Parfums Weil was established by brothers Marcel, Jacques and Alfred Weil at 4 rue Sainte-Anne, Paris in 1892, originally furriers Les Fourrures Weil. The company decided to officially introduce fragrances as part of their line in 1927, which were meant to be worn on furs.
Dictionnaire des Parfum, 1969:
"100% French Enterprise, Parfums Weil have retained their family business character. Originally, Marcel, Alfred and Jacques Weil had the idea of perfuming the fur coats they were creating to mask their scent. Parfums Weil, therefore, were founded in 1928; but in the beginning. no effort was made to sell the perfume. It was used for Weil fur advertising and was available to customers. This is Zibeline which, forty years later, is still one of the pillars of the House.
And then we started selling it and even creating new ones (Cassandra, Padisha, Noir...). The fur was forgotten, with the Société des Parfums Weil having devoted itself entirely to perfumery. 1933, saw the birth of Secret of Venus, a scented oil for bath and body.
In 1945, found peace, and the creation of Antilope, baptized "the perfume of the beloved woman". It is currently the most requested perfume at Weil. In 1965, Antilope was chosen by the Minister of Tourism in France to be offered to foreign tourists, as a welcome gift, as part of the National Campaign for Welcome and Friendliness. 150,000 bottles were thus offered free of charge to Orly.
With Zibeline and Antilope, Weil was one of the first to open the markets of Eastern Europe (Poland 1960, USSR 1961.)
1961 is characterized by the creation of Eau de Fraicheur. 1965: The foam baths (Antilope and Zibeline) and the Bain de Fraicheur come into being. 1967: the line for Man, Gentilhomme appears.
1969: Inauguration and commissioning of the new Pacy-sur-Eure factory, at a height of 5,000 meters."
c1928 ad
Created by Firmenich's Claude Fraysse and his daughter, Jacqueline Fraysse, these first perfumes were named after furs themselves. The idea behind these perfumes is that their fragrance would cover up the animalic and sometimes unpleasant smell of the furs themselves.
Chinchilla Royal, a lush floral perfume had dominant notes of jasmine and rose.
Hermine, ermine in French, a heady tropical floral perfume had notes of jasmine, rose, magnolia, orange, ambergris, musk and tonka bean.
Une Fleur de Fourrure, simply a "flower for fur", was a simple jasminic perfume.
Marcel Weil passed away in 1933, but the house flourished and introduced several new fragrances, Bambou in 1934, a spicy floral with balsamic and tobacco notes.
Then Cassandra, from 1936, is said to have taken two years to perfect, was a woodsy perfume with anise, spices and fruits.
Reste Jeune, 1936;
"Let's not forget, given the season, to remind you of the interesting perfumes of Weil, created especially for fur: Bambou, Cassanadra (very recent), Zibeline, older, but still appreciated, and many others. We will come back soon in more detail. The fur reminds us of the vaporizer. You are aware, in fact, that you should never perfume a fur directly, any more than the hair for that matter, otherwise the perfume will be altered. Even on the skin, the perfume poured is denatured quickly. It retains all its smoothness, its integrity, only if we spray it as finely as possible."
Followed by 1937's Noir, a woody oriental perfume with a dominant tuberose notes and an extreme rarity, Un Parfum Persane, an oriental perfume with spices, ambergris, musk and magnolia. authored by Jacqueline Fraysse.
At the beginning of the war, Weil's French factory was confiscated by the Nazis and given to a German baron and his girlfriend. The baron registered several perfume names: Nuit de Fete, Filles de Joie, Tournant Dangereux, Pigeon Vole, and Flamant Rose in 1943, followed by Fleur dans la Fourrure, Privautes, Grisailles, Escarpins, Coq A L’ane, Contre Jour, Cheritzou, Chamarade, Beau, Masque, Asence, and Padisha in 1944.
Le Petit Dauphinois, 1941:
"Weil Parfums informs its loyal customers that the House has taken over all its renowned products, its extracts, its bath oils, powders: Chinchilla, Zibeline, Bambou, Cassandra, Noir, etc. etc.Head Office: 28 rue de la Pepiniere ParisFactory: Bois-ColombesWeil Parfums has no branches; nor any sub-brand. Beware of counterfeits. Representative for the free zone: Mr. Tortolani, 52 cours Gambetta, Lyon (Rhine)"
Paris-Soir, 1942:
"Update - Les Parfums Weil, 16, place de la Madeleine, informs that the Société Anonyme des Parfums Weil has been Aryanized since August 22, 1941 and that it continues to manufacture under this company name the quality perfumes well known to its loyal customers: Sable, Cassandra, Black, Bamboo, Chinchilla, Antilope."
