 10,000 sales representatives and was a pioneer in creating career opportunities for women.

Their first products to bear an Avon brand name were launched in 1928. The California Perfume Company filed for its first Avon trademark on a beauty product in 1932, and officially changed its name to Avon in 1939. Avon became a publicly traded stock in 1946, and expanded its business all over the world during the second half of the 20th century.




Roberts - Acqua Distillata alle Rose (1867)

Henry Roberts opened his pharmaceutical laboratory in 1843 in Florence, Italy. A chemist and druggist, he kept an extensive stock of English patent medicines, perfumes, teas, and wines, supplying most of the apothecaries in the Tuscan region within 20 years. In 1867 he created the rosewater Acqua Distillata alle Rose (or sometimes labeled Acqua Distillata di Rose), a skin care elixir that is still sold today. And in 1874 he formulated Borotalco, a soothing and refreshing body powder. His pharmacy merged in 1921 with the Manetti business to form Manetti Roberts, which still is headquartered in Florence and sells fragrances and cosmetic products.




Palmer - Garland of Roses (and various others, 1868)

Solon Palmer, born in New Hampshire in 1823, started as a teacher in Cincinnati. For unknown reasons he abandoned teaching and established a perfumery in a building owned by the Presbyterian Church, who rented the front of the property to him while conducting religious services at the rear. His business thrived, and people bought his Bear Oil Pomade and fragrances such as New Mown Hay, Rose Geranium, and Lavender. He is credited with organizing the first traveling sales force to represent a perfumer in America, with salesmen visiting towns in Ohio, Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and New York. The new Pony Express even carried Palmer products to San Francisco. According to one source, he moved the business to New York City in 1871 to reach a larger market. The centennial of the Declaration of Independence in 1876 spurred him to start manufacturing perfumed soaps. During the next five decades he also produced over 100 perfumes.

According to a different source Solon opened his perfume and toiletry company in New York City in 1847. He was said to have begun by selling his Palmer's Invisible, a ladies' face powder; his own Handkerchief Extracts; and toilet soaps. Later he added other cosmetic products, brilliantine, and perfumes. He acted as the U.S. agent for Bazin's of Paris, as well as creating his own fragrances, beginning in 1868.

In an 1886 advertisement, he called himself the 'leading perfumer in America,' and his toiletries were endorsed by Adelina Patti, a world-famous soprano opera singer of the time. In 1892, Solon retired, and the company was run by his son Eddy, who later passed it on to his own son Solon. During the Second World War, patriotism helped to market beauty products, and Palmer's Dress Parade Perfume of 1939 was advertised as the 'Perfume of Victorty.' Palmer house remained in business until 1947.



Borsari - Fiordaliso (and various others, 1870)

Marie Louise of Austria, Napoleon Bonaparte's second wife, died in 1847 and was buried in Vienna in accordance with her wishes. She had loved flowers, especially the wild violet: she used its motif in her signature and wrote letters in violet ink. She had them sent from Austria and planted them in Parma, Italy, where they spread widely. There she prevailed upon the monks at the Monastery of the Annunciata, whom she had supported financially, to distill an essence of the flower, which they did for her personal use. The monks jealously guarded the secret method of distilling the fragile essence of Violetta di Parma for years.

Borsari perfumery house was officially established by the barber and perfumer Lodovico Borsari in 1897. He had visited the monastery and smelled the essence of the flower distilled by the monks. Eventually he persuaded them to part with the secret formula for Violetta di Parma and began to produce it 1870. Lodovico went on to create many more classic fragrances for his perfume house, including Acqua di Rosa Thea (1880), Bouquet di Violette (1890), and Eros (1908). In 1880 he created the famous Acqua Classica, a refreshing citrus blend that became popular with both men and women. Top notes are orange, lime, and bergamot; middle notes are rosemary, geranium, and basil; and base notes are ginger, sandalwood, ivy, oak, and musk. Borsari continues to operate in Parma, and both Violetta di Parma and Acqua Classica are still sold today. The Borsari Perfumery Museum opened its doors to the public in 1990.



