Houbigant Parfum () is a

perfume Perfume (, ; french: parfum) is a mixture of fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agreeable scent. Th ...

manufacturer founded in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

in 1775 by

Jean-François Houbigant Jean-François Houbigant (21 December 1752 – 22 October 1807) was a French perfumer who founded the second oldest perfumery in France. He established a modest shop in 1775 at 57 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré (which would become No. 19 when th ...

Grasse Grasse (; Provençal oc, Grassa in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region on the French Riviera. In 2017, the c ...

(1752–1807). The brand originally sold gloves, perfumes, and bridal bouquets. The original shop À la Corbeille de Fleurs operated at 19,

rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being one of the most lux ...

. Over the centuries, the House of Houbigant became the perfumer to the royal courts of Europe including

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...

Alexander III of Russia Alexander III ( rus, Алекса́ндр III Алекса́ндрович, r=Aleksandr III Aleksandrovich; 10 March 18451 November 1894) was Emperor of Russia, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Finland from 13 March 1881 until his death in 18 ...

, and

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

History

In 1882 the House launched ''

Fougère Royale ''Fougère'', , is one of the main olfactive families of perfumes. The name comes from the French language word for "fern". ''Fougère'' perfumes are made with a blend of fragrances: top-notes are sweet, with the scent of lavender flowers; ...

'', the first ''fougère'' (or 'fern-like') perfume ever created, establishing a new fragrance family which still remains today the most popular family in men's fragrances. During this period, under the direction of the Paris office, offices were established in the United States, England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Poland, and Romania. The New York office had its own manufacturing facility to distribute Houbigant goods nationwide. Houbigant was also the first perfume house to discover how to isolate particular molecules from natural raw materials—specifically,

coumarin Coumarin () or 2''H''-chromen-2-one is an aromatic organic chemical compound with formula . Its molecule can be described as a benzene molecule with two adjacent hydrogen atoms replaced by a lactone-like chain , forming a second six-membered h ...

, which is isolated from the

tonka bean ''Dipteryx odorata'' (commonly known as "cumaru", "kumaru", or "Brazilian teak") is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. The tree is native to Central America and northern South America South America is a continent ...

. In 1912, they introduced ''Quelques Fleurs'', the first true multi-floral bouquet ever created. Up to that time, floral fragrances had been mostly single flowers or were blended with herbs and other essences. ''The Genealogy of Perfumes'' cites ''Quelques Fleurs'' as an innovation that established a totally new fragrance classification and influenced other compositions for years afterwards, including many of today’s important fragrances. Paul Parquet - Portrait photograph

Current status

The Houbigant fragrances are now being manufactured under the original specifications by LOFT Fashion and Beauty Diffusion of Monaco and marketed in the United States by Exclusive Fragrances and Cosmetics.

Timeline

* 1775: Perfumer Jean-François Houbigant opens ''À la Corbeille de Fleurs'', Rue Faubourg St Honoré * 1807: Perfumer Armand-Gustave Houbigant, the son of Jean-François, joins the house * 1807: Houbigant was appointed personal perfumer to Napoleon and created a special perfume for Empress Josephine * Early 19th century: Houbigant was appointed as perfumer to Princess Adelaide d'Orléans, mother of

King Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850) was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, and the penultimate monarch of France. As Louis Philippe, Duke of Chartres, he distinguished himself commanding troops during the Revolutionary Wa ...

. * 1838: The French house was awarded the licence of "Perfumer to Her Majesty,

of the United Kingdom". * 1880: perfumer

Paul Parquet Paul Parquet (1856–1916) was a French perfumer and joint owner of Houbigant. Called the "greatest perfumer of his time" by Ernest Beaux, he is widely regarded as the founder of modern perfumery for having pioneered the use of synthetics in works ...

became joint owner. * 1882:

creates ''Fougère Royale''. * 1890: Tsar Alexander III named Houbigant perfumer to the Imperial Court of Russia * 1912: Perfumer

Robert Bienaimé Robert Bienaimé (15 March 1876 – 12 October 1960) was a French perfumer, notable for his work at Houbigant. Bienaimé was born in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and became a perfumer early in life. About 1910, he joined Houbigant, then under ...

joined Houbigant and created fragrances for the house until he founded his own in 1935. * 1912: Robert Bienaimé introduced ''Quelques Fleurs''. *pre-1950: perfumers Paul Schving and Marcel Billot created perfumes for Houbigant * 1990: Houbigant relaunched ''Lutece'' from prestige department store brand to domestic brand. * 1980s: Houbigant relaunched ''Quelques Fleurs''. * 1985: Houbigant launched ''Duc de Vervins''. * 1998: Houbigant launched ''Quelques Fleurs Royale''. * 2010: Houbigant relaunched ''Fougère Royale''. * 2012: Houbigant launched ''Orangers en Fleurs''.

References

External links

Houbigant Official Website
{{Authority control British Royal Warrant holders Perfume houses Purveyors to the Russian imperial family Companies based in Paris French brands