Combat, 1952:
"Dice games - at the “Last Chance Cabaret,” the dice were loaded. Also the one that Weil perfumes have chosen to enclose its large creations "Zibeline", "Noir", and "Antilope" in a small, practical volume for the bag. Pied because it always falls, whatever way you throw it, on the face of intoxicating pleasure. So we definitely play with this little golden die, we are sure to win because a woman who, thanks to it, perfumes herself with "Antilope", for example, this fresh, light, witty and of tenacity, is always certain of her victory."
It has been said that these perfumes were never released to the public during the Nazi occupation except for Flamant Rose. The factory at Bois Colombes was destroyed by bombing during the war and production was halted.
In 1946, the former shareholders recuperated and control of the company reverted to the Weil family who reformed Parfums Weil and after a few moves, settled at 15 rue Cortambert in Paris. In 1947, the eldest son of Marcel Weil, Jean-Pierre Weil joined Parfums Weil after completing internships at the laboratories of Firmenich and Chiris, Roure-Betrand. The result of his knowledge helped to compose the fragrance Padisha. This perfume was first registered in 1944, but I do not believe that it was ever released at that time. The 1947 perfume was based on the formula for Un Parfum Persane.
Femme, 1946:
"Weil Parfums have earned the well-deserved reputation of being incomparable fur perfumes. You should not believe this, however. They are only suitable for winter and Siberian outfits! “Gentilhomme”, “Noir”, “Cassandra”, embellish all toilettes, even the lightest; perhaps you can reserve more specifically for fur, "Antilope" or "Zibeline.""
All of Weil's perfume bottles were made by Baccarat from 1927-1954. Jean-Pierre Weil, son of the founder, acted as chemist-perfumer for Parfums Weil.
Meanwhile, his cousin Jean-Paul Weil joined the company and acted as Commercial Director from 1958-1967. His collaborations with artists such as Raymond Loewy, Gautier-Delaye, Leonor Fini, Chaplain-Midy, Francoise Hardy and Mireille Darc ushered in a new era of the company, and brought fresh ideas to their promotions and advertisements to attract a younger clientele.
By 1960, the company was modernized with the help of both Jean-Paul and Jean Pierre Weil and launched the unisex cologne L’Eau de Fraicheur. It was composed of refreshing citrus notes: petitgrain, bitter orange, lemon and bergamot with herbal facets of verbena and marjoram and resting on a base spiked with lilac and cyclamen.
From 1962-1974, the company was managed by CEO Claude Weil, who was the youngest son of Marcel Weil. Claude’s unending devotion and painstaking vision was to bring back the prestigious allure of Parfums Weil and started to standardize the packaging used for the company. Much of the production became industrialized, with automated wrapping of the boxes in cellophane, filling of the bottles and the replacement of ground glass stoppers to the plastermeri caps.
The demand for Weil fragrances at this time was at its height and the supply was neverending, so the alcohol needed for the perfumes was increased. However, the risk of producing and housing too much alcohol was not ideal for a crowded city like Paris, as accidents can happen, so a larger factory would need to be built and moved out of the city. Unfortunately, the shareholders did not wish to make such a large investment and Parfums Weil was sold to the Aboulkers, who owned a perfumery in Algeria and the family built a large scale factory near Pacy-sur-Eure. In 1969, all of the accounting and manufacturing services were transferred over to the factory.
Under their ownership of the Alboukers new fragrances were released: the aromatic fougere Gentilhomme in 1966, the chypre floral perfume Weil de Weil in 1970, the fruity oriental chypre perfume Chunga in 1977, and another aromatic fougere Weil for Men in 1980. Jean-Pierre Weil left the company in 1971 to pursue other ventures in his life.
But success was finally granted to the modern incarnation of Parfums Weil in 1984 with the reformulation and relaunch of the aquatic fruity floral perfume Bambou. The woodsy men’s fragrance Kipling, was launched in 1986.
The Aboulkers sold Parfums Weil to Fashion Fragrances in 1989, who turned around and sold the company to Classic Fragrances Ltd, who then quickly sold it to Cosmetiques et Parfums de France in 1991. During this time, the fragrances Bambou and Eau de Fraicheur were reformulated and repackaged.
By 1994, Parfums Weil was sold to InterParfums. In 1995, the fresh floral perfume Fleur de Weil was introduced. Since, 2002, it was owned by Aroli Aromes Ligeriens, a division of Interparfums. It was under this subsidiary that the newest Weil fragrances were launched: the aromatic fougere Weil pour Homme in 2004, the floral perfume Sweet Bambou in 2005, the woody aromatic cologne So Weil in 2007 and the green floral perfume Eau de Weil in 2008.
