Jean Patou

Jean Patou is a French couture and perfume house founded by designer Jean Patou in 1914 in Paris. After serving in World War I, Patou relaunched his business and rapidly became known for modern, comfortable fashion and for aligning fragrance with couture. In 1925 he formally launched his perfume line, debuting three scents in a single year, including Amour Amour, Que Sais-je, and Adieu Sagesse. These early releases were conceived as tailored perfumes for different hair colors and types of femininity, an unusually targeted concept for the time.

In 1930, in the midst of the economic crisis, Patou asked in-house perfumer Henri Alméras to create an exceptionally rich fragrance using an extravagant quantity of natural materials. The result was Joy, described in period advertising and press as “the most expensive perfume in the world,” reportedly requiring over ten thousand jasmine blossoms and dozens of May roses from Grasse for a single bottle. Joy became a pillar of the house and remained one of the reference florals of 20th century perfumery.

After Jean Patou’s death in 1936, his sister Madeleine Patou and her husband Raymond Barbas took over the company, keeping the fragrance business active even as couture later paused. From 1967 to 1999, in-house perfumer Jean Kerléo created key compositions such as 1000 (1972), Patou pour Homme (1980), and Sublime (1992). The perfume division passed through several owners, including Procter & Gamble Prestige (from 2001) and later Designer Parfums. In 2018 the Patou house, including the Jean Patou name, was acquired by LVMH, which set out to revive the fashion side of the brand while its historic perfumes remain central to its legacy.