Henri Alméras

France Born 1892 Jean Patou

Alméras is closely associated with opulent French florals, particularly the rich jasmine and rose accord of Joy for Jean Patou. His work for Patou often paired lush white flowers and May rose with elegant musky-woody bases, as in Joy and the floral-oriental reinterpretation of Chaldée, noted for its blend of orange blossom, hyacinth, jasmine, narcissus, lilac, vanilla, opoponax and amber.

About

Henri Alméras (1892-1965) was a French perfumer, painter and writer best known for his work with Jean Patou. After World War I he collaborated closely with couturier Jean Patou and in 1930 created Joy for Jean Patou, the perfume later voted “Scent of the Century” at the 2000 Fragrance Foundation FiFi Awards. For the same house he composed landmark fragrances such as Amour Amour, Que Sais-Je? and Adieu Sagesse (all launched in 1925), Chaldée and Huile de Chaldée (1927), Le Sien and Moment Suprême (1929), Normandie (1935), Vacances (1936), Colony (1938) and L’Heure Attendue (1948). Earlier in his career he created Le Fruit Défendu (1918) for Paul Poiret’s Parfums de Rosine, and in the late 1940s he managed Parfums de Luzy and advised Fabergé.