Henry Jacques

Essential Information

Founded: 1975
Founder: Henry Cremona
Official website: English-language official site (the Japanese distributor is here)

Note: In English-language recordings, the name is pronounced “Henry” rather than the French “Henri.” The Japanese version of this article consistently uses the French-style pronunciation, following Japanese media usage.

At Henry Jacques, perfume is king. It is not someone’s face. Perfume is at the center of our attention.

Anne-Lise Cremona

The Founder and His Daughter

Henry Jacques founder Henry Cremona had been interested in traveling the world since childhood and was a free spirit who traveled widely. What he particularly loved was the beauty of craftsmanship, of things made by hand. Perfume was one of them, and an encounter with a perfumer led him to decide to establish his own perfume house. That perfumer was Joseph Sassy.
Coming from a family of perfumers, Sassy knew the industry as it had been for several generations, and he was unhappy with its shift toward commercial perfumes in the 1970s and 1980s. When he met Henry Cremona, the two decided to combine their talents and passion. They spent five years working together, until the perfumer’s death.

At the time [my father founded the house], there were no schools where you could study perfumery, and there was no know-how being passed on to the next generation.

Anne-Lise Cremona (Henry Cremona’s daughter)

Together with his wife Yvette and the perfumer Joseph, Henry established a laboratory on the outskirts of Grasse and assembled close to 1,000 natural fragrance materials (in Japanese). Focusing primarily on bespoke fragrances, he traveled to visit clients around the world. Among them was Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president of the UAE (United Arab Emirates). Henry is said to have created as many as 64 perfumes for Zayed.
He also appears to have created hundreds of perfumes for Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman.

Henry had three daughters. One of them, Anne-Lise Cremona, is now the CEO of Henry Jacques.

At 20, I finished my studies and began working seriously with my father. He allowed me to think freely, and I decided to take the house in a new direction: to make it more high-end. So I focused on the packaging and decided to start using Baccarat crystal.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Anne-Lise had worked for the house alongside her studies since she was 19. At one point, however, she wanted some time for herself. She stepped away from the family business, moved to Paris, married, and had children. She then worked for major perfume companies in Paris and Geneva, including Guerlain (in Japanese).

In 2010, when Henry Cremona decided to retire, the company entered a difficult period. Believing that no one else could carry on her father’s legacy, Anne-Lise decided to return and take over the business. She invited the renowned architect Chrisophe Tollemer (also known for designing the hotel at the Palace of Versailles) to become creative director. After three dark years, her experience at major companies began to pay off, and light started to appear.

When Anne-Lise returned in 2010, bespoke perfume creation was still the main activity. She spent two years preparing to open a boutique. At the same time, from the more than 3,000 perfumes created over the previous 40 years, she selected 50 to offer at retail in the boutique.

After opening at Harrods in 2014, the house quickly expanded to at least 10 boutiques in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Paris, China, and the United States. Its first standalone boutique was at the Marina Bay Sands hotel in Singapore.
Even as the house has expanded, bespoke fragrance remains at its heart.

Anne-Lise has three children: her eldest son is a musician, her second daughter is an architect, and her third son works part-time at Henry Jacques while attending perfumery school.

When I returned to the family business, I knew very clearly what I wanted to do and what I did not want to do. What we needed to do was gradually share our know-how with the rest of the world, without compromising on quality or our vision of perfume.

Anne-Lise Cremona

What Matters to the House

Henry Jacques products fall into three main groups: Les Sur-Mesures (bespoke fragrances), Les Classiques (the classic line), and Les Exceptions.

Today, time is the most important luxury. Sometimes there is something this industry does that I cannot understand: spraying a perfume once and immediately asking the customer what they think of its scent. That is different from our way of thinking.

For us, perfume is also a gesture. You need time of your own to find a perfume you love. It may take years, because your mood and tastes change.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Bespoke Fragrances (Les Sur-Mesures)

Our market model is the haute couture house: we create bespoke fragrances in response to our clients’ requests. Our private clients include prominent people from around the world who are looking for something they cannot find anywhere else. Sometimes they want a scent for themselves, sometimes a gift, and, more importantly, sometimes a fragrance to give as an official gift.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Each boutique has a room dedicated to bespoke fragrance consultations, where clients can take their time talking and considering the scent they would like.

