fRENCH PERFUME NEWS

French Perfume News:  A history of French perfumes, Museums of Perfume Making
and Perfume Reviews 300 Years of Perfume History

There is a reason that French perfumes and Italian perfumes remain the most respected perfume fragrances worldwide and that is the unrelenting quality and careful attention to detail of perfume making.  The French perfumes quality remains pure and consistent because the French do not alter the process of perfume by decreasing quality to increase profits.  As a result French perfumes remain the most expensive perfumes made in the world.

Some of the French perfume makers in Paris have a long history that dates to the 1700 and those were perfume makers who made perfumes for the most prestigious royalty of Europe.  By the time Coty begins to mass produces his famous French perfumes during the Napoleon Bonaparte era the Guerlain perfumes, House of Creed, Houbigant Perfumes (circa 1775), Jean Desperez had been making perfumes for royalty for a 100 years. 

Guerlain the Classic French Perfumes remixed have won prestigious perfume awards today!  It is easy to understand why the House of Guerlain has remained in business for more than 400 years.  Modern day Guerlain perfumes that are world renowned fragrances include:  Shalimar, Mahora, Mitsouko, Samsara and famous Champ Elysees perfume.

Guerlain French classic perfume a prestige perfume for Royalty:  L’Heure Blue perfume by Guerlain

Guerlain French classic perfume a prestige floral perfume:  Jardin de Bagatelle perfume by Guerlain

Guerlain French classic Autocratic leathery men’s perfume fragrance:  Habit Rouge men’s fragrance by Guerlain

Houbigant French Classic perfumes still made today that were used by European Royalty:

Quelques Fleurs French classic perfume:  has remained an important International fragrance for over 300 years,
a fine fresh French floral fragrance designed by Houbigant Paris for French Royalty the perfume
opens with the fresh scent of Orange Blossom followed by a bouquet of
Roses, Jasmine, Lilac, Carnations, Violets, Heliotrope, Orris and Vanilla mixed with Sandalwood and fresh Civet

Houbigant: Demi Jour perfume a classic French perfume, fresh summer perfume
woody floral with Rose, Violets, Heliotrope and Lilies

Houbigant:  Lutes French perfume feminine fresh floral
Lavender, Jasmine, Orris, Lilies, Sandalwood and Cedar woods

Houbigant:  Raffinee French perfume a Women’s winter perfume
Vetiver fragrance with Carnations, sweet sensual Tuberoses and Cinnamon Bark

The French perfume makers in France flourished under the French court system.  Grasse in Southern France, near Cannes is the the center of French perfume industry in France as well as Parma in Italy.  These locations are not coincidental as the locations for growing fields of lavender and other plants used for perfume making have been going on since the time of Julius Caesar. 

Even when France was still called “Gaul” the Italian families had significant colonies in southern France and during the time of the Roman Empire “le Provence” was named by the Roman’s. After the collapse of the Roman Empire the region remained stable even as the German “Franks” invaded Gaul becoming the new conqueror’s that replaced the Italians and renamed the country “France” after their tribal name.

Perfume Museums in France 3000 years of perfume history
Fragonard Musee de la Parfumerie has two locations in France.  The main perfume Fragonard Museum is located Grasse and Eze where it’s factories and there is a second location in Paris near the Opera Garnier on the Rue Scribe between Place Vendome and Galleries Lafayette.  Grasse and Eze are the perfume centers of France and the Fragonard Museum, Musee de la Parfumerie Fragonard, in Grasse area, near Nice contains a collection of objects of art covering 3,000 years of perfume making.

Perfume Museum the Rance Perfume Museum in Milano, Italy:
The Rance perfume museum in Milano provides an interesting view of the history of perfume and a whiff of the world’s classic perfume favored by royalty.  It was Louis Rance, a fine glove maker, who founded the Rance perfume dynasty when he popularized a “perfumed” glove in the first half of the 17th century.  The Rance family owned a factory in Grasse, France and the Rance perfumes were also favored by French aristocracy the family would later move to Italy.

