Habit Rouge: A strong man in contact with nature. If the Shalimar woman has a man, his name is Habit Rouge and he wears beautiful oriental and animalic colors. Released in 1965 at a time when men's fragrances lacked originality, Habit Rouge offers a distinctive olfactory world, leathery, spicy and animalic, to strong and elegant men, accomplished yet always tender...
Released in 1965, Habit Rouge is considered the first men's oriental fragrance. As such, it symbolizes the masculine counterpart to Shalimar, the first feminine oriental fragrance. The story of Habit Rouge originates in the forest of Rambouillet. While walking there, Jean-Paul Guerlain encountered a horseman in a red riding habit and was struck by the scent he gave off. At once earthy, leathery, autumnal and sensual, this scent seemed to him like a fragrance, which he then reproduced identically. The name of the fragrance naturally echoes the red habits worn by riders during fox hunting, thus recalling Jean-Paul Guerlain's passion for horses.
Habit Rouge, a great success signed Jean-Paul Guerlain
Since its founding in 1828, Guerlain's expertise has been passed down from generation to generation. Jean-Paul Guerlain was born in Paris in 1937 and is considered the third generation of Guerlain perfumers. He therefore had an entire legacy to honor and carry forward. Jean-Paul Guerlain possessed exceptional olfactory abilities, being able to recognize 3000 different olfactory nuances. His fragrances were composed of 80% natural materials, as he preferred them to synthetic materials. Jean-Paul Guerlain created no fewer than 43 fragrances, and to him we owe some of the house's most beautiful fragrances, such as Jardins de Bagatelle, Samsara, Champs-Élysées. In 1994, Jean-Paul Guerlain sold the house to the LVMH group, but remained CEO until 2002.
Habit Rouge by Guerlain, distinctive olfactory notes
Habit Rouge is considered an oriental fragrance blending notes of leather and tobacco. Habit Rouge opens on the fresh, citrus notes of mandarin, lemon and bergamot. The opening of the composition echoes the house of Guerlain's love for men's eaux de cologne. The heart of Habit Rouge is complex, being at once warm and sensual with a strong character. Indeed, it combines carnation and patchouli with cinnamon and cedarwood. Cinnamon is a spice that comes from Sri Lanka. Of all spices, cinnamon is known to be the oldest, mentioned several times in the Bible under the name Kinanom. In perfumery, cinnamon gives off an intoxicating and refined scent. It offers spicy tonalities, but also fruity and woody ones. The base of Habit Rouge is oriental, virile and intensely sensual, combining a leathery accord and a tobacco accord with vanilla, amber and benzoin. The clean, square bottle offers a final touch of elegance and masculinity.
Habit Rouge is one of the greatest successes of the house of Guerlain. At the helm, Jean-Paul Guerlain, representing the third generation of perfumers in his family. A masculine oriental fragrance, Habit Rouge offers a distinctive composition, at once leathery and sensual... A great masterpiece.