Every bottle is made entirely by hand, from its cap and container to its cord, and takes two to three hours to make. Maceration (in Japanese) follows. After three months of work on the formula, three samples are sent to the client. Further adjustments and additions of fragrance materials are then made according to the client’s wishes.

The size and design of the bottle can also be personalized, and clients who like several fragrances can choose more than one. These tailor-made perfumes take a total of four to eight months to complete and cost around €20,000–€85,000 (approximately ¥2.5 million–¥10 million). This is the essence of Henry Jacques.

For me, the ultimate luxury is time, especially the time spent creating your own bespoke fragrance.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Our inspiration is to recreate memories. Even when words cannot express them, fragrance notes make it possible.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Perfumes (Les Classiques)

Do not come to a Henry Jacques boutique to buy something. Come to find your own perfume, and your own emotions.

Anne-Lise Cremona

1. Essences (Les Essences)

This line grew out of clients’ desire to choose and change perfumes according to their mood, style, and the season. Its key concept is an olfactory wardrobe.

Originally bespoke fragrances adapted into ready-made perfumes, the classic line is characterized by very low alcohol concentrations and long-lasting scents. A single drop is enough. These parfums (in Japanese) offer a somewhat more accessible way to experience the essence of Henry Jacques.

2. Mists (Les Brumes)

Launched in 2019 under the name Les Brumes (“mists”), these spray perfumes arose from the wish to give a lighter expression to the highly concentrated classic line at the heart of Henry Jacques. Rather than make spray perfumes like other brands, the house spent several years developing something more innovative. It succeeded in creating perfumes that could be worn casually, even over clothing, and used in warmer weather.

3. Solid Perfumes

These solid perfumes come in a stylish, innovative design. Named Clic-Clac, after the clicking sound, they elevate a form of perfume that had disappeared as old-fashioned into an art of living.

The shape, the sound, the moment it opens, the movement: everything mattered. It was also the first time perfume had met the techniques of watchmaking. It was a real challenge for everyone involved in this unique development.

Anne-Lise Cremona

The project was developed over four years with the designer Tollemer, involving meetings with various craftspeople. Eventually, on the advice of Anne-Lise’s uncle Richard Mille, a famous figure in watchmaking, the team decided to adopt a Swiss watch mechanism and bring in engineers. After as many as 200,000 prototypes, Clic-Clac emerged with exteriors including a titanium (Grade 5) and carbon case (120 g with a solid perfume capsule fitted) and an 18K rose-gold case (235 g with a capsule fitted), together with interchangeable solid perfumes in the classic line’s 50 fragrances.

The formula is, of course, alcohol-free and uses 100% natural oils and waxes.

As CEO, I travel particularly often on business, and sometimes I feel a little alone in this vast world. But with my favorite scent, I can feel at home. It offers comfort, like chocolate: after one piece, you want another. With Clic-Clac, you can open it, apply a little and smell it, and feel better and reassured. […] Sometimes I open Clic-Clac to let the scent spread through the air. It really is nourishment for the soul.

Anne-Lise Cremona

Les Exceptions

This collection was created for those who reject the ordinary and the reasonable and seek rare fragrances unconstrained by rules and conventions: the “exception.” Developed over three years, it consists of two ranges, Les Toupies (“spinning tops”) and Les Renaissances (“renaissances”).

1. Spinning Tops (Les Toupies)

As the collection name suggests, these perfumes take the form of spinning tops. They are designed in pairs, with three pairs of masculine and feminine fragrances. The first is “Mr. H” and “Mrs. Y,” named after the initials of founder Henry and his wife Yvette; the second is “N° 16” and “N° 81”; and the final pair is “Galileo” and “Fanfan.” The masculine bottles are slightly larger.

2. Renaissances (Les Renaissances)

Les Renaissances is a jewelry collection recalling the golden age of perfumery. The fragrances fill bottles handcrafted by artisans using pure gold and gemstones: citrine, white diamonds, brown diamonds, and rubellite tourmaline.