The History Of Guerlain

"Glory is ephemeral, only distinction lasts." - Pierre-Francois-Pascal Guerlain, Founder, House of Guerlain.

Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. Guerlain has a history of over 170 years and has created perfumes and aftershaves for countless historical figures and celebrities. These elites have flocked to experience the traditional, quality and luxury of Guerlain perfumes and aftershaves.

Guerlain perfumes have a distinctive and timeless quality and 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".

The House of Guerlain has been a family run business and was owned and managed by generations of the Guerlain family from 1828 to 1994. More than 700 perfumes and aftershaves have been created by Guerlain and many still survive today, even those first created by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain, the first Guerlain perfumer.

Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain opened his perfume store on 42, rue de Rivoli in Paris in 1928. As a doctor and chemist, he enjoyed immediate success thanks to his revolutionary work, which led to many innovative products and accolades.

Pierre-François composed and manufactured custom fragrances with the help of his two sons, Aimé and Gabriel. During this period Pierre-Francois established the ethos of Guerlain, to make good products without concessions in quality, an ethos which gained them ever increasing numbers of clients and the patronage of members in high society. This incredible early success allowed Guerlain to open its flagship store at 15, rue de la Paix in 1840, and put its mark on the Parisian fashion scene.

The fulfilment of Guerlain's potential as a world leading perfume house in this first generation was the creation of Guerlain Eau de Cologne Imperiale in 1853. This monumental fragrance was created in ode to Empress Euguine, Napoleon's wife and on her first taste of this fragrance she was seduced by its fresh and feminine charms. This creation earnt Pierre-François the prestigious title of being His Majesty's Official Perfumer in France, which gave him an international name and commissions to create perfumes for Queen Victoria of England and Queen Isabella of Spain, amongst other royals.

Furthermore, Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain was more than just a perfumer and had such a feel for innovation and fashion that Guerlain became the first to create scientifically based skincare, the first to sell kohl eyeliner and mascara and in 1840, he introduced the very first lipsticks.

With the death of Pierre-François in 1864, the house was left to 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. Aimé was the creator of many classic compositions, including Guerlain Fleur d'Italie (1884), Guerlain Rococo (1887) and Guerlain Eau de cologne du coq (1894). However, many would argue that his greatest composition was Guerlain Jicky (1889).

Guerlain's Jicky is not only considered to be the first modern fragrance through its invention of the now classic 3-tiered structure of head, heart, and base notes, but also for the way in which it combined synthetic notes with natural essences and went against the traditional rigid categorisation of fragrances into genders.

The third generation of Guerlain perfumers were Gabriel Guerlain's children, 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. The quality and timeless nature of these fragrances is evident as most of his perfumes are still sold and marketed today, a legacy that remains unmatched in the changeable world of fragrance.

Amongst Jacques Guerlain's most famous and popular creations are Guerlain Eau du Coq (1894), Guerlain Après L'Ondée (1906), Guerlain L'Heure Bleue (1912), Guerlain Mitsouko (1919), and Guerlain's flagship fragrance Guerlain Shalimar (1925). Jacques Guerlain also composed Guerlain Vol de Nuit (1933) as a tribute to Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and Air France and finally Guerlain Ode (1955), a floral perfume, his last perfume composition, which was co created with his grandson and heir, the then-18-year-old Jean-Paul Guerlain.

Jean-Paul Guerlain is currently Guerlain's master perfumer. Under Jean-Paul's directorship the male fragrance lines have been extended and embellished, to much acclaim. Jean-Paul created Guerlain's classic men's fragrances Guerlain Vetiver (1959), Guerlain Heritage and Guerlain Habit Rouge (1965); the latter is considered by many to be the first male oriental fragrance and again affirms Guerlain's reputation for innovation.

Jean-Paul Guerlain also created Guerlain Nahema (1979), Guerlain Jardins de Bagatelle (1983), and the much coveted and famed Guerlain Samsara (1989). In 1994 Guerlain was purchased by luxury brand manufacturer LVMH, with Jean-Paul Guerlain still at the head of perfume development. Since this date Guerlain has employed famous and esteemed perfumers to continue the ethos of innovation, luxury and quality with Mathilde Laurent, composing Guerlain Pamplelune (1999) and Maurice Roucel, who composed the iconic Guerlain L'Instant de Guerlain (2004) and modern, popular Guerlain Insolence (2006).

This long-lasting and continuing success can be attributed imagination, innovative and rigorous research, high-performance production facilities where the human touch still has its place, highly selective distribution, and meticulous attention to the tiniest detail—these are the strengths that have enabled Guerlain to enjoy phenomenal international growth without ever losing sight of the values it holds so dear.