Vintage Perfume - Jicky by Guerlain

Discover the Art and Science in the History of this Scent

Aug 24, 2009

Advances in chemistry heralded advances in creativity in late nineteenth century France. Jicky was one result of such endeavours.

Fragrance history is a fascinating subject, and Jicky is a landmark fragrance. One hundred and twenty years old this year, it is still enjoyed by men and women today.

Science of Scent: the Impact of Synthetic Organic Chemistry on the Perfume Industry

The late nineteenth century was an incredible period in perfume development. Scenting the body was becoming increasingly popular as more modern attitudes towards bathing and hygiene developed in Europe. Scientific advancements in earlier decades also played a hugely important role. The advent of synthetic organic chemistry in the 1830s enabled aroma chemicals to be identified and isolated. This changed perfume, and particularly the role of the perfumer, forever.

The First Perfumes to Use Synthetic Ingredients – Fougère Royale and Jicky

Despite some debate, it is generally agreed that the first perfume to contain synthetic ingredients was Fougère Royale by Houbigant (1882). Chief perfumer Paul Parquet used the chemical coumarin, an aromatic, crystalline substance found in tonka bean seeds. Also based on oakmoss, geranium and bergamot, the fragrance defined the ‘fougere’ (fern) genre.

Soon after, perfumer Aimé Guerlain (1834-1910) combined natural and synthetic fragrances to produce Jicky in 1889, a scent that is still sold widely today. As well as coumarin, Guerlain added the synthetics linalool (a component of many plants and spices) and vanillin (the fragrance principle of vanilla) to natural fragrances. Like Fougère Royale, Jicky is a fern based fragrance, but it is much sexier – there is something feral and animalistic about it, which perhaps explains its long term success.

Science was not the only inspiration for the famous fragrance. There are two stories behind the scent.

The first is that ‘Jicky’ was a girl with whom Aimé fell in love while studying in England. Unfortunately, he returned home heartbroken, and created the scent in memory of his relationship with her.

‘Jicky’ was also a nickname for Aimé’s nephew, Jacques, who went on to become the family’s greatest nose, creating innovative greats such as Shalimar, Mitsouko and Vol de Nuit, amongst other. It is fitting that such an innovative scent could be named after him.

The Second Generation of Guerlains – Aimé and Gabriel

Aimé and his brother Gabriel were the sons of Pierre Francois Pascal Guerlain (d.1864), who founded the company in 1828. Gabriel was the strategist who focused on the perfumery’s commercial activities. Aimé was the ‘nose’ whose innovations laid the foundations of modern perfumery. Together they developed the business, and their hard work paved the way for Gabriel’s son Jacques’s incredible olfactory achievements.

Jicky completely changed the role of the perfumer. Previously, the aim had been to represent natural scents; now, the perfumer was cast in the role of the artist/scientist, creating entirely new fragrances. Without it, there would be no sparkly, aldehydic scents (of which Chanel No.5 is a famous example), and certainly no aquatic perfumes (including L’Eau D’Issy by Issy Miyake), which use synthetics to evoke marine scents in the top and middle notes of a fragrance.

The copyright of the article Vintage Perfume - Jicky by Guerlain in Perfume is owned by Victoria Robinson. Permission to republish Vintage Perfume - Jicky by Guerlain in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.