It is the Napoleon Bonaparte wars that began the modern day changes in the old “houses” of perfumers in France.  When Napoleon captured the city of Cologne, Germany his men would begin using men’s fragrances made in Cologne that were cheaper than the French made men’s perfumes, Eau de Perfumes and Eau de Toilettes that they had carried from France.  These fragrances would become known as “colognes”.  The formulae for “colognes” was slightly less costly to make than the French high standards for formulating “eau de toilettes” and the cheaper men’s fragrances “colognes” became very popular amongst the French soldiers. 

Perfume Museum in Cologne 300 years of the history of Eau de Cologne:
Germany:  you can visit the now famous “Farina House” perfume museum that is still in the building and contains the Johann Maria Farina (1685-1766) family collection and which covers 300 years of perfume making in that historic building.  Joann Maria Farina collection includes the Farina family history dating to their Italian home dating to the 13th Century.

World War II would change the perfume industry in France with the addition of new “designer” perfumes introduced by Coco Chanel, Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent, Herve Ledger, Parfums Gres, Caron Paris perfumes, Hermes Paris perfumes, Rochas perfumes Paris, Nina Ricci Paris perfumes, Jean Patou perfumes, Jean Brosseau perfumes Paris, Jacque Fath perfumes, Jean Desprez perfumes Paris, Parfum D’Or Kristel Saint Martin and Balmain Perfumes.  The popularity of “branding” a high quality perfume was well established by Coco Chanel when she introduced Chanel No. 5.  Coco Chanel used the same business model that had been successful for Coty when he started his business under the protection of Napoleon Bonaparte and that is they both bought land and grew the finest lavender and flowers to be used to produce the perfumes that carried their names.

French perfume makers from these years still remain in business today names like Guerlain which is still family owned, and Creed perfumes, a perfumer that became famous with the Royal families when they started using the seed pod from “vanilla” beans from orchid plants as the base of their perfumes.  A few of the famous classic perfume formula from this period are still available today such as Royal Secret and BAL de Versailles perfume.  The perfumer House of Guerlain perfumes still keep their family secrets and have reformulated their families perfumes into some of the most revered and honored perfumes of today such as Shalimar perfume, Mahora perfume, Le Heure Blue perfume, Jardin de Bagatelle perfume and men’s perfumes Vetiver Guerlain perfume and Habit Rouge Guerlain’s men’s Leathery fragrances.  Creed still blends versions of the original “vanilla bean” fragrances with “Royal Delight” Creed perfume

There are a few fragrances that have stood the passage of time as perfume fragrances changed.  This list of names includes unchanged (meaning that they are still made from the original formulas) included;

No. 4711 dating from the French occupation of Cologne, Germany in 1789 and still made in Cologne (citrusy Kolnisch Wasser)
Bal a Versailles perfume fragrance by Jean Desprez a French perfume floral and slightly Oriental perfume
Je Reviens French perfume now made by Worth is an original French floral, violet, roses with orange blossoms and musk
Royal Delight perfume by Creed Parfums, a forestry fragrance laced with violets and tangerine zest for freshness
Royal Secret perfume, sexy musky, Rose, Jasmine, Woodsy and Citrus scent
Soir De Paris (Evening in Paris) perfume made by Boujois Parfums Paris that has become a famous maker of cosmetic products

French perfumes for women should be considered according to the season.  The French are experienced aficionados of perfumes and are more educated to the use and selection of perfume fragrances.  Most French women will have a collection of perfumes for daily use.  Daytime perfumes for summer, hot days when citrus, forest scents, woods and light floral to keep you fresh and crisp.  For evening and winter months the selection changes.  Evening is more formal and requires a slightly more refined perfume.  Winter months are cold and the perfume oils used during those months should be the warmer scents and the spicier oriental fragrances.

French Perfumes:  Fashion Designer Perfumes made in France that are French Perfumes
Coty Perfumes and Parfums International and the Celebrity French Perfumes

Yes, most famous fashion designers have their perfumes made by French perfume company like Coty perfumes.  Coty perfumes makes name brand perfumes for many well known names and these licensed perfumes can be divided into three groups.  The first group of name brand perfumes that are made by French perfumer Coty would be other French owned companies that contract Coty to formulate, bottle and box their famous perfumes, the second group are famous fashion designer perfumes and the third group are famous celebrity name brand perfumes.  For a complete list of Coty French perfumes visit the Coty Perfumes link in the left index.

