Style Edit: Henry Jacques’ haute parfumerie, from bespoke fragrances to Les Classiques de HJ
Anne-Lise Cremona, daughter of the founder, extends the maison’s heritage as it continues to evolve, opening its world up to a wider audience
This commitment is best embodied by the house’s quintessential craft: Sur-Mesure, or bespoke perfumery. Here, the client embarks on a detailed consultation that maps their tastes, lifestyle, cherished recollections and deepest emotions, enabling the Henry Jacques perfumer to craft a singular, personalised fragrance. An archive of around 3,000 unique formulas – amassed by the atelier over decades on behalf of its discerning global clientele – forms the backbone of this intimate alchemy.
The physical vessels – elegant crystal flacons – that house these precious elixirs are as crucial as the scents themselves. Conceived by interior architect and designer Christophe Tollemer, the bottles are meticulously fashioned by crystal artisans, who take exquisite care when it comes to lustre, balance and form, elevating the vessels to objects of desire in their own right. Henry Jacques’ flacons have also revived the traditional ritual of applying perfume directly to the skin with a crystal rod.
Recent years have seen the company’s evolution guided by Anne-Lise Cremona, daughter of the founder, who began expanding the reach of Henry Jacques’ perfumery to a wider audience in the 2010s. The CEO of the haute parfumerie has launched the Les Classiques de HJ collection, a curated selection of 50 scents representing the diversity of decades of mastery. Bespoke craftsmanship has remained the focus across the brand’s presence, with boutiques in locations like Harrods in London, Paris’ Avenue Montaigne and Beverly Hills in Los Angeles. The same design considerations that extend from the perfumes themselves to flacons and cases also inform these luxurious stores’ interiors.
Among Les Classiques, Ambre Cuir de HJ stands as a signature in the realm of woody, oriental scents. The composition opens with top notes of geranium, lavender and orange flower, leading to a heart revealing frankincense, iris and coriander seed. The fragrance then settles into a deep, long-lasting base of leather, opoponax (sweet myrrh) and amber.
For everyday wear, Blue Vanille offers a sweet vanilla heart complemented by subtle spice and woody notes. This robust yet approachable scent welcomes newcomers to niche perfumery, the warmth it gains from cardamom balanced with a refreshing lightness from white musk and geranium.
Finally, for lovers of floral scents, Rose Snow captures the essence of the queen of flowers in its purest, most elegant form. The scent is a fresh, herbaceous and cool interpretation – hence the name – perfect for those seeking an ethereal, sophisticated aura. The composition’s rose notes are complemented by the bright herbal lift of lemon verbena on initial encounter, followed by the powdery whisper of iris. Light yet profound, the fragrance suits the discerning wearer seeking subtlety in a crowded olfactory landscape.