Have you ever heard of Henry Jacques? Neither had we, until yesterday. This fragrance house is nonetheless one of the most extraordinary in existence; and certainly the most confidential. The reason is that, ever since its creation in 1975, it has only produced custom-made scents for enamoured, enlightened, and (very) well-off enthusiasts. To date, three thousand creations make up the select perfume collection of the laboratory.
It all started with the encounter of the young publicist Henry Cremona, his wife Yvette, and Joseph Sassi, an old school perfumer, part of the fifth generation of a dynasty from Grasse. They click instantly, sharing a passion for raw materials and weary of practising a not gratifying enough job; they decide to completely turn their lives around by moving to Provence, building a creative shop in Draguignan, and embarking on a dizzying adventure: absolute excellence.

At a time when the offer is overflown by the rise of mass market and shiny marketing (uniform scents and phoney bottles), of course, it works!

The company soars thanks to word of mouth, a few exhibits, and the unfailing support of clients whose identities are kept as secret as their manufacturing techniques. A few are suspected of being part of the clientele including royalty from the Persian Gulf (as for instance, it has been confirmed, the founder of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan), currently hindered Russian oligarchs, and other worldwide excellencies (Hollywood stars, Brazilian football players, Californian industrialists?) who despise the idea of smelling like their bodyguards. We should mention, since they gave permission, the couple Maria and Rafael Nadal (brand ambassador of the watchmaker Richard Mille, uncle of Anne-Lise Cremona, daughter of the founders, now President of the House), whose line “In All Intimacy” composed of three citrusy juices (owing to the Spanish culture) just came out. Where? The most curious among you will ask: the first shop opened in London at Harrods. Then in Los Angeles, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur. Without forgetting the most recent one number 2 of the avenue Montaigne in Paris.

Before entering, one must go through the garden encircling the corner building. Large enough to be covered with the flowers, herbs, bushes, and fruits used by the royal perfumer that were listed under Louis XIV. One has to linger, to smell, to be amazed even before stepping into the sanctuary. Woodwork here, ancient furniture elsewhere, black walls there, soft couches everywhere, pieces of art (O Alvar Aalto), starting with the bottles themselves, drawn by architect Christophe Tollemer, some of which, obviously made of crystal, are “caged” in golden lacework and precious stones. A series of intimate rooms, delightfully soothing, where, in showcases in lighting worthy of a great jeweller, one discovers the collection of scents. There is the reconstitution of the house’s laboratory, several private lounges, and one dedicated to the titanium carbon or gold “Clic-Clac” that opens on an interchangeable concrete, or the 50 “Classics” one. “Berceau de ma Joie”, “Cascador”, “Down to Heart”, etc. A lot of agarwood, plenty of roses. Here comes the mystery, the secrecy, the confidential part of this story. It appears to be a tale, but it isn’t. Anne-Lise promises us: “There is no added alcohol to our formulas, which are all highly concentrated.” Instantly bringing the listener into a state of puzzlement. Let’s see, what do we know? It’s quite similar to the process of adding a piece of truffle to a container of eggs during a prosperous season in order to infuse them with the flavour of the fungi freshly delivered from the Périgord. The practice of infusion is indeed several millennia old and consists of immersing a fragrant product (flower petals, vanilla, ambergris) in a boiling liquid (alkoxide or oil) in order to dissolve its molecules and other vapours over time. The same process can be carried out in a cold liquid, it’s then called maceration. The collected excipient can be used as is for a number of compositions (as it used to be the case at Guerlain, Coty, and others). Two methods that were abandoned almost a hundred years ago. There is also the result of distillation coming right out of the alembic: the essential oil. It all works: no need to add alcohol, a phenomenal dosing, an extremely precious result. But all of this is only guesswork, unaccustomed as we are to this land of wonders, wherever it may be.