You don’t have to be an expert to know that rose is an essential ingredient in perfume making. Despite scientific progress which means many natural scents can now be replicated using synthetic compounds, the essence of a natural rose is still considered the holy grail and a symbol of quality in the perfume industry. For Henry Jacques, it is the soul of its fragrances.
In the latest launch of Collection de l’Atelier, the rose not only took centre stage but also marked a breakthrough in the brand's perfume production and creativity.
In 1975, Henry Jacques Cremona established Perfums Henry Jacques near Grasse, the perfume capital of the world, on the French Riviera. Inspired by his travels and a passion for creating exquisite scents, he offered bespoke fragrances to a select clientele, using only pure natural essences and essential oils.
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Anne-Lise Cremona, CEO of Henry Jacques (Zedleets / Tatler Hong Kong)
His daughter Anne-Lise Cremona joined the family business to oversee its expansion and preserve beyond France. In 2014, under her leadership, a new line of perfumes—Les Classiques—was introduced. In 2016, the Les Exceptions collection followed. Both collections originated from the hundreds of formulas that were previously only available to clients of their bespoke offerings. During this process, Cremona realised just how prominent the presence of rose was in Henry Jacques' creations; to pursue the best then became paramount.
Four years ago, the brand needed new large premises following its expansion, and relocated its lab to a wine estate in La Motte, in the Provence region of the South of France, surrounded by vineyards and mountains. And to secure residency in the area, one condition is to plant some sort of crop there. Henry Jacques took this as a rare opportunity to cultivate its own ingredients for its products.
In March 2021, the brand partnered with a local family that had been caring for the farmland for generations and began planting roses—specifically, a species named Rosa Centifolia—on 1.5 hectares of land. “Rosa Centifolia was one of the most commonly grown roses in the region, but I was really surprised to find out its quantity had been reduced drastically over the years. Also, this particular rose variety does not thrive in temperatures below zero Celsius, which can occur [in the region] occasionally. We had to study a lot before the planting took place.”
The Cremona family adopting ancient ways of farming for the rose planting
The Cremona family harvested four tonnes of roses first-time growers, surpass expectations.
A substantial amount of time and research went into working out how to overcome those climate limitations, followed by more time for planting. Cremona took an unconventional approach, employing ancient, labour-intensive cultivation methods that avoided heavy machinery and carefully considered the ecology of the region at every step.
“Adopting ancient ways of farming has been the idea right from the beginning,” says Cremona. “I firmly believe that what has been established in the past holds its own significance. As perfumers who work intimately with natural ingredients, we understand that what we give to nature will eventually be returned to us as a gift from Mother Earth. We want to honour tradition and show respect [to the Earth] by using methods that are as natural as possible.”
Rosa centifolia, a typical species of rose planted in the south of France, was cultivated for the creation of Henry Jacques' Collection de l'Atelier.
In 2023, the Cremona family finally achieved their first rose harvest. They were told that if they harvested a tonnes of roses as first-time growers, that would be considered lucky; however, they surpassed expectations and wound up with four tonnes. The flowers were also not quite what they had expected. “The colour of the petals had a slightly redder hue, likely due to the iron content in the soil, leading to oxidation. Additionally, this type of rose was much more voluminous than all the roses that we decided to plant it close to the sea. All these factors resulted in the scent that we distilled from the roses, which really blew us away.”
It was an emotional moment for Cremona when she first smelled Rose de Mai absolute, the essence distilled from the harvested rose petals. “We anticipated it would be different,” she says, “but we never expected such a significant difference. It was as if I rediscovered the true essence of a rose all over again.” The typical scent profile of Rose Centifolia is characterised by its honeyed notes, which can also be found in the harvest from Henry Jacques, but it also exhibited some unexpected aromas, including herbal and cinnamon notes that sparked the team's imagination, Cremona says. “It was as if a painter discovered a new colour or a chef stumbled upon a new taste; our creative drive became unstoppable. We experimented by incorporating the rose essence into our existing perfume formulas, and the results were astounding.”
Rosa centifolia is famous for its honey-toned scent.
After months of experimentation, Cremona settled on three new creations using the Rose de Mai absolute extracted from the 2023 harvest. Rose Soleil is delicate, warm and spicy, the rose scent complemented by notes of clove, sandalwood, patchouli and ylang-ylang. Rose Très Rose is a reinterpretation of the classic rose scent in which the Rose de Mai absolute aroma is amplified. And Rose Azur is something of a wild child—a combination of rosy sweetness, dry woody notes and zesty tones. The trio serves as testament to Henry Jacques’ expertise—and will only be issued once.
“It has always been our intention to create perfumes that are truly unique and difficult to replicate,” says Cremona of the impossibility of reproducing the three perfumes. “What we strongly feel from this harvest is that nature is constantly evolving, therefore, the quality of the rose will never be the same. Similar to wine, you can never obtain the same taste from the harvest of two different years. We like to see ourselves as an ‘haute parfumerie vivante’, where our perfumes are alive, evolving and changing over time, and reacting differently on various skins. It’s like an encounter in life—how can we recreate a specific moment? That is simply not possible.”
Most business experts would categorise Cremona’s sentiment as romanticism—an attitude generally seen as incompatible with achieving commercial growth. But Cremona’s goal has never been to build a fragrance empire that conquered every major city’s high street and shopping mall. In fact, it was not until May 2022 that Henry Jacques opened its first Paris boutique, on Avenue Montaigne, 47 years since the brand’s inception—an extremely slow (and almost unacceptable) rate of progress by modern-day business development standards.
The three rose-themed perfumes formed the very first Collection de l’Atelier for Henry Jacques, sold as a set of three, with a limited number of 500 sets globally, quickly became some of the most sought-after perfumes by collectors and connoisseurs.
“When my father founded Henry Jacques, he saw himself as the antithesis of big corporations and business,” explains Cremona. “We never enter a new market or open a new store driven solely by strategic reasons. We need to find the right people who believe in the same values as us, connect with the place and believe that we can create something new while staying true to our vision.” Currently Henry Jacques has only ten boutiques around the world, each dedicated to the founding spirit of the parfumerie—they’re all intimate spaces that provide bespoke service and expert knowledge. “We waited for the right space and time for our Paris boutique,” says Cremona, “and it turns out it was all worth it.”
Though Cremona admitted that this unique business approach can make her feel lonely and misunderstood at times, her greatest drive comes from long-term customers’s appreciation of what the brand does. “Every time a customer tells me they have never experienced perfumes like these before, it convinces me that I am doing the right thing.”
The three rose-themed perfumes formed the very first Collection de l’Atelier for Henry Jacques, sold as a set of three, with a limited number of 500 sets globally. While Cremona insists that she never relies on marketing strategies for new launches, the limited supply meant the perfumes quickly became some of the most sought-after perfumes by collectors and connoisseurs. “For us, it’s never about marketing,” says Cremona. “It’s about preserving the expertise in perfumes, working with the best, and producing the best [products]. It is a path we choose and I am not too worried [about commercial growth]. When you want to protect something, you fight.”
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