Paul Parquet | |
|---|---|
 Paul Parquet Portrait | |
| Born | 1856 (1856) |
| Died | 1916 (aged 59–60) |
| Occupations | Perfumer, businessman |
| Known for | Founder of modern perfumery |
Paul Parquet (1856–1916) was a Frenchperfumer and joint owner ofHoubigant. Called the "greatest perfumer of his time" byErnest Beaux,[1] he is widely regarded as the founder of modern perfumery for having pioneered the use of synthetics in works such asFougère Royale. His bestselling perfume,Le Parfum Idéal, was described byRobert Bienaimé as a “masterpiece of fragrant equilibrium, harmonious and of good taste as shall never be surpassed”.[2]
Paul Parquet joined theperfume house ofHoubigant as a part owner in 1880, and was the nose behind their most famous early creations,[3] such as:[4]
(*) indicates inclusion in the archives of theOsmothèque
Parquet was the chief perfumer of the house, succeeded byRobert Bienaimé, the creator ofQuelques Fleurs (Houbigant, 1912).
Parquet was appointed Chevalier de laLégion d'Honneur in 1908. He bequeathed his fortune to the establishment of apediatric center, the Fondation Paul Parquet inNeuilly-sur-Seine.
With his use ofcoumarin inFougère Royal, juxtaposed tolavender,citrus andwoody notes, he revolutionized perfumery in being the first perfumer to ever use a synthetic fragrance material in his creations, and in conceptualizing a scent that was not an imitation of a natural smell, as ferns (fougère is French for fern) are basically odorless. Until its disappearance from the market in the late 1960s,Fougère Royale was often imitated and became the most typical representative of a whole family of related fragrance, the so-calledfougère perfumes.
"If God gave ferns a scent, they would smell likeFougère Royal", Paul Parquet.[5]