Brocard - Muguet de Mystère (and various others, 1870)

In the early 1800s, Atanas Brocard owned a small perfumery in Paris but was unable to compete well with the larger established ones such as L.T. Piver and Guerlain. His son Henri apprenticed with him, and in 1864, Henri opened his own soap and perfume business in Moscow, Russia. By the end of the 19th century, Brocard was the largest soap maker in Europe, and it was an official supplier to the Russian Tsar and the Spanish royal court. Supplied by Grasse perfumery wholesaler Roure Bertrand Fils, Henri Brocard began to create perfumes, formulating Muguet de Mystère, Flowering, and others in 1870.

In 1917, after the Russian Revolution, Brocard house was nationalized and became 'Soap and Perfumery Factory No. 5.' In 1922 it was renamed Novaya Zarya (New Sunrise), and their first perfume under that name was Red Moscow. For many years the business was directed by Polina Zhemichuzhina, the best friend of Stalin's wife; but in 1948, although the company remained in operation, Stalin had her imprisoned for treason. Novaya Zarya has continued to make cosmetic products, and the perfume Red Moscow is still sold.

In 1991 a new Brocard perfume house was started in Moscow by Alkor & Co., with other branches in Russia, Ukraine, and Germany. Working with well-known noses such as Bertrand Duchaufour and Maurice Roucel, it now produces high quality perfumes.



Maubert - Fougère (1870)

In 1850, François Chauve founded a company which grew and processed flowers from Provence. His nephew, the perfumer-distiller Jean-Baptiste Maubert, joined him in his company a few years later. Jean-Baptiste subsequently produced notable perfumes, including the 1870 Fougère. In 1875, Paul Robertet bought the company and renamed it Robertet. In 1883, the firm transferred its head office to Grasse, the cradle of French perfumery. Jean-Baptiste Maubert rejoined the company, began to create perfumes, and won Robertet the gold medal at the 1900 Universal Exhibition. The Maubert family has continued to participate actively in Robertet management to the present. Robertet now has around 40 perfumers, as well as a two-year perfumery school in Grasse.



Vibert Frères - Au Muguet (1870)

Vibert Frères was established around 1772 in Lyons, France. Eventually they moved to Paris, where they sold cosmetics, pomades, perfume oils, perfumes, soaps, and toiletries. They were best known for their hair lotion called 'Petrole Hahn.' With artist Pierre Brissaud, they also created luxury perfume advertising presentations and labels for other companies. They won awards in the 1878, 1885, and 1889 Universal Exhibitions and were awarded the Grand Prix at the 1900 Exhibition.

Their first known perfume was Au Muguet in 1870. The company produced a number of other perfumes in the late 1800s and early 1900s, but the dates of release are not known. Subsequently they also created Diable Noir and Diable Vert in 1924, Aimer and Saphyris in 1925, and Bruyere in 1945. The firm remained a family business until it was acquired by Lanquest Frères in 1925. In 1945, Baccarat created the glass bottle for the perfume Bruyere.




Joseph Burnett - Cologne (1870), Heliotrope (1870), and Kalliston (1870)

Joesph Burnett graduated from the Worcester, Massachusetts college of pharmacy in 1837 and went to work for Theodore Metcalf, a Boston seller of drugs and toilet articles. In 1845 he became a partner in the business, and then in 1847 he opened a similar apothecary business of his own, beginning as an 'Importer of Toilet Articles and Manufacturer of Flavoring Extracts.' That same year he created the first commercial liquid vanilla extract. In 1857, he partnered with William G. Edmonds in Joseph Burnett & Co., and within a few years he was creating popular perfumes, including his own Cologne in 1870.

The company began publishing 'Woman's Floral Handbook,' teaching women the language of flowers and preaching that smelling good was a true feminine trait. The handbook associated specific flowers and plants with emotions and qualities; they then used this symbolism to sell their perfumes, hair washes, chapped hand treatments, and other cosmetics. They also sold handkerchief perfumes that contained a combination of many flowers. In 1873, his sons Robert and Harry entered the business with him, but he remained the director until his death in 1894.




Cottan - Eau de Toilette Mandarine (1870)

Jean-François Arsène, a doctor in Paris with interest in skin care, set up the Société Hygiénique du Docteur Cottan in 1840 to promote hygiene practices. In 1842, already having two cosmetic patents, he established his first perfumery shop and began to create fragrances. He died in 1869, but the next year the re-named Cottan-Porte company released his best-known creation, Eau de Toilette Mandarine. The business continued successfully, but the factory and workshops burned down during the First World War and the company went out of business until being revived in 2021 by Ganaël Bascoul. Bascoul had come across old formulas handwritten by Cottan. Helped by Jean-Claude Le Joliff, he reinterpreted these formulas to develop a new range of cosmetics under the name Cottan Paris 1840.