A partical list of perfume brand names of perfumes developed and manufactured by Coty are as follows:  French Chopard de Paris with perfumes Chopard Madness, Casmir perfume, Chopard Pure Wish perfume and two of these perfumes have been honored with FiFi perfume awards; French fashion designer Pierre Cardin perfumes and colognes that include one of the world’s most popular men’s colognes Pierre Cardin; Chloe perfume by Karl Lagerfeld for the Famous French cosmetic and fashion house and CHLOE perfume was originally licensed by Karl Lagerfeld while he worked for Chloe. 

Fashionable French Perfumes

Coty also makes French made perfumes for numerous fashion designer labels and their designer perfumes, fragrances and colognes are formulated and made by perfumer Coty perfumes in France and these perfume brand names include:  French made Calvin Klein perfumes and colognes, Kate Moss perfumes and colognes, French made perfumes for Jil Sanders, French made perfume for Marc Jacobs famous perfume, French made Kenneth Cole perfumes, fragrances and colognes, French made Nautica designer perfumes and colognes, fashion designer Vera Wang French made perfumes and British fashion designer’s Davidoff of London and Vivienne Westwood as well as German designer Jette Joop and Italian designer Cerruti.

Paris, Perfumes and the Hollywood Connection

Coty Perfumes also makes several important celebrity perfumes, fragrances and colognes and these world known celebrity perfumes brand names are:  JLo perfumes and JLo colognes licensed by Jennifer Lopez; French made Celine Dion perfumes and colognes are made by Coty in France; Hollywood actresses Berry Halle and Sarah Jessica Parker as well as Isabella Rossellini also have their “celebrity” designer perfumes and colognes made in France by Coty and this is the reason these perfumes and colognes are such good quality and have become so successful.

Coty also makes French perfumes for corporations that include:  Lamborghini, the Play Boy Club perfumes and colognes, Baby Phat the hip hop perfumes and colognes, Chupa Chups perfume and Baby Phat fragrances.  Other well know names made in France by Coty include popular men’s colognes including:  Stetson cologne and Aspen cologne for men, Addidas Colognes as well as the famous Coty “Jovan” and “Jovan Musk” French perfume for men.

Parfums International the French perfume maker has offices on Champs Elysees near the history Guerlain perfume showroom.  The name brand perfumes made by this French perfumer include French made Elizabeth Taylor perfumes and colognes and they are the ones who formulated and make the Internationally famous French made White Diamonds Perfume by Elizabeth Taylor as well as French made Passion men’s perfume by Elizabeth Taylor, both White Diamonds and Passion have received International fragrance awards.

Famous French Perfumes of Paris

The surviving Royalty of today, like Princess Diana was French perfumes and Princess Diana’s favorite French perfume was L’Air Du Temps by Paris fashion designer Nina Ricci, who was born in Turin, Italy and moved to Paris when she was young.  Nina Ricci is also blessed by another award winning perfume scent with Les Belles perfume by Nina Ricci.  The list of important and well known French perfumes grows and grows as we look at other famous Paris perfumer makers who manufacture for other corporate brand names.  The list is extensive and starts with the perfumes branded by famous jewelry makers like: Cartier Paris, Chopard Paris and Boucheron de Paris.  And it should be noted that several of these brand name novelty perfumes have also been recognized with honor awards from professional fragrance organizations and there award winners include: Panther Perfume, Cartier Musk perfume for Women, Cartier So Pretty perfume and Cartier Musk for Men, French Chopard perfumes Casmir and Chopard Pure Wish perfume, French Boucheron perfume, Jaipur Perfume by Boucheron and Trouble perfume by Boucheron, and Mouboussin with Mouboussin perfume that a signature perfume of extraordinary quality.  Another famous jeweler is Van Cleef & Arpels that has French made perfumes “First Perfume” and Miss Arpels perfume.

