Guerlain

House Summary

Guerlain was founded in Paris in 1828 by chemist and perfumer Pierre-François-Pascal Guerlain, and stayed a family business for over 165 years — passed down through his sons Aimé and Gabriel and later grandsons Jacques and Pierre — before LVMH acquired it in 1994. Many of the structural categories the industry still builds on, including the modern oriental and the chypre, trace back to work done under this multi-generational family leadership. The mentality blends deep historical authority with a willingness to reinterpret that inheritance for modern tastes rather than simply preserving it in amber, even after moving to corporate ownership.