Jacques Guerlain

Jacques Edouard Guerlain (7 October 1874 - 2 May 1963) was a French perfumer and the third and most famous member of the Guerlain family. One of the most prolific and influential perfumers of the twentieth century, over eighty of his perfumes remain known, though certain estimates suggest he composed some four hundred. Among his greatest fragrances are L'Heure Bleue (1912), Mitsouko (1919), and Shalimar (1925). Born in the family villa in Colombes, he was educated in England and then in Paris at the Ecole Monge, where he studied history, English, German, Greek, and Latin. His uncle, perfumer Aime Guerlain, trained Jacques from the age of sixteen as his apprentice and successor. In 1890, Jacques created his first perfume, Ambre, and subsequently interned in the organic chemistry laboratory of Charles Friedel at the University of Paris before being officially employed in the family business in 1894.

Guerlain assumed joint ownership of the family company in 1897, shared with his brother Pierre and their father. He took on the role of chief perfumer in 1899 and went on to compose numerous landmark fragrances, including Apres l'Ondee (1906), his first major commercial success, and Bouquet de Faunes. His treatment of heliotrope and violet accords, incorporating anisic aldehyde, eugenol, and large quantities of orris root, was considered exemplary by fellow perfumers, including Ernest Beaux. Despite earning universal renown, a considerable fortune, and honors such as the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, Guerlain was intensely private, never once granting an interview. Many of his major works are archived in their original form at the Osmotheque, donated by Thierry Wasser on behalf of Guerlain in 2014.