The Sweet Smell of Success

“Perfume is a story in odor, sometimes poetry in memory.” – Jean-Claude Ellena

But where do you first tell that story so that it becomes a memory? For Lancome founder Armand Petitjean, it was the 1935 World’s Fair in Brussels. Inspired by the ruins of the castle Le Château de Lancosme in France (he dropped the “s” to make it easier to pronounce and somehow sound even more French), the former Coty executive debuted five fragrances at the fair, including Tendre Nuit, Bocages, Conquete, Kypre, and Tropiques. Awarded a silver medal, Lancome became one of the many brands given a launch at an Expo even rockets in the space age would envy.