Acqua di Biella - No. 1 (1871)

Luigi Cantono moved from Italy to Germany in 1865 to study chemistry. In 1871, he opened his perfume factory in Biella, Italy and started production of an aromatic citrus cologne that he called Acqua di Biella No. 1. It has top notes of mint, bergamot, lavender, and rosemary; heart notes of neroli, jasmine, and petitgrain; and a musk base note. An 1872 catalog mentioned bear fat, castor oil, 'flowers of Italy' ointments, toothpastes, brilliantines soaps, creams, face powders, etc.

In 1878 the firm, at that time called Reale Manifattura Luigi Cantono, was named official supplier to the Savoia Royal Household. By 1880 the company had become well known throughout Europe and had won a number of awards. The business was enlarged in 1900, with new manufacturing processes and equipment, but they continued to use the original formulas. In 1965, Paola Corradi Cervi, wife of one of the descendants, added a line of new and sophisticated fragrances and refreshed the brand's image. In 1980, the Acqua di Biella nose Consuelo Cantono introduced new fragrances based on an old recipe book of the Reale Manifattura. Chiara Cantono, a fourth-generation member of the family, joined the company in 1996 and has directed it since then.



Penhaligon's - Hammam Bouquet (1872)

Penhaligon's was established in London in 1870 by Cornish-born William Henry Penhaligon. It started as a barbershop within the Turkish Baths on Jermyn Street, an important homosocial place of the time. The firm introduced its first fragrance, Hammam Bouquet, in 1872, inspired by the Turkish bath and its sulfurous steam. Penhaligon, like most barbers of the time, created his own products to sell to clients, many of whom were politicians. Penhaligon Blenheim Bouquet was created in 1902 at the request of the Duke of Marlborough. Formulated as a masculine cologne named after Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, it is scented with woody, outdoorsy aromas like cedarwood. It also smells of pine and lavender, as well as lemon and lime. This aromatic blend was famously used by Winston Churchill, whose ancestors, the Dukes of Marlborough, occupied Blenheim in the previous century. The perfume has been reformulated over the years but is still available today as the company's best-selling fragrance.

The original Penhaligon's premises were destroyed in the Blitz in 1941, but a second store on Bury Street continued to operate until the mid-1950s, when the company was acquired by Geo. F. Trumper. At that time, they were granted a Royal Warrant by the Duke of Edinburgh. The brand slowly fell into obscurity until being revived in 1977. Subsequently, in addition to the flagship store in Covent Garden, other English and Scottish branches were established, and stores were opened in Paris, New York City, San Francisco, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, and Macau. Today it is owned by Puig International SA.



C.B. Woodworth - Centennial (1873)

This company was founded by Ezra Taylor and someone called Dr. Mitchel in 1855 in Rochester, New York. The next year it was acquired by Chauncy B. Woodworth and Reuben A. Bunnel, and by 1860 Woodworth was the sole owner. Initially it made perfumes, soaps, and toiletries, along with perfume glassware. By 1870 its glass manufacturing had stopped, and the firm's business was limited primarily to perfumes, advertising itself as producing 'imperishible perfumes, triple extracts and toilet preparations.' Chauncy B was joined in the business by his son Chauncy C in 1865, and the name was changed from Woodworth & Bunnel to C.B. Woodworth & Son. The name was then changed in 1894 to C.B. Woodworth Sons. Both the father and oldest son retired in 1906, but the firm remained in younger family hands. However, in 1915 they lost control to a consortium of bankers.

In 1916 Woodworth began to produce fashionable vanity compact cases for rouge and face powder. In 1922 they became the first American cosmetic company to go into the foreign perfume business, opening an affiliated company in Paris. The new company manufactured, bottled, packed, and shipped their own perfumes and vanity cases, competing with the established French houses. By 1927, the Woodworth family once again ran the company briefly before making a public stock offering. At the same time, they moved from being perfumers to more of a general cosmetics establishment. However, in early 1929 they were merged with the Bourjois companies to form International Perfume Company, which soon was renamed Bourjois Inc.

Sources claim that the Woodworth business was producing perfumes as early as 1867, but the first official release was Centennial in 1873.