The list of Paris and French made designer brand names includes the famous French perfumes of Givenchy, Yves Saint Laurent perfumes, Coco Chanel, Nina Ricci, Jean Paul Gautier, Annick Goutal de Paris perfumes, French designer Claude Montana, Paris based Italian born designer Loris Azzaro perfumes and colognes, Hermes Paris, Herve Ledger fashion designer, Facconable a famous French label now owned by Nordstrom’s, Louis Vuitton (and you should know that Cartier Paris is owned by Louis Vuitton), Lanvin Paris perfume Arpege, Lalique French perfumes and perfume bottle maker, French perfumes by MontBlanc famous for accessories, pens & watches, French Lacoste the sport clothing designer and Paris based Emmanuel Ungaro as well as Paris perfumer’s Caron de Paris famous for Rose perfumes and Lady Caron a classic French perfume. Guerlain Perfumes on Champs Elysees with a remarkable history of famous perfumes like Shalimar perfume, Mahore, L’Heure Blue perfume, Mitsouko, Samsara perfume, perfumes for women and Habit Rouge for men.  In addition to Louis Vuitton the French leather and the fashion house of Hermes also brands a line of famous perfumes and colognes. 

So you might be asking yourself, “Which perfumes are not French perfumes?”  Well, of course, we have not talked about the famous Italian perfume makers or brand names in this article and that subject will be covered at another time.  Please check back for more information about famous perfumes, designer fragrances and colognes and perfume reviews for women and men and cologne reviews for men.  You can also follow us on YouTube, Facebook.com and Twitter.com for news and sale promotion tweets and news.

