Guerlain Perfume
Guerlain is among the oldest perfume houses in the world, spanning over 170 years. It began in 1828, when Pierre-Francois-Pascal Guerlain opened his first shop on Rue de Rivoli in Paris, creating unique perfumes for each of his customers. Born in Abbeville, Guerlain left home at a young age, reportedly to escape the violent nature of his artisan father. Guerlain journeyed to London, where he received an education as a chemist. It was on his return to France that he opened his first shop, and with the help of his 2 sons, Aime and Gabriel, his success was rapid and included the patronage of members of high society. By 1840 they were able to open the flagship store in Paris, putting their mark on the Parisian fashion scene.In 1853, with the creation of Eau de Cologne Imperial, Pierre-Francois’ success peaked, earning him the French honour of being His Majesty’s Official Perfumer. This led him to create perfumes for Queen Victoria and Queen Isabella of Spain. When Pierre-Francois died in 1864, control of the house passed to sons, Aime who became master perfumer, (the “nose”) and Gabriel who managed the business side and expansion. This began the tradition of Guerlain being handed down through the family that was to last for many, many years.
The third generation Guerlain saw the house handed down to Gabriel’s sons, Jacques and Pierre. Jacques became master perfumer and was the creator of many of the Guerlain classics, most of which are still sold and marketed today.
He is said to have made the most mark on the history of perfumery. Jacques brought an artistic element not only to his fragrances, but also to his perfumes' packaging: the introduction of a new perfume became a total concept, including the design of the perfume bottle, its label, and graphics. Guerlain began an association with another famed French name, when the Baccarat crystal company provided the bottle for Champs-Elysées, in 1904 (the company would launch a new perfume under this same name in 1996). In terms of marketing, this new approach to packaging represented a turning point in the industry, as perfumers would discover that the design of a perfume's bottle could play a role almost as important as the scent itself in determining a customer's purchase. Indeed, many later perfumes would be created to fill a particular bottle design and to answer to a name. His last fragrance, Ode (1955), was composed with the help of his grandson Jean-Paul Guerlain, who later succeeded him as master perfumer.
Under Jean-Paul Guerlain, the company would also expand and update its related beauty, makeup, and skin care products, replacing the family's traditional recipes with carefully measured scientific formulas and introducing the concept of expiration dating to assure the freshness of its products.
Towards the end of the 1980’s, Guerlain faced a problem; Jean-Paul was approaching 90 years of age and, for the first time in the company’s history, there was no family member to take over the reins. The 25 Guerlain heirs formed a family holding company, Djedi Holding SA, to group their interests; at the same time, Moët-Hennessy Louis Vuitton made its first entry into the company, purchasing a 14% stake in Guerlain.
In 1996 LVMH completed its takeover of Guerlain, when the Guerlain family, through Djedi Holding, exercised their option to sell the rest of their shares to the luxury goods giant. While Jean-Paul Guerlain continued to create for the company, Guerlain's next product launch was to mark the beginning of a new era. Unlike its predecessors, Champs-Elysées, which received a worldwide launch in 1996, was not the creation of a Guerlain "nose." Instead, Champs-Elysées, developed by Christian Lanis, evolved first and foremost as a marketing concept, responsible for adding a floral note to the Guerlain catalogue while attracting a new generation of Guerlain customers.
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