Le Galion

Talented perfumer Paul Vacher became the owner of Le Galion in 1935, having bought the perfume house from its founder, Prince Murat. He was experienced in the perfume industry and showed his talent by introducing several successful fragrances previously. In 1936, his perfume for Le Galion Sortilège became an immediate successand remains one of the jewels of the house.

In the late 1930s, he followed up with Bourrasque, Brumes and the beautiful floral fragrances Iris and Tubéreuse. All of his fragrances were produced from the finest, natural, and raw ingredients as well as very famous and well named Snob perfume. In 1946 when Serge Heftler-Louiche and Christian Dior wanted to develop a fragrance for their fashion house, they naturally turned to Paul Vacher. He created a beautiful fragrance for them called simply, Miss Dior.

Le Galion Perfume House also believed that just creating a great fragrance was not enough. The House realized that they also needed to have the best possible container in order to protect the fragility, freshness and longevity of the fragrance. A crystal bottle design was chosen and commissioned for this task. It bore the symbol of the perfume house, one of a galleon sailing on the high seas. Refined and elegant crystal bottles were created in collaboration with then designers and artists such as Julien Viard or Serge Mansau. They work represents elegant and timeless design being inspired by Art Deco. The black cap from a bakelite, very popular in the 1930s, creates a perfect combination with the crystal bottle.

In 1980, Le Galion was sold to an American group. Poorly managed, the company quickly collapsed. Gone with it was an image of France and of perfume, an image of elegance and quality. More than 30 years later, like the phoenix, Le Galion Perfume House is reborn from the ashes. Back are the original, exceptional, fiery and subtle fragrances – rare luxury and refined creations.

The Le Galion fragrances of today perpetuate the legacy of Paul Vacher and his pursuit of excellence, using only the finest raw materials in their composition. Processed manually, in a traditional way, the flowers and finest raw materials used in the fragrance compositions are treated with the utmost care.

To commemorate the House’s 90th anniversary, Le Galion takes to the sea once more with a new collection featuring 9 fragrances, a tribute to each decade – reinterpretations of the most successful creations, single flowers and new prestigious compositions developed by renowned perfumers, celebrating once again High Perfumery and timeless French elegance.