Leichner - Leichner (1873)

Ludwig Leichner was a German opera baritone who began his career as a singer in 1863 under the stage name Rafael Carlo. It is not clear when exactly he gave up his opera career, but in 1873 he founded a powder and theatrical makeup business in Berlin. Some sources say that he studied pharmacy or chemistry in Mainz before deciding to become a singer, giving him an understanding of the chemistry of greasepaint. Others say that he attended chemistry lectures at the University of Vienna while also studying singing, or that he was employed for a time in an apothecary in Berlin. At any rate, once Leichner had perfected the production of stage makeup, he and his wife began making it for other singers. He opened his factory in 1873 and by 1879 were receiving international exhibition awards for face makeup, as well as body makeup for ballet dancers. His sales also were boosted by a change of stage lighting from gaslights to electric lights, which showed makeup better. Apparently he began making perfumes at the same time, beginning with one in 1873 named after himself, and by the 1880s they had become a significant part of the business. Through his use of widespread advertising, his theatrical cosmetics found their way into use by the general public. By 1900, Leichner was a very wealthy man, and he used his wealth to promote the works of composer Richard Wagner.

Ludwig Leichner died in 1912, and the business passed into the hands of his heirs, who continued to produce cosmetics until their factory was destroyed in the Second World War. Their last known commercial perfumes were Lyra and Darling, introduced around 1924.



Young, Ladd & Coffin (John Lundborg) - Fascination (1874) and California Water (1874)

A Swedish immigrant named John Marlie Lundborg, trained as a botanist and chemist, founded his apothecary in Hudson, New Jersey in 1850. After the business became successful, he moved it to New York City by 1860. In 1872 he sold the business to Richard D. Young, who also purchased the recipes, trademarks, and customer good will, and in 1873 the house was renamed Young, Ladd & Coffin. In 1874 they introduced their first perfumes, including Fascination and California Water.

Lundborg was retained in charge of the laboratory, and during the first years of the new company, Ladd was "studying the mysteries of this most interesting art with Mr. Lundborg." When Lundborg died in 1879, Ladd took charge of the whole perfume manufacturing process, and he and his partners began an aggressive advertising campaign to promote their perfumes and to change the minds of Americans, who had regarded European perfumes as superior to those made in the U.S. By 1884, the name had been changed back to Lundborg, and they had branch offices in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and London, with their perfumes "known the world over." Their extremely lavish exhibits at Expositions created a sensation, and they won several gold medals. In the first years of the 20th century, their business declined, but in 1920 the brand was purchased by investors who improved the products and services, reviving the company's reputation. They made high quality perfumes until World War II.



Lazell, Dalley & Co. - Red Wood (1874)

Lazell, Dalley (or Lazell Perfumer) was originally established in 1839 as Haskell & Bull, a wholesale drug business. It slowly began perfume manufacturing from the mid-1850s under the name Lazell, Marsh & Gardiner, and by 1885 it was operating as Lazell, Dalley & Co. It still was mainly a wholesale druggist but increasingly was being recognized as a perfumer. When the company was incorporated and set up a workshop in New York City in 1891, they began to produce perfumes exlusively. Under the direction of Henry Dalley Jr. the company produced a large number of new fragrances, tradmarking 69 different perfume line names. Two fragrances eventually stood out and remained especially popular: De Meridor and As the Petals, parts of its 'Cloth of Gold' series. In 1910 the firm was sold to two entrepreneurs, who merged it with another company in 1914 to resume marketing of a variety of cosmetic products. However, the business failed, and in late 1935 it was declared bankrupt.



Boucicaut - Essence Violette (1875) and Heliotrope (1875)

Aristide Boucicaut was an entrepreneur who founded Le Bon Marché, the first modern department store. In childhood he worked in the family shop in Bellême, France, which sold hats and other women's wardrobe items, and at age 18 he sold fabrics as an itinerant street vendor. In 1834 he moved to Paris and worked in another wardrobe store. When that store closed in 1848, he became a partner with Paul Videau in a variety store called Au Bon Marché Videau, buying out his partner in 1851. Subsequently he introduced a number of marketing and sales innovations and greatly expanded the store's business.

