Perfume History

Jicky (1889): Said to be named after the nickname Aimé Guerlain gave to his nephew, Jacques, or after a girl who broke Aimé's heart as a student in England; Jicky proved to be a great success in its time of creation, and remained popular ever since. Widely heralded as the first "modern" perfume, Jicky was among the first perfumes to incorporate synthetic odorants (vanillin and coumarin) in its composition, and is described by some as being the "ultimate" fougère. The fragrance is known for its earthy hint of civet which characterizes the mixture. Although marketed by Guerlain as a women's fragrance, it has proven popular with men.

Après L'Ondée (1906): Meaning "After the Heavy (Summer) Shower", Après L'Ondée is reminiscent of bitter almonds. Its composition includes violet, rose, hawthorn and hesperidic notes.

L'Heure Bleue (1912): Meaning "The Blue Hour", L'Heure Bleue is perfume with the dusky scent of candies and almond cake bought in an old world apothecary. Although much akin to Après L'Ondée in its pastry and almonds core, L'Heure Bleue is much less bright and more melancholic.

Mitsouko (1919): Named after the heroine of the novel "La Bataille" by Claude Farrère, Mitsouko is said to herald the ending of World War I. Since it uses a similarly styled bottle as L'Heure Bleue, Mitsouko was likely composed as warm counterpart to the cool L'Heure Bleue. Mitsouko has the sweet smell of peach preserves and glazed danishes.

Shalimar (1925): Named after the garden in Lahore, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Shalimar is one of the first perfumes to successfully incorporate large amounts of vanillin in its composition. The scent of Shalimar is densely constructed with a cascade of many notes, deep and velvety with the scent of lemon hinted medicinal vanilla. This is the flagship perfume of the House of Guerlain. Shalimar is thought to be the first exemplar of the fragrance family called Oriental.