French perfumes and French made perfumes, quick reference list:
Annick Goutal de Paris French perfumes Passion, Gardenia and more
Azzaro perfumes – Italian born, French based fashion designer
BCBG perfumes; French perfumes by Max Mara – BCBG is “Bon Chic, Bon Genre”
Boucheron Perfumes; French Jewelry designer
Bourjoise Cosemetics & perfumes; French perfume Evening In Paris “Soir de Paris”
Cacharel famous French perfumes:  Noa perfume, Amor Amor perfume and others
Calvin Klein; French made perfumes by Coty perfumes, Grasse, France
Caron Perfumes; French perfumer famous for Lady Caron, Rose Caron, Narcisse Noir and other perfumes
Carven Perfumes Paris; famous for Mi Giraffe and men’s Vetiver Carven
Celine Paris; French perfumes are Magic (award winner), Celine Pour Femme and Pour Homme
Coco Chanel; Famous French designer and maker of Chanel No. 5 perfume
Celine Dion; famous Canadian singer, her perfume Celine Dion, French made by Coty perfumes
Chopard de Paris; French diamond jewelry designer, signature French perfumes Chopard, Wish, Madness and more
Christian Lacroix French designer, Christian Lacroix French perfumes and fashion are part of Louis Vuitton company
CREED perfumes since 1760 moved to Paris in 1854
Davidoff of London; French made Davidoff perfumes and colognes by Coty Parfums, Grasse, FR
Christian Dior; French designer, Dior perfumes are some of the most “award” acknowledged perfumes in the world
Elizabeth Taylor; French made perfumes by Coty Parfums, Grasse, FR
Emmanuel Ungaro; Paris fashion, Ungaro French made perfumes and colognes
Faconnable; French fashion designer, French perfume and colognes now owned by Nordstrom Group
Givenchy; renowned French fashion designer, Givenchy Perfumes French fragrances Amarige, Organza, Fleur, PI, etc.
Guerlain Paris; French perfumes Guerlian since 1728 famous for Shalimar, Champs Elysees, Mahore and more
Guy Laroche; French designer perfumes and colognes
Hanae More; Japanese fashion designer, French made Hanae Mori perfumes, Butterfly, Blue Butterfly and more
Hermes Paris; French fashion designer & leather handbags, Hermes French Rouge perfume and Caleche perfumes
Herve Leger; French designer, Herve Leger Perfume
Houbigant Paris French perfume maker since 1775, Houbigant Quelques Fleur, Demi Jour and more      
Isabella Rossellini; French made perfume Manefesto, Celebrity designer brand made by Coty Parfums
Jennifer Lopez; French made perfumes made by Coty Parfums, JLo Glow, JLo Still and other perfumes
Jacques Fath, French fashion designer, French perfume Ying and men’s cologne Yang
Jean Charles Brosseau; French designer, perfumes Ombre Rose perfume, D’Or perfume
Jean Desprez; French designer, perfume Bal A Versailles, feminine floral classic French perfume
Jean Patou; French perfumes Joy, 1000 Patou, EnJoy Perfume, Un Amor, Forever Perfume and more
Jean Paul Gualtier; French designer perfume Le Femme, Le Male and more perfumes
Jil Sander; designer French made perfumes by Coty in France
Wolfgang Joop; designer French made perfume Joop made by Coty in France
Karl Lagerfeld; designer French perfumes Chloe, Narcisse Chloe perfume, Sun Moon & Stars perfumes
Kenneth Cole; designer French made perfumes and colognes by Coty, France.
Kenzo; fashion designer Kenzo perfumes are French made in Paris, Flower perfume by Kenzo, L’Eau Par Kenzo and more
Lacoste; designer French perfumes and colognes, sport clothes and fragrances
Lalique; French perfume bottle maker, French perfumes Lalique, Nilang, La Baiser (the Kiss) and more
Lanvin Paris; fashion designer since 1889 Lanvin perfumes French classic Arpege, Eclat d’Arpege
Leonard; fashion designer French perfumes Tamango de Leonard
Lolita Lempicka; fashion designer French made perfumes Lolita Lempicka and Au Masculine cologne
Marc Jacobs; fashion designer French made perfumes Marc Jacobs are made by Coty in France
Mauboussin Paris; diamond jewelry designer French made perfume is called Mauboussin
Michael Kors; fashion designer French made Michael Kors perfumes made by Coty perfumes in France
Molinard; French perfumes since 1849 located in Grasse, France Molinard de Molinard, Habanita Molinard, etc.
Claude Montana; designer French perfume Montana is his signature perfume
Nautica; fashion designer French made perfumes by Nautica and colognes are made by Coty in France
Nina Ricci; fashion designer French made perfumes by Nina Ricci L’Air Du Temps, Les Belles, Premier Jour and more
Oleg Cassini; fashion designer French perfumes and colognes made by Coty in France
Orlane Paris; French Beauty designers Orlane perfumes and colognes Fleurs d’Orlane, Eau de Orlane made in France
Parfums Gres; French perfume designer of Cabaret, Cobachard perfumes, Cabotine de Gres, and more
Parfums Payot Paris; French perfume designer makers of Pavlova perfume and others
Perfumer’s Workshop; French personalized perfume maker and of Samba perfumes and many more I Paris
Pierre Cardin; Italian born, fashion designer, French made perfumes & cologne by Pierre Cardin, by Coty
Rochas Paris; fashion apparel & accessory designer and French perfumes and colognes by Rochas
S.T. Dupont; luxury accessory designer and French luxury perfumes and colognes made in France by Inter-Parfums
Burberry London; UK designer, French made perfumes and colognes for Burberry made in France by Inter-Parfums
Sisley Paris; fashion designers French made Sisley perfumes and luxury colognes
Thierry Mugler Paris; designer Thierry Mugler perfume Angel and Amen colognes are made in Neuilly, France
Rose Torrente Paris; fashion and perfume designer French Torrente perfumes L-Or Torrente are made in France
Van Cleef & Arpels; jewelry, accessory and French perfume designers, First Perfume and Miss Arpels and more
Vera Wang; fashion designer, French made perfumes Vera Wang, Princess perfumes made by Coty in France
Worth Paris; fashion and perfume designers Worth Je Reviens a classic French perfume
Yves Saint Laurent Paris; fashion designer and French perfumes Opium, Paris perfume, Baby Doll and more

The above is a list of famous French perfume designers and of French made perfumes that are licensed by famous fashion designers of “haute couture” fashion as well as famous sportswear designers and entertainment celebrities like Elizabeth Taylor and her famous White Diamonds perfume, Celine Dion and Jennifer Lopez.  The quality of French perfumes means that most of the best perfumes are still made in France. 

However, there are many more perfumes that are made in Parma, Italy that is only a few hours drive from Grasse, France.  To read about Italian made perfumes please visit our web page for Italian Designer Perfumes.  As we can see from the above list of French made perfumes, the perfume manufacturing of today is controlled by a small group of perfume makers. 

For current French and designer perfume news you can follow use on Facebook, or on Twitter for new perfume sale bargains.  Thank you for visiting our website for French perfumes and colognes.