In 1869, with the assistance of engineer Gustave Eiffel, he built the first department store in Paris, with an iron framework and large glass windows for displays. The store produced and sold perfumes beginning in 1875, first with Essence Violette and Heliotrope. Boucicaut died in 1877, and his wife Marguerite became president of the store, managing it until her death in 1887. The company continued to sell perfumes under both the Boucicaut name and the Au Bon Marché name through 1924. Also starting that year, the store commissioned Baccarat to produce crystal perfume bottles.



Geo. F. Trumper - Wellington (1876)

The Trumper business was established on London's Curzon Street in 1875 by George Francis William Trumper, a barber and master perfumer, who designed it to be reminiscent of the popular gentlemen's clubs of the time. Its popularity grew quickly among the city elite. Queen Victoria awarded its first Royal Warrant as Court Hairdresser, and they have been renewed by all succeeding monarchs. Trumper himself blended his products in the store basement. He created bespoke fragrances to order, and they remained exclusive to one gentleman until the client stopped paying for that service, after which time Trumper would bottle the scent for general sale. Frequently he gave these products the names of the former patrons, such as Astor and Marlborough. The first of them was Wellington in 1876.

Trumper still operates two London retail locations, selling shaving equipment and products, hair care products, and colognes, as well as men's clothing accessories, in the store's original mahogany display cases. Their lime-based aftershaves are still wrapped in pink paper, an homage to the British during the Second World War, when all other commercial colors were required by the military to be used for the war effort.



Henry Tetlow - Heliotrope (1876) and West End (1876)

Although Henry Tetlow's own advertisements claim that the company started in 1849, he actually was only 11 years old then, and he is known to have immigrated to Philadelphia in 1851. The company that he eventually acquired was probably started by Thomas Worsley, who worked with James and John Thomas Tetlow, two men who possibly were relatives of Henry. As a child he worked for that firm, and by 1865 he was ready to start his own perfume and soap business. He is famous for having discovered in 1866 the first safe and inexpensive base for face powders, which previously had contained toxic and costly lead, arsenic, and bismuth. His powder base was one of zinc oxide, which rapidly became used by virtually all powder makers. In 1875, Henry brought his younger brother Daniel into the business, which was renamed Henry Tetlow & Brother; but by 1881 it was commonly known as Tetlow's Perfumery. In 1874 he produced his first brand name products, and in 1876 he created Heliotrope and West End perfumes.

In the mid-1880s there was a bitter split between Henry and Daniel, and the latter began to produce his own cosmetic products to compete with Henry. In 1899, Henry sold his perfume company to his son Joseph, and when Joseph died in 1911 he left the company to his wife Ida. Subsequently there were court struggles among her descendants, ending with Henry Tetlow II running the firm. They had modest success through the 1930s.




Alfred Wright - Margareta (1876) and Mary Stuart (1876).

Alfred Wright entered the hardware business in Rochester, New York in 1850 at age 20. Around 1864, he sold it and traveled to California. With his brother William, he established a proprietary medicine firm in San Francisco in 1869. He left that company and started his perfumery business back in Rochester in the 1860s, with a branch in Philadelphia. He created Margareta and Mary Stuart fragrance in 1876. Other subsequent perfumes were Grand Duchess (1877), Maud Miller (1894), Priscilla (1898), and American Beauty (1899). He died in 1891, and his family continued the business for several years. Wright is credited with being among the first U.S. employers to give workers time off on Saturday so that they would be with their families.




Buck & Rayner - Mars (1876)

Buck & Rayner was a drugstore that was established in 1858 and occupied part of a building at the corner of State and Madison Streets in Chicago from around 1868, rebuilding it in 1872 and renaming it the Buck & Rayner Building. Buck & Rayner subsequently expanded their business into a chain of drugstores and commissioned construction of a new Buck & Rayner building in 1915, occupying a corner store and basement. In 1917 the building's name was changed to the Century Building. They seem to have started to create perfumes in 1876, first introducing one named Mars, and also manufacturing cosmetic compacts through at least the 1920s.



Prochaska - Madeira Bouquet (1878), Bouquet de Kaunitz (1878), Eau de Prague (1878), and Auersperg (1878)

The Prochaska company was established by Franz Prochaska in Prague, then moved to Vienna around 1847. They produced several perfumes from the late 1870s. In 1925 the firm became Proka Parfumerie, whose products were distributed in Europe by Parfums Edouardo until at least 1947.



