Guerlain

Guerlain is among the oldest perfume houses in the world. It has a large and loyal customer following, and is held in high esteem in the perfume industry. Perfumes by Guerlain are often said to be inspired by the scent of confections, as a result of a common vanilla and amber accord in many of their fragrances. This unique attribute is often referred to as the "Guerlinade". A perfume by the same name was launched by Guerlain in 1921.

The House of Guerlain was owned and managed by members of the Guerlain family from 1828 to 1994. It was acquired in 1994 by the LVMH Group, a multinational investment corporation specializing in luxury brands. The company has produced more than 626 perfumes.

• 1828 The House of Guerlain was founded, when Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain opened his perfume store on 42, rue de Rivoli in Paris. As both the founder and first perfumer of the house, Pierre-François composed and manufactured custom fragrances with the help of his two sons, Aimé and Gabriel.

• 1840 Through continued success and the patronage of members in high society, Guerlain opened its flagship store at 15, rue de la Paix, and put its mark on the Parisian fashion scene.

• 1853 The success of the house under Pierre-François peaked with the creation of Eau de Cologne Impériale. This perfume earned Pierre-François the prestigious title of being His Majesty's Official Perfumer (France), which lead him to create perfumes for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Queen Isabella II of Spain, among other royalty.

• 1864 Pierre-Francois died and the house was left to his two sons, Aimé Guerlain and Gabriel Guerlain. The roles of perfumer and manager were divided between the two brothers, with Gabriel managing and further expanding the house, and Aimé becoming the master perfumer. As such, the House of Guerlain began a long tradition where the position of master perfumer was handed down through the Guerlain family.

• As Guerlain's second generation in-house perfumer, Aimé was the creator of many classic compositions, including:
  • Fleur d'Italie (1884)
  • Rococo (1887)
  • Eau de cologne du coq (1894)
  • Jicky (1889) which many would argue was his greatest composition. The perfume was said to be named after nickname Aimé Guerlain gave to his nephew, Jacques, or after a girl who broke Aimé's heart as a student in England.
• The business was handed down to the sons of Gabriel Guerlain: Jacques Guerlain and Pierre Guerlain. Jacques became Guerlain's third master perfumer in line; he was the author of many Guerlain classics, which are still held in high esteem in the modern perfume industry. Many of his perfumes are still sold and marketed today.

• Among Jacques Guerlain's most famous and popular creations are:
  • Eau du Coq (1894)
  • Mouchoir de Monsieur (1904)
  • Après L'Ondée (1906)
  • L'Heure Bleue (1912)
  • Mitsouko (1919)
  • Shalimar (1925) Guerlain's flagship fragrance.
  • Vol de Nuit (1933) (a heavy oriental) as a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Air France.
  • Ode (1955), a floral perfume similar to the likes of Joy by Jean Patou, was the last perfume composition by Jacques Guerlain. The composition of Ode was helped by his grandson, the then-18-year-old Jean-Paul Guerlain.
• Jean-Paul Guerlain was the last family master perfumer. He created Guerlain's classic men's fragrances, including:
  • Vétiver (1959)
  • Habit Rouge (1965) which is considered by many to be the first male oriental fragrance.
• Jean-Paul Guerlain also created:
  • Nahéma (1979)
  • Jardins de Bagatelle (1983)
  • Samsara (1989)
  • Héritage and Coriolan (1990s).
• 1994 Guerlain was acquired by LVMH Group and perfumers outside of the family were hired to compose perfumes for Guerlain.

• 1999 Mathilde Laurent worked as a perfumer for Guerlain. She composed Pamplelune.

• 2002 Jean-Paul retired, and there was no heir from inside the family to take over, the role of master perfumer is no longer tied to family succession.

• 2003 Laurent composed Shalimar Light, although authorship of this was later reattributed to Jean-Paul Guerlain.

• 2004 Shalimar Light was relaunched following changes in the formula. Maurice Roucel, a perfumer of Symrise, composed L'Instant de Guerlain

• 2006 Roucel composed Insolence.

• 2008 In May Thierry Wasser was named the in-house perfumer for Guerlain and his effective starting was in June. Wasser, a Swiss perfumer who used to work for Firmenich, has created Iris Ganache and Quand Vient la Pluie for Guerlain before his appointment. Jean-Paul Guerlain is staying on in an advisory role, as a counselor to the presidency, for both fragrance design and ingredients. Wasser will work closely with Sylvaine Delacourte, Guerlain's Artistic Director.

See Also

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• [2] Guerlain company website

Sources of Information

• [3] Wikipedia
• Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5