Parfumerie et Savonnerie Gilot et Cie was a French perfume, soap, and cosmetics house established in the early twentieth century by Emile Gilot. The company was headquartered at 68 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Martin in Paris, an address long associated with the French perfume and toiletries trade. Gilot et Cie specialized in the manufacture of fragrances, toilet soaps, powders, creams, and other beauty products, positioning itself as a modern house that combined perfumery with cosmetics and personal care. During a period when many French firms were expanding beyond traditional perfumes into complete beauty lines, Gilot et Cie developed a broad catalog aimed at fashionable consumers in France and abroad.
The company maintained close associations with the Dubarry beauty brand, which became one of its most recognized cosmetic lines. Under the Dubarry name, Gilot marketed a variety of beauty preparations and skincare products that reflected the growing popularity of luxury cosmetics during the 1920s. This connection helped establish the firm as more than simply a perfume manufacturer, allowing it to participate in the rapidly expanding beauty industry of the interwar period.
Among the firm's most notable creations was Soir de Paris, introduced in 1925. The name, meaning "Evening in Paris," was used by Gilot as a trademark perfume and cosmetics line several years before the launch of the similarly named and ultimately more famous fragrance by Bourjois in 1929. Gilot's use of the name demonstrates that the concept and branding of Soir de Paris were already established within the French perfume trade prior to Bourjois's celebrated release. The Gilot line included both fragrance and cosmetic products, making it one of the company's signature offerings during the 1920s.
As part of its growth strategy, Gilot et Cie expanded through acquisition and absorbed C.P. Blaise, another French perfume concern. This acquisition strengthened the company's position within the competitive Parisian perfume industry and broadened its portfolio of formulas, trademarks, and manufacturing capabilities. Such consolidations were common among French perfume houses during the early twentieth century as companies sought greater scale and wider distribution networks in both domestic and international markets.
Although Gilot et Cie never achieved the enduring international fame of some of its larger contemporaries, it remains an interesting example of a multifaceted French beauty house that combined perfumery, soap making, and cosmetics under one enterprise. Its early adoption of the Soir de Paris trademark and its association with the Dubarry cosmetic line secure its place in the history of French perfumery and beauty culture during the first decades of the twentieth century.
The perfumes of Gilot:
- 1913 La Brise d'Orient
- 1918 Amorea
- 1921 Chypre de Fleur (presented in a bottle by Julien Viard; this was a model for Dubarry)
- 1923 La Meque
- 1925 Eau de Cologne Supérieure
- 1925 Soir de Paris
- 1931 Quelque Chose d'Elle
- 1938 Violette Majesty
- 1953 Pigale
- 1964 Grand Cachet (a line)
- Aux Bruyeres des Alpés
- Chimere d'Or
- Chypre
- Chypre Royale
- Fleurs de Printemps
- Fougère
- Impéria
- Lavande
- Les Parfums de Gilot
- Lilac
- Rosella
- Tango
- Jeudi
- Lundi
- Mardi
- Mercredi
- Rose
- Samedi
- Vendredi
- Virtuosite
The fragrance portfolio of Parfumerie et Savonnerie Gilot et Cie reflects the evolution of French perfumery from the Belle Époque through the mid-twentieth century. The house produced a diverse range of perfumes that encompassed popular fragrance styles of their respective eras, including oriental compositions, floral bouquets, chypres, fougères, lavender fragrances, and fashionable modern creations. Although many of the original formulas have been lost to history, surviving advertisements, trademark records, and perfume references reveal a company that actively sought to keep pace with changing tastes while maintaining a broad catalog of fragrances for different markets and price points.
One of Gilot's earliest known perfumes was La Brise d'Orient, introduced in 1913. Like many perfumes of the period inspired by exoticism and the fascination with the East, the fragrance likely drew upon oriental themes that were highly fashionable in pre-First World War France. Following the war, the company launched Amorea in 1918, reflecting the renewed optimism and romanticism that characterized the early postwar years. During this period French perfume houses increasingly marketed fragrances as expressions of elegance, emotion, and modern femininity.
