Before bespoke perfume even had a name, Guerlain created a one-of-a-kind elixir as a wedding present to Empress Eugénie. Eventually, with the Empress’s permission, the fragrance was made available to the public. 170 years later, the cologne, specifically its custom-made “Bee bottle” embossed with 69 bees, the emblem of the French Empire, has been immortalized as the first made-to-measure perfume. Almost two centuries later, the lore of the iconic Eau de Cologne Impériale lives on. Though this wasn’t the last time Guerlain would competitively innovate and change the fragrance landscape. Just last year, the perfume house launched Les Extraits Signature, a collection of highly-concentrated fragrances that expertly demonstrate its legacy.
When perfumer and creative director Delphine Jelk, who joined Guerlain in 2014, wanted to create something special for the house, she turned to the six star ingredients of Guerlinade, the signature accord of Guerlain fragrance creations since 1921. Instead of formulating one new fragrance with this note composition, Jelk dissected and created individual fragrances highlighting the six raw materials within it — vanilla, tonka bean, iris, rose, bergamot, and jasmine.
Les Extraits may be a new concept to you but, in 1828, when Guerlain was founded, the idea of wearing concentrated extracts was the norm. “Anytime you went to see a perfumer at Guerlain, you always smelled ‘l’extrait’ because this was the perfume,” Jelk says. “After, you could choose a lighter version if you liked it, but just to understand, to see if you liked [the scent] or not, your choice was always made with l’extrait.”
What makes the Les Extraits collection unique today is its 30 percent concentration. For reference, eau de parfums typically have no more than an 18 percent concentration of perfume oil, while eau de toilettes can contain as little as 8. Some of the earliest perfume formulas (simply “parfums”) could contain up to 40. So, Jelk found a sweet spot in the middle, maintaining the dignity of each extract, while also making sure it was long-lasting and wearable without tipping the scale so far that the intensity was agonizing.
Les Extraits aren’t replications of its predecessors, but the collection does honor the careful creation process Guerlain is best known for. Each extract has a specific “golden” number that represents one unique aspect of the production process. For example, Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21: The number indicates the amount of days the house’s chosen organic vanilla planifolia must be cold-soaked in alcohol in order to transform into a tincture, all of which is performed by hand. Guerlain has prolifically used the note since 1925 — without it, we would’ve never gotten the first amber fragrance, Shalimar. For years, Guerlain has expressed its fondness for vanilla in low-key ways, but this uniquely spiced and woody interpretation screams, “Until death do us part.” Simply put: Vanille Planifolia Extrait 21 is the consequence of the note’s position within the Guerlain legacy.
This precious collection isn’t just an homage to the history of Guerlain or perfume — it’s a love letter to fragrance lovers. “You can really play the perfumer,” Jelk says. Though she’s not a personal fan of layering (i.e., mixing one scent right on top of another), she does love using multiple scents at once. “If you put one on your wrist, one on your neck, one all over, I think it’s a way to create your own olfactory look,” she says. “Exactly like you do with your clothes — when you choose this sweater with these pants. It’s a way to be you, and [use] it how you feel it.”
Personalization is a pillar of Guerlain fragrances — and we don’t just mean engraving, though that’s an option, too. From customizing the bottle stopper (you have a choice of 15 plates including smooth leather, marble, and terrazzo motifs) to choosing your own cord and seal (all free of charge), there’s more than one way to make the fragrance your own.
If you have yet to own a piece of Guerlain history, Les Extraits is a perfect place to start — even better if you’re just beginning your fragrance journey. Before you commit to just one (maybe eventually all six), the Exceptional Set grants fragrance amateurs the opportunity to own mini versions of the soon-to-be-storied collection. While it may be one of the newest creations by Guerlain, we won’t be surprised if people are still talking about it 170 years from now. Much of Guerlain’s oeuvre is built using these six iconic notes — Les Extraits proves they’re more than just the sum of their parts.
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