It was the connection with one leading figure of the era that brought Guerlain to a new level in the public consciousness, and changed the story of the brand forever.

In 1853, Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain dedicated his L’Eau de Cologne Impériale to the Empress Eugénie on the occasion of her marriage with the Emperor Napoleon III. At the time, he decorated Guerlain bottles with a festoon motif, inspired by the tiles that adorned the top of the column of the Place Vendôme, and 69 bees, symbols of the Empire.

The ‘bee bottle’ was born and would become an icon linked to the Guerlain name. The motif has since has since inspired many Guerlain creations, decorated its products, and today features strongly in its commitment to sustainable development.

In 1864, Pierre-François-Pascal’s son, Aimé, began writing the next chapter of the family story.

The signature fragrance from his period as Master Perfumer was Jicky. For its time it was disruptive and even revolutionary, blending synthetic notes with natural ingredients in ways that had not been seen before. According to Guerlain, it “marked the beginning of modern perfumery”.

Aimé Guerlain’s time was also notable for breakthroughs in makeup. The biggest of these came in 1870 with the revolutionary Ne M’oubliez Pas, the House’s first bullet lipstick, presented in a refillable case featuring an innovative push slide. At the time, it was nothing short of revolutionary.

As third generation Master Parfumer and arguably the greatest influence on Guerlain’s direction for the next century and beyond, Jacques took over from his uncle in 1890. He gave the House’s creations a secret seal, composed largely of vanilla, along with balsams, bergamot, tonka bean and floral aromas such as iris, rose and jasmine. This guiding thread is known as the Guerlinade and has run through all the House’s perfumes for almost a century.

The time of Jacques Guerlain was one of daring and innovation. He created L’Heure Bleue in 1912, with its art nouveau bottle one of the first (of many) to be created in partnership with Baccarat. It remains a staple of the fragrance portfolio today.

Other signature scents included Mitsuoko, created in 1919 at a time when French public interest in Asia had reached new heights, buoyed by enthusiasm for Puccini’s Madame Butterfly and other cultural cues. Guerlain claims it was the first fruity fragrance, due to its creamy peach note – and although a female fragrance, it was adopted by men such as Charlie Chaplin, Sergei Diaghilev – the founder of the Russian Ballet – and dancer and choreographer Nijinsky.

Jacques Guerlain’s biggest breakthrough came with Shalimar, the world’s first oriental fragrance. It was created as a tribute to the 400-year-old Indian love story between the Emperor Shah Jahan and his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died prematurely and for whom the Taj Mahal and Shalimar Gardens were built. Shalimar remains synonymous with the House of Guerlain almost a century on from its 1925 launch.

Makeup was also very much part of the Guerlain story in the early 20th century, with creations such as Rouge d’Enfer, and in the 1930s Rouge Automatique, each featuring new design innovations that set the tone for the market.

Skincare too played a new role, notably in the 1930s when a tanned complexion became a reflection of social success. In tune with this, Guerlain created a sunless tanning product: Teint Doré Par Le Soleil, which was followed by other popular ranges in the years that followed.

Jean-Paul Guerlain served as apprentice alongside his grandfather Jacques before creating his first scent, Ode, at the age of 18 in 1955.

One of his great contributions was to pivot the Guerlain portfolio more towards men. In 1959 he created Vetiver, a spicy, woody line aimed at the South American market. Then, in 1965, he composed Habit Rouge, the first oriental fragrance for the male market.

The company still highlights Habit Rouge as “one of the gems in Guerlain’s male fragrance offering today”.

Later, in 1989, Jean-Paul Guerlain created Samsara, with strong notes of sandalwood, South Asian woods and jasmine.

It was also a time of new thinking around skincare. In 1984, Guerlain released Terracotta, the first travel-friendly make-up and a benchmark in bronzing powders. Today, one Terracotta powder compact is sold every 20 seconds around the world.

In 1987, small multi-coloured beads made their debut appearance in a box inspired by a powder compact belonging to Catherine de Medici. The launch of Météorites saw loose powder presented in the form of pearl-shaped balls for the first time – an innovation that meant the powder did not fly everywhere. To this day, they are manufactured by hand at Guerlain’s site in Chartres.

Thierry Wasser is the fifth generation of Guerlain Master Perfumers, and the first from outside the family (the company was acquired by LVMH in 1994).

He made his first big statement with the launch of La Petite Robe Noire, part of the Exclusive Collection, in 2009, a year after joining. Since then, his role has been one of exploration and discovery, as he notes.

“Before me, the previous Guerlain Perfumers had scoured the globe in a constant quest for the most marvellous raw ingredients for their perfumes. It was a profession, a passion and even an irrepressible need,” says Wasser. In 2017, he created Mon Guerlain, the latest blockbuster fragrance from the House (below), with Angelina Jolie as Muse helping to peak awareness around the world.

Through Creative Director Olivier Echaudemaison, makeup has become an even more elevated category within the portfolio over the past two decades. The neatly sculptured lipstick KissKiss appeared in 2005, and the memorable design of Rouge G was reinvented. Echaudemaison also reinvigorated Terracotta, enlivening the offer with new variations.

Echaudemaison has noted that “a woman does not go out without mascara” and has overseen the development of striking lines such as Cils d’Enfer, which sculpts the curve of the eyelashes, along with the refillable mascara Noir G, featuring an integrated mirror, which continues the collaboration with artistic designer Lorenz Bäumer for Rouge G lipstick.

Guerlain has also pioneered new techniques for protecting women’s skin from the effects of time and the elements. Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain developed creams, lotions and ointments from Blanc de Perle to Lait d’Iris, and later Secret de Bonne Femme brought skincare into the modern age in 1904, offering light texture and full hydration.