The story of luxury perfume brand Annick Goutal is first and foremost that of an inspired woman, gifted with olfactory talents that are undoubtedly unique. She was born in 1946 in Aix-en-Provence, in the south of France. Always an atypical visionary, Annick Goutal turned her back on music after winning the Prix du Conservatoire de Piano de Versailles at the age of 16, opting instead to forge a path made of freedom, choice encounters, travel, and successful modeling. But it was in the town of Grasse that she would find her true calling. Upon meeting perfumer Henri Sorsana from the brand Robertet, Annick would discover her vocation for the creation of perfumes. By learning the trade, she rediscovered her dormant musical roots and transposed them into scents. In 1980, she opened her very first boutique in an old bookshop on Paris’ rue de Bellechasse, where she took care to preserve an intimate and refined atmosphere. Her first creation was already an enchanting one: Folavril was the name of her antique shop, taken from a novel by Boris Vian. Her compositions adopt the rarest and most noble of essences, like Damascus rose, Grasse tuberose, Sicilian lemon, or Italian iris. It’s an olfactory opera that achieves all its poetry through the natural origins of the perfumes. Guided by her emotions, demanding and generous, Annick Goutal passed away in 1999, leaving a legacy of twenty fascinating, timeless scents, each with the power to procure an intense instant of happiness. Her love of perfume still governs the work of the brand, that, with the greatest of care and extreme precision, note by note, still strives for the perfect accord today.
This savoir-faire, united with a retro-chic style, reflects the artist’s authentic and timeless universe. With a genuine concern for authenticity, the brand turns over the fabrication of its flasks, products, and packaging to artisanal French savoir-faire, making for an original aesthetic like a memory of one’s childhood. The smallest of details and decorations are, for the most part, all done by hand. Today, her daughter Camille and Isabelle Doyen create together with the same complete creative freedom.
In 2013, the brand reformulated its icons, like the flawless Eau d’Hadrien. Created in 1981, this unisex scent exhales a bright and sunny freshness. The livening sharpness of Sicilian lemon sounds out like a soft murmur, while the notes of orange blossom are more sure of themselves for a silkier touch. Its bottle has the same pure typography, the same graphic and contemporary universe as per usual. But this time, the perfume culminates in a new gracious harmony… De rigueur for evening get-ups.
Leave a Reply