Guerlain, Guerlinade, 125 ml. or 4.4 oz. Flacon, Parfum Extrait, Flacon Quadrilobe, 1921, Paris, France ..

The House of Guerlain is one of the oldest perfume houses in the world. It was founded in 1828 when Pierre-Francois Pascal Guerlain opened up his first perfume store on 42, Rue de Rivoli in Paris.

Pierre-Francois composed and manufactured custom perfumes with the help of his two sons, Aime & Gabriel. His unique approach was to personalize perfume for a specific person, place or event. Honore de Balzac commisioned his own eau de toilette during the writing of Cesar Birotteau, and the periodical La Sylphide, le Journal des Elegances, scented each issue with a different fragrance by Guerlain.

Guerlain catered to the high society of Paris, and obtained a very loyal following. The perfume house was so successful that Guerlain decided to open a flagship store at 15, Rue de la Paix in Paris in 1840. The house was at its peak in 1853 with it's fragrance Eau de Cologne Imperiale. This perfume gained Guerlain the prestigious title of His Majesty's Official Perfumer of France. This in turn led him to create perfumes for other royals such as Queen Victoria of England, the Empress Sissi of Austria, the Queen of Belgium and Queen Isabella of Spain as well as other crowned heads of royalty.

Launched in 1921, Guerlinade by Guerlain is a Oriental Floral fragrance for women. Guerlinade is the accord that was used as a "house signature" in all of the classic Guerlain perfumes, and in many of their modern fragrances as well. It was developed by Aimé Guerlain, the creator of Jicky, and is said to contain bergamot, rose, jasmine, tonka bean, iris, and vanilla.

"The Guerlain perfumers are very much aware of this "Guerlain DNA", passed on from decade to decade but continuously open to slight mutations. The DNA has been termed the Guerlinade, and explains why perfume aficionados can become absolute Guerlain loyalists. If you fall for one Guerlain perfume, you have practically fallen for them all. They bear a family resemblance .. there is something puzzlingly familiar about a Guerlain perfume, despite it being new or different, something that connects it to all Guerlain perfumes across their variations. "In the same way that you recognize the origin of a great wine, or the composer of a symphony, you perceive the Guerlain stamp which persists even today," says Jean-Paul Guerlain.

Guerlain's former artistic director, Sylvaine Delacourte, said that for decades the Guerlinade term was forgotten within Guerlain's own ranks, and she couldn't find anything about it in the Guerlain annals. Therefore, she decided to do some research to find a precise definition of the Guerlinade, and to reintroduce the word in Guerlain's vocabulary. The first official mention of the Guerlinade appeared in the 1992 ad material for Héritage. The Guerlinade can be traced back to when Aimé Guerlain created Jicky in 1889, although Jacques Guerlain by all accounts was the first to entitle it, and is often understood as a specific accord of notes because nearly all subsequent Guerlain perfumes share certain valued aromas: bergamot, rose, jasmine, tonka bean, orris, gum resins, animal notes and vanilla. But, the Guerlinade is more than a fetishized set of odorous substances .. it's also the way they are arranged and dosed. According to Sylvaine Delacourte, the Guerlinade is characterized by a certain wildness, where fragrance accords are concentrated, pushed and overdosed with contrasting materials in order to make bold, memorable statements. "At Guerlain, we have no weak, bland or very tidy formulas," she said. Together, the fetishized blend, counterpointing, overdosing and simplicity make up the Guerlinade, that distinct je ne sais quoi which is very recognizable as "Guerlain"."

"One of the most pervading features of the Guerlain accord, however, was not formally defined as an element in the Guerlinade, perhaps because it is so basic, one of those things you'd only notice if it suddenly weren't there. It's a traditional mixture of extracts from the orange tree, its fruit, leaves and flowers, and from Provençal herbs. This fresh-sweet mixture goes back to the great cologne era of Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain and is what gives every Guerlain fragrance, from Eau de Cologne Impériale through Jicky to La Petite Robe Noire, a particular tinge of optimism and Mediterranean sun. When Thierry Wasser joined Guerlain, orange blossom, as well as sandalwood, were included in the official Guerlinade list. Among the Guerlinade ingredients, each Guerlain perfumer has promoted and doted on his own darlings .. Jacques Guerlain especially admired orris and musk, while Jean-Paul Guerlain often has declared his love of roses and jasmine. Bergamot, tonka bean and vanilla have been cherished by all ever since Aimé Guerlain's Jicky whose immortal and touching odour, preemptive of the oriental accord, started the veneration of a few chosen ingredients." Monsieur Guerlain

Top notes are Bergamot, Orange Blossom, Linden Blossom, and Lemon
Heart notes are Jasmine, Rose, Lilac, and Orris
Base notes are Tonka Bean, Vanilla, and Sandalwood

Offered here is a wonderful flacon of the beautiful Guerlinade. The smell of Guerlinade is so intoxicating, it is something that I just go back and sniff again and again with constant wonder at the beauty of it. The modern Guerlinade is lovely, but it doesn't resemble this beautiful captivating scent! Very very rare and hard to find. No longer sealed as I opened it to smell it .. No box. I sell samples of this beautiful perfume if you would like to try it ..