Rallet, Le No. 1, 12 ml. or 0.4 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, 1920, Paris, France ..

Rallet is a classic perfume house first founded 1843 in Moscow by Alphonse Rallet who lived from 1819 to 1894. By 1900, Rallet had become Russia's preeminent manufacturer of fine perfume, soaps, and cosmetics, and the perfumery was an official supplier to the Royal Courts of Russia, Persia, and Montenegro. When Rallet's Russian assets were nationalized in 1917, the company was re-established in France.

Born in Castle-Thierry, Alphonse Rallet .. 1819–1894 .. was the youngest of seven children born to Antoine and Marie-Louise Rallet. In 1842 Rallet traveled to Moscow, and in the spring of 1843 established a soap and perfume works at 47 Vyatskaya Street, initially employing about 40 workers. Rallet was joined in Moscow by his older brother, Eugene, a professor of French literature who initially sought to pursue a teaching career but ultimately joined his younger brother in the soap and perfume enterprise.

In Moscow the brothers met Emile Baudrand, a trader, also from France. Baudrand was married to a woman from the Dauphine region of France near Grenoble and it was through Baudrand that Alphonse Rallet made the acquaintance of Mathilde Farconet, the daughter of Frederic and Mathilde Farconet, whom he married in 1854. Farconet, a republican lawyer, had become provisional mayor of Grenoble in 1848 and served for several years before political changes caused him to retire from office.

In 1855, Rallet's only child, Olga, was born in Moscow. In 1856, having secured his fortune in Russia but suffering from lung problems, Rallet returned to France with his wife and daughter and began work on the restoration of the Château Servien at Biviers which he had purchased at the time of his marriage. From 1865 to 1888 Rallet served as mayor of Biviers. Blind for the last ten years of his life, Alphonse Rallet died in 1894 and is buried in Biviers.

In 1920, Rallet's technical director, Ernest Beaux, created a series of perfumes for Gabrielle Chanel, one of which was No.5. He created No. 1 for Rallet and it became an immediate success, having a sweet intoxicating scent that felt fresh and modern and was reminiscent of Chanel's No. 5. In 1926 Rallet was sold to François Coty. The brand was revived in 2013 as a tribute to the creator of Russian perfumery. Ernest Beaux had already become famous for his Chanel No. 5 creation, as well as for creating Kobako for Bourjois.

Rallet No. 1 has a similar structure to Chanel No. 5, with sparkling floral Aldehydes in the top notes.

The top notes are Aldehydes, Bergamot, Lemon, and Neroli
Heart notes are Jasmine, Rose, Ylang Ylang, and Lily of the Valley
Base notes are Orris, Vetiver, Sandalwood, Amber, and Patchouli

This is one of my personal favorite perfumes, and I have managed to collect a few flacons along the way which I vowed I would never sell, but like all things, it is impractical for me to keep them all!!

Offered here is a lovely bottle of Rallet, Le No. 1 with its original green shagreen presentation box. It is just less than 1/2 oz. The box is a little worn. Still sealed and never used. A real treasure!