A special collection named Les Merveilles de Weil was launched in 2010 and included the following perfumes: the citrus aromatic Reve de Weil, the floral woody musk Secret de Weil and the newly reformulated oriental Zibeline de Weil.
The newest fragrances for men were released in 2012, the woody oriental Wild Essence and the aromatic fougere Wise Essence.
Their recent offerings Emotion Essence, a floral perfume, and the oriental floral perfume Greedy Essence were created in 2013.
Meanwhile, his cousin Jean-Paul Weil joined the company and acted as Commercial Director from 1958-1967. His collaborations with artists such as Raymond Loewy, Gautier-Delaye, Leonor Fini, Chaplain-Midy, Francoise Hardy and Mireille Darc ushered in a new era of the company, and brought fresh ideas to their promotions and advertisements to attract a younger clientele.
By 1960, the company was modernized with the help of both Jean-Paul and Jean Pierre Weil and launched the unisex cologne L’Eau de Fraicheur. It was composed of refreshing citrus notes: petitgrain, bitter orange, lemon and bergamot with herbal facets of verbena and marjoram and resting on a base spiked with lilac and cyclamen.
From 1962-1974, the company was managed by CEO Claude Weil, who was the youngest son of Marcel Weil. Claude’s unending devotion and painstaking vision was to bring back the prestigious allure of Parfums Weil and started to standardize the packaging used for the company. Much of the production became industrialized, with automated wrapping of the boxes in cellophane, filling of the bottles and the replacement of ground glass stoppers to the plastermeri caps.
The demand for Weil fragrances at this time was at its height and the supply was neverending, so the alcohol needed for the perfumes was increased. However, the risk of producing and housing too much alcohol was not ideal for a crowded city like Paris, as accidents can happen, so a larger factory would need to be built and moved out of the city. Unfortunately, the shareholders did not wish to make such a large investment and Parfums Weil was sold to the Aboulkers, who owned a perfumery in Algeria and the family built a large scale factory near Pacy-sur-Eure. In 1969, all of the accounting and manufacturing services were transferred over to the factory.
Under their ownership of the Alboukers new fragrances were released: the aromatic fougere Gentilhomme in 1966, the chypre floral perfume Weil de Weil in 1970, the fruity oriental chypre perfume Chunga in 1977, and another aromatic fougere Weil for Men in 1980. Jean-Pierre Weil left the company in 1971 to pursue other ventures in his life.
But success was finally granted to the modern incarnation of Parfums Weil in 1984 with the reformulation and relaunch of the aquatic fruity floral perfume Bambou. The woodsy men’s fragrance Kipling, was launched in 1986.
The Aboulkers sold Parfums Weil to Fashion Fragrances in 1989, who turned around and sold the company to Classic Fragrances Ltd, who then quickly sold it to Cosmetiques et Parfums de France in 1991. During this time, the fragrances Bambou and Eau de Fraicheur were reformulated and repackaged.
By 1994, Parfums Weil was sold to InterParfums. In 1995, the fresh floral perfume Fleur de Weil was introduced. Since, 2002, it was owned by Aroli Aromes Ligeriens, a division of Interparfums. It was under this subsidiary that the newest Weil fragrances were launched: the aromatic fougere Weil pour Homme in 2004, the floral perfume Sweet Bambou in 2005, the woody aromatic cologne So Weil in 2007 and the green floral perfume Eau de Weil in 2008.
A special collection named Les Merveilles de Weil was launched in 2010 and included the following perfumes: the citrus aromatic Reve de Weil, the floral woody musk Secret de Weil and the newly reformulated oriental Zibeline de Weil.
The newest fragrances for men were released in 2012, the woody oriental Wild Essence and the aromatic fougere Wise Essence.
Their recent offerings Emotion Essence, a floral perfume, and the oriental floral perfume Greedy Essence were created in 2013.
I recently bought a bottle of Antelope on line which was in a box marked WEIL. When I smelled it I was so thoroughly disappointed when the scent was nothing like the original Antelope. The original was one of the elegant chypres that you could wear any time. It didn't shout at you or label you. This new one will certainly label you as having no sophistication, no class no knowledge of what perfume should smell like. Shame on those who felt it necessary to reformulate such a beautiful scent.
ReplyDeleteI have been searching and hoping to find another bottle of Secret of Venus all my life. My one tiny bottle still has a small trace of what to me is one of the most delicious scents ever created. I'm still hoping someone may revive this beautiful fragrance.
ReplyDeleteI have been looking and expecting to track down one more jug of Mystery of Venus for my entire life. My one minuscule jug actually has a little hint of what to me is one of the most heavenly fragrances at any point made. I'm actually trusting somebody might restore this delightful aroma.
ReplyDelete