Les Parfums de Rosine Paris: Fragrance Stories Only Roses Can Tell

“I believe rose essence and rose absolute are the most beautiful raw materials for creating great perfumes. The scents of roses are infinite, and smelling a rose makes me happy.”

— Marie-Hélène Rogeon (founder of Les Parfums de Rosine)​

Basic Information

• Founded: 1991
• Founder: Marie-Hélène Rogeon
• Official website: https://www.les-parfums-de-rosine.com
• Boutique: 105 Galerie de Valois, 75001 Paris (in the Palais Royal arcades)​

The Founder and the Origins of the Brand

Paul Poiret and the Birth of Rosine: The Revolution of 1911

The brand’s story reaches back to Paris in the early 20th century. Paul Poiret (1879–1944), the couturier who was taking the fashion world by storm, founded the perfume and cosmetics company Les Parfums de Rosine at 107 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré in 1911. He named it after his eldest daughter, Rosine. In the same year, he also established the interior decoration company Les Ateliers de Martine, named after his second daughter. Poiret is still credited as the first person to realize the concept of a “lifestyle brand,” offering fashion, perfume, and interiors as a unified whole.

Poiret is said to have conceived the idea after visiting the Wiener Werkstätte, Vienna’s multidisciplinary arts workshop. On returning to France, he assigned several rooms of his Paris home on rue du Colisée to perfume experiments, and reportedly began full-scale commercialization when friends started asking to buy the scents. For Poiret, three elements were equally important to a perfume’s success: the scent itself, its name, and its packaging. The packaging was produced in a dedicated atelier employing many women. Silkscreen-printed boxes, hand-painted bottles, and other items were all lavishly finished.​

The bottle and packaging for Rosine’s first perfume, La Rose de Rosine, were designed by illustrator Paul Iribe, a friend of Poiret’s at the time, and the design also became an emblem of Poiret’s own brand. The poet Roger Boutet de Monvel is also said to have written a poem especially for this perfume, suggesting that Poiret viewed fragrance not simply as a luxury pleasure but as a medium of cultural expression.​

Dozens of perfumes were released from the company’s earliest years, but few records of the exact number of creations remain. Perfumer Henri Alméras (in Japanese) is said to have created many works from around 1918, but detailed records of the earlier fragrances are likewise not publicly available. Poiret’s fortunes declined across the years of the First World War, and his fashion house faded in the face of new styles, including the rising Chanel. The perfume business also came to an end with the Great Depression, and production stopped around 1929–1930.

Ancestral Memories and a Family Legacy

Marie-Hélène Rogeon, who would revive the brand, was born into a family of perfume artisans. Her great-grandfather, Louis Panafieu, was a perfumer who made eau de cologne for Napoleon III and also created the celebrated Pommade des Mousquetaires, a pomade said to have been used by musketeers to groom their mustaches.

Her grandfather, moreover, had been responsible for manufacturing perfumes for Paul Poiret, so the Rogeon family and the name Rosine were deeply connected even before she was born.

As a child, Marie-Hélène played with old bottles, boxes, tassels, and labels stored in the attic of her grandfather’s workshop.​

“Labels and old bottles were kept in the attic of my grandparents’ workshop… Unfortunately, the perfumes had been sold, and only the labels remained.”

— Marie-Hélène Rogeon​

She also said she had been deeply impressed by the active use of geranium in perfumes by perfumers of that period. These childhood experiences would later become central to her motivation to revive the brand.​

Building a Career, Then Setting Out Independently

Holding senior positions at renowned perfume houses, Marie-Hélène learned the essence of fragrance creation from deep within the industry. Through that experience, she came to hear the voices of women dissatisfied with commercial perfumes who sought scents with genuine stories behind them.

1991: A Revival at the Palais Royal

In 1991, Marie-Hélène opened a small boutique in the arcades of the Palais Royal in Paris, bringing Les Parfums de Rosine back into the modern world. None of the original formulas survived, so she had to create a new collection of rose perfumes from scratch. There was just one exception: descriptions of La Rose de Rosine’s scent survived in old writings, enabling her to reconstruct it with perfumer François Robert.

At that time, a Serge Lutens boutique already existed at the Palais Royal, and Rosine took its place beside it as part of a sanctuary of niche perfumery. Coincidentally, 1991 also fell in the early days of the niche-fragrance market. “Niche” means catering to a specific demand; here it refers to highly individual perfumes set apart from mass-produced products.​

Passing the Torch to Her Son Louis, and the Founder’s Death

Marie-Hélène continued to develop the brand with her son Louis Rogeon. Louis became artistic director, bringing a street-art sensibility and leading contemporary directions such as Les Extravagants, a collection intended for a new generation.