A particularly important release was Chypre de Fleur in 1921. The perfume was presented in a bottle designed by the celebrated glass artist Julien Viard, whose work is highly sought after by collectors today. The bottle design later served as a model for products marketed under the Dubarry name, illustrating the close relationship between Gilot and the Dubarry cosmetic line. The choice of the name Chypre de Fleur also reflects the enormous influence of the chypre fragrance family during the 1920s, following the popularity of François Coty's groundbreaking Chypre of 1917.
The mid-1920s marked a productive period for the company. La Meque appeared in 1923, followed by Eau de Cologne Supérieure and the notable Soir de Paris in 1925. The latter became one of Gilot's best-known trademarks and was marketed as both a fragrance and cosmetic line. Gilot's use of the name predates the famous Bourjois perfume of the same name by several years, making it a noteworthy chapter in the history of French perfume branding. These launches demonstrate the firm's ambition to compete within the increasingly crowded Parisian perfume market.
During the 1930s, Gilot continued introducing new fragrances, including Quelque Chose d'Elle in 1931, a romantic title meaning "Something of Her," which reflected the era's preference for sentimental and feminine perfume names. Later came Violette Majesty in 1938, a fragrance that likely celebrated the violet note, one of the most beloved floral accords in French perfumery. Following the Second World War, the house introduced Pigale in 1953, named after the famous Paris district associated with nightlife and entertainment.
Introduced in 1964, Grand Cachet was a versatile eau de cologne collection from Parfumerie et Savonnerie Gilot et Cie that offered consumers a selection of distinct single-note and classically styled fragrances rather than a single signature scent. The line reflected the enduring popularity of traditional perfumery themes during the 1960s and was available in a variety of fragrances including Lilac, Cyprus (Chypre), Lime, Lemon, Amber, Fern (Fougère), Carnation, Violet, and Lavender. Each fragrance highlighted a particular floral, citrus, aromatic, or oriental character, allowing customers to choose a scent that suited their personal preferences. The collection combined freshness and simplicity with the elegance associated with French cologne traditions, offering everything from the bright citrus notes of Lime and Lemon to the soft floral nuances of Lilac, Violet, and Carnation, as well as the warm richness of Amber and the aromatic character of Lavender and Fern. Through the Grand Cachet line, Gilot continued its long-standing practice of marketing a broad range of accessible fragrances that celebrated the classic building blocks of French perfumery.
Beyond its dated releases, Gilot marketed a substantial collection of fragrances whose launch dates remain uncertain. These included Aux Bruyères des Alpes, inspired by alpine landscapes; Chimère d'Or, suggesting luxury and fantasy; Chypre and Chypre Royale, which capitalized on the enduring popularity of the chypre genre; and Fleurs de Printemps, a spring floral composition. The house also offered classic perfumery staples such as Fougère, Lavande, Lilac, and Rose, fragrances built around well-established aromatic and floral themes that appealed to a broad clientele.
Additional creations included Impéria, Rosella, Tango, and Virtuosité, names that reflected the glamour, sophistication, and cultural influences of their respective periods. Particularly unusual was a collection of fragrances named after the days of the week—Lundi, Mardi, Mercredi, Jeudi, Vendredi, and Samedi—which may have been conceived as a coordinated series or marketing concept. The house also promoted products under the title Les Parfums de Gilot, emphasizing the company's identity as a complete perfume manufacturer rather than a producer of isolated fragrance releases.
Taken together, the perfumes of Gilot reveal a company that embraced many of the dominant trends of twentieth-century French perfumery. From orientals and chypres to florals, lavenders, and fashionable thematic perfumes, Gilot's catalog illustrates both the creativity and commercial adaptability of a Parisian fragrance house that sought to serve an increasingly diverse perfume-buying public over more than five decades.