The Lady Bosses of Perfume: Celebrating International Women’s Day 2023

Throughout history, men have dominated the fragrance industry. Yet, women have been in the vanguard of perfumery for over three thousand years. “The first known recipe attributed to a woman,Tapputi-belet-ekallim the perfume maker, dates to approximately 1239 BCE.” Tapputi’s formulas, as well as her existence, remained hidden in the ruins of Assur in present-day Iraq for thousands of years until unearthed by WWI-era.

In the spirit of International Women’s Day 2023, May 8, 2023 all the brands were started by women and here are their stories:

Coco Chanel, the First Lady Boss of Fashion and Fragrance in the modern era said, “Success is most often achieved by those who don’t know that failure is inevitable.” Known for her impeccable style, as the founder, she was credited in the post–World War I for freeing women from corsets, and  popularizing a sporty, casual chic as the feminine standard of style. A true Lady Boss, she fit the models, designed the interlocking CC logo and named for CHANEL No.5  after her favorite lucky number and launched it May 5^th, 1921. At the time of its creation and into the mid-1990s it was the most expensive perfume of its time, blending flowers from Grasse, France, where a pound of jasmine now goes for $33,000. But it’s the secret ingredient of bubbly, sparkling aldehydes that made “herstory.”

Elizabeth Arden was a power woman, who became a mogul, during a time when man ruled business. She started her own brand in 1902 which was one of the first cosmetic companies, when men cosmetic mogul famously opened the Red Door Salon on Fifth Avenue and has a perfume created of the same name. Red Door, composed in 1989 is a lush floral with notes of orchid, jasmine, wild violet, orange blossom, and lily of the valley.

 Estee Lauder, whose real name was Josephine Esther Mentzer was born in Queens, NY. She caused quite a sensation with her first fragrance Youth Dew, a spicy ambery fragrance with notes of jasmine, clove, peach and vanilla launched in 1953. In order to get the buyer’s attention at a department store in NYC she dropped a bottle of Youth Dew Bath Oil on the floor and women shoppers started to clamor for. The rest is “Herstory” she created a Youth Dew Perfume and in 1994. Youth Dew won a Hall of Fame Fragrance Foundation Award, the industry’s equivalent to the Oscars.

Paloma Picasso is the Spanish-French daughter of the famed artist Pablo Picasso. She has exotic looks and is identified by her unique style and flair. Best known for her jewelry for Tiffany and Co, she was the muse for Yves St. Laurent and other fashion designers in the 1970s before she launched her own Paloma Picasso perfume line in 1984. Her first perfume Paloma Picasso is a rich floral chypre with attitude, in fact it immediately brings to mind the drama of the color scarlet her personal favorite, (she is known for her deep red lipstick) and the color of her  flacons. The clove like aroma of dark vermillion carnation is the star supported by red roses and moss Classy and mysterious, a wonderful fragrance to wear on International Woman’s Day.

No actress in Hollywood exuded the glamour of Elizabeth Taylor. From the nine-year-old child star to AIDS activist, from ingénue to the woman who married eight times (twice to Richard Burton), her beauty, tumultuous personal life and violet eyes made her the most famous actress of her time. She won two Academy Awards and four Golden Globes over her lifetime.  Ms. Taylor built her own fragrance empire…and is recognized as the first celebrity to do so in 1987 with her first fragrance Passion. Elizabeth Taylor’s love of fine jewelry inspired most of the 20 Elizabeth Taylor perfumes she would launch with Elizabeth Arden. Her legacy lives on long after her passing in 2011.

Annick Goutal was a former French model that started her own beauty and fragrance brand in 1980, and many credit as the first “Lady of Niche Perfumes”. She created Annick Goutal Petit Cherie (in French it translates into my little darling) to honor her daughter Camille, who now runs her own fragrance company. Opening with a ripe peach note, soft florals are enhanced by the scent of roses and freshly cut grass, before drying down to subtle and smooth vanilla. Like Mother, like daughter – Camille Goutal is a second-generation Lady Boss.

Jo Malone was a London facialist who first created oils in her kitchen before she debuted her collection of colognes in 1994.They quickly gained a cult following and celebrities from Oprah, Sienna Miller to two royals, both Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle (the Duchess of Sussex) are devotees. Meghan is a fan of Jo Malone Wild Bluebell, a scent that captures the dewy azure hued flowers that grow in woodlands. This soft floral feature lily of the valley, the flower of happiness and is touched with the sweetness of pomegranate.

Being a member of the Guerlain family does not necessarily earn you a seat at the male-run business, especially if you are female and expected to keep to traditional roles at home. This did not stop Patricia de Nicolaï, born into the great perfume family. Patricia de Nicolaï was fortunate to learn from great women in the industry, fellow lady bosses, and started her own company in 1989, which is continuing to thrive. Cap Neroli is a tribute to France’s famed Cote d’Azur and the presence of the beautiful trees, scenting the air with their beautiful aroma air

These Lady Bosses of perfume were underestimated in their youth or unrecognized at the height of their careers, nevertheless, they persisted, so celebrate their achievements and wear one of their fragrances on International Women’s Day.