Marie-Hélène Rogeon died in 2021 at the age of 68. A tribute from The Fragrance Foundation France stated, “A great lady of niche perfumery has passed away.”

Her final creation, Rose Griotte, was composed by perfumer Nicolas Bonneville, harmonizing cherry blossoms, cherry fruit, and roses. Since the founder’s death, her son Louis has continued to lead the brand.

The Brand’s Distinctive Commitments

A Fragrance Philosophy: The “Infinite Diversity” Within Roses

Every Les Parfums de Rosine perfume, without exception, includes “the scent of rose.” This is not merely a unifying theme, but a declaration of an ongoing exploration of the rose’s inexhaustible expressions, from fruity and citrus-like to spicy, powdery, green, and animalic. The natural rose materials used come primarily from Bulgaria, Turkey, and Grasse.

Marie-Hélène lovingly cultivated at least 300 varieties of rose in her garden in Picardy. Many fragrances in the collection were inspired by varieties she encountered there. The Ballerina collection is one example, taking its inspiration from a rose named Ballerina that grew in her garden.

“Fragrance is not only about roses. I love roses. In a rose garden, combining them with mint, saffron, or coriander… the possibilities are endless.”

— Marie-Hélène Rogeon​

The house has remained committed to using natural fragrance materials. Its ideal is for every component to be “legible” enough to be distinguishable as the scent evolves on the skin, a principle that remains constant in its collaborations with perfumers.​

Bottle and Packaging Design

For the brand’s new beginning in 1991, the bottle was designed from scratch. Its rounded silhouette, a “soft, round form without corners,” was conceived as “the first contact with the perfume,” and Marie-Hélène herself took pride in the universality of its shape.​

“We have kept the same shape since designing this bottle in 1991. Sometimes even we are surprised by how contemporary it can look. It works beautifully when we change the colors or finishes, whether powdery or glossy.”

— Marie-Hélène Rogeon​

The bottles are decorated with organza or silk pom-poms, an emblematic adornment that has endured since the brand’s beginnings. Before shipping, every perfume bottle is carefully wrapped in colorful tissue paper and then placed in its box. These handcrafted details directly embody the house’s commitment to artisanship.

The Fragrance Lineup

The current Les Parfums de Rosine lineup is broadly organized into several collections. ​

Les Classiques

The core classic line that forms the foundation of the brand. Foremost among these is La Rose de Rosine, a powdery rose floral created by François Robert in 1991, using roses from Turkey, Bulgaria, and Grasse.

It was also the fragrance Marie-Hélène herself repeatedly named as her “favorite.” Bulle de Rose, Rose des Neiges, Rose Nue, and Vive la Mariée are also positioned as classics.

La Collection Ballerina

Inspired by the Ballerina rose growing in Marie-Hélène’s rose garden, this is a feminine and accessible line. It currently extends from Ballerina No. 1 to No. 5, each assigned a different ballet image, such as a young girl, a prima donna, or a black swan. No. 1, created in 2014 by Delphine Lebeau, is a fruity floral centered on peach and rose; No. 3 is a rich woody floral combining black rose and oud.

Les Extravagants

A contemporary line conceived by her son Louis Rogeon with millennials and a genderless approach in mind. Its vividly lacquered bottles contain four fragrances: Bois Fuchsia, Bleu Abysse, Eloge du Vert, and Vanille Paradoxe. Michel Almairac (in Japanese) and Delphine Lebeau were responsible for the compositions, in which rose is added as “a touch” rather than taking a central role.

“It was Louis’s idea. We wanted to create a unisex line, something for a younger generation. The great talents of Michel Almairac and Delphine Lebeau gave us innovative scents.”

— Marie-Hélène Rogeon​

Rosine for LeSnob

Three fragrances created in collaboration with leather goods brand LeSnob. They are unisex, each offering a different interpretation of rose. No. I makes the unexpected pairing with the smell of rubber, No. II presents a rose in a 1970s vintage style, and No. III expresses the depth of a red rose.​

Rose Griotte

The latest fragrance at this point, released in 2021, was conceived by Marie-Hélène and composed by Nicolas Bonneville. A fruity floral combining cherry blossoms, cherries, and rose, it has been described in many media outlets as the last fragrance creation in which she was involved.

By the Way…

• Paul Poiret and Les Parfums de Rosine are also recognized by Guinness World Records for the world’s first designer fragrance. Whereas Coco Chanel launched Chanel No. 5 in 1921, Poiret had already begun his perfume business 10 years earlier. The view that “the first designer perfume was created not by Chanel, but by Poiret” is now widely accepted in perfume history.​
• The Palais Royal, where Marie-Hélène opened her boutique, is also known as a sanctuary of niche perfumery. She is said to have opened there in 1991 before Serge Lutens, who would later attain a cult following, giving her a significant presence as a pioneer of the French niche-perfume scene.​