LUBIN

 Parfum Lubin is one of the oldest establish houses in perfumery.

It was founded by Pierre Francois Lubin in 1798, around the time of the French revolution. The most popular items for the aristocracy of the time were the perfumed ribbons, rice powdered balls and masks that were very popular with the young and frivolous aristocrats of the time. With the 'joie de vivre' and endless elaborate and extravagant  balls and social events amongst the royals of France Parfum Lubin was in high demand.

Historically Lubin  scents were worn by many in the Imperial court, Empress  Josephine, the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte, Princess Borghese (Napoleon's sister) Queen Marie Antoinette and her only surviving daughter were amongst the many clients of Lubin. It was only natural that by the end of the French monarchist reign that Lubin's begot the title of 'Official Perfumer of the French Royal Court', and as Lubin's popularity climaxed,  he became the official perfumer to King George IV of England in 1821.
By 1830 with all the turmoil of revolution in Europe, Perfume Lubin's became the first French perfume house to successfully export to America.

In the 1920's Nuit de Longchamp was released in America and was an immediate success.A heady chypre floral blend of exotic ylang, ylang, jasmine, orange blossom iris, rose spiced with cardamom & nutmeg, warmed by patchouli & sandalwood, ending with a classy edge of vertiver and oak moss. A scent most sought after by the society ladies in America of the time.



Luckily, Parfum Lubin survived the second world war and by 1955 Henri Giboulet (re known 'nose' for Lubin) created Gin Fizz as an homage to the beauty and talent of  Grace Kelly. The name was taken from a fashionable drink of that era, which for Henri encapsulated all that was glamorous in American Elite.
The scent is a refreshing top note of of juniper berry, bergamot,orange blossom, vertiver oak moss and lemon,softened by the sweet floral or rose, lily and jasmine with a hint of warmth from musk.


In 1968 L'eau Neuve became a rite of passage for many young non conformists breaking through the class structure of their forefathers..

 With it's citrus  earthly appeal of bergamot,lemon, orange, oak moss, rose, jasmine & cedar, infused with lavender, marjoram, sage & coriander and unpretentiously laced with patchouli sandalwood & musk. It quickly made it's name as the scent of the 'flower children'.

As the new sexual revolution gained momentum L de Lubin was created. To keep in tone with the new free spiritedness,this scent of intoxicating rose, iris,jasmine,heliotrope, ylang ylang, gardenia, spiced with clove, sandalwood, patchouli,vanilla and white pepper , refreshed by lemon and soften with musk and rosewood.became the favourite for the new emerging 'pop' idols and disco divas of the early 1970's.




By 2000 Parfum Lubin was but a mere version of its glorious beginnings and close to bankruptcy. It was saved by Gilles Thevenin and his investors by the re-release of two of Lubins original scents, namely  Idole inspired by the travels of adventurous women such as Amelia Earhart and Black Jade a replica of a scent invented for Queen Marie Antoinette.

The new version of Idole (first created in 1962 for men)has been restructured by the original creator, Olivia Giacobetti.This version has amber, labdanum and incense added to it's original boozy opening of rum,orange, saffron, amber and caraway , leading into a sweet gourmand of palm. sugar, wood notes and frankincense, supported by the headiness of sandalwood, leather, incense and labdanum.A unisex scent worthy of explorers and adventurers..

Black Jade, the name derived from the black vial of perfume worn around the neck of Marie Antoinette which  was filled with a scent encompassing the essence of the then French gardens thick with the aroma of rose ,jasmine and bergamot, melded with  spices from the new eastern French colonies such as cinnamon, incense, sandalwood and patchouli, sweetened with vanilla and amber was resurrected  in remembrance of the  tragic aristocratic French Queen.

From the revolution in France to now Lubin has en captured the essence of each era in a bottle... a most remarkable achievement..







written by Lily



Lubin scents available @ Agence de parfum,David Jones Melbourne.