Krigler - Pleasure Gardenia (1879)

Albert Krigler was a young chemistry student who traveled from Berlin to Moscow to apprentice with French perfume maker Rallet. He fell in love with the daughter of another perfumer there, and to celebrate their engagement he created Pleasure Gardenia in 1879. It featured notes of jasmine, mimosa, and gardenia. Japanese lacquer work motifs were popular in Moscow at that time, and Krigler named his perfume for the gardenia flowers growing in the garden around the golden Kinkaku-ji temples in Kyoto.

In 1904, Krigler started his own company in St. Petersburg, opening a salon there in which members of high society could have custom personal scents made. At that time, everything English was trendy Russia, so he used English names for his fragrances, also adding a number to each name that denoted the year it was created. To escape the coming Russian Revolution, he moved his family back to Berlin in 1905 and opened a shop in the chic Hotel Viktoria. His first perfume there, Schöne Linden 05, honored the famous Unter den Linden avenue. Subsequently his company expanded and opened shops in Austria, Switzerland, and France. In 1931, the house opened a branch in The Plaza hotel in New York City and created American One 31. Soon his fragrances were popular with the city's high society writers and actors. His last perfume was Lovely Patchouli 55, an homage to his experience of the flowering plants in the Philippines. After that his daughter ran the business, but only in the U.S. and only focusing on bespoke perfumes. However, in the 1960's her own daughter became a trained 'nose' and established a Krigler house in London, which produced a number of new compositions. Then in the 1980s, she too concentrated exclusively on bespoke fragrances. In 2005, Albert's great-grandson Ben took over the family business and instituted an aggressive marketing program, with a mail order catalog, while continuing to create new perfumes. He is headquartered now in Hamburg and has opened a store in the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, California, re-opened stores in Berlin and Vienna, and opened branches in Palm Beach, Florida, Chicago, San Francisco, and Houston.



Others

Other perfumers are known to have produced products prior to 1880, but the dates of their releases are not known even roughly, so I have not put them in the list above. These include the following:

In 1856 Joachim Friedrich Schwarzlose, a piano maker, opened the drugstore J.F. Schwarzlose Söhne in Berlin for his children to run. The are said to have made perfumes and toilet articles, Two of the brothers, Kurt and Max, specialized in the production of perfumes, and in 1870 Schwarzlose was named an official supplier to the Royal Court. However, I was unable to find any sources that provided dates for their perfume production prior to their purchase of the fragrance manufacturer Treu & Nuglisch in 1895.

Similarly, Lenthéric, a company established in 1795 as a millinery, informally blended perfumes in their store for sale from 1873 and opened a small salon on rue Saint-Honoré in Paris in 1875. That salon's founder, the hairdresser and distiller Guillaume Louis Lenthéric, was passionate about perfumes and created some for his aristocratic friends; and he became well known in the courts of Europe. But it is unclear whether he ever sold any perfumes commercially; and the company was not incorporated until 1924.

And Jean de Galimard, Lord of Seranon, founded the Corporation of Glove Makers and Perfumers to meet the needs of the aristocratic fashion of wearing perfumed gloves. He founded Parfumerie Galimard in 1747 and was an official supplier of King Louis XV and his court with oils, pomades, powders, and perfumes. However, there are no records of him making any individual commercial fragrances, and in 1800 his company closed its doors and stopped trading, because he did not have a male heir and the family name had disappeared when his daughter married. After the First World War, some of his descendants decided to revive the business. So it is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world, but without early historical data.

In the same light, Fards Rouges & Blancs was founded in mid-18th century and earned a reputation for outstanding quality, becoming a perfume and toiletries supplier to King Louis XVI, Queen Marie-Antoinette, and the Court of Versailles. It was owned by celebrated actress Marguerite Montansier, who also gained exclusive rights in 1775 to balls and shows at the Palace of Versaille and subsequently rights to ones in a number of other cities. Her businesses did well during and after the French Revolution. She entered a partnership with Jean-Marie Dorin, who eventually acquired the house and renamed it after himself in 1819. He continued to make perfumes and makeup items, and the business thrived. And in 1884, Hector Monin became Dorin's new director and gave it a new vision and dimension, exporting products worldwide, throughout the American continent. Yet it appears that there are no records of the perfumes made under Ms. Montansier's guidance, in fact none until the appearance of Un air de Paris in 1886.