OrientalJean Kerléo
Born in 1932, Jean Kerléo joined Helena Rubinstein in 1955 and in 1967 became perfumer to Jean Patou, where he created 1000 (1972) and Sublime (1992). He also composed for Lacoste and Yohji Yamamoto. A co-founder of the Osmothèque, the perfume conservatory based in Versailles, he became its director in 1999. He died in 2025 at the age of 93.
Helena Rubinstein
Jean Kerléo was born on February 24, 1932, and joined Helena Rubinstein in 1955. He recalled starting there as a compounder thanks to a cousin who was a perfumer, Raymond Pouliquen, and being trained by perfumer Jacques Jantzen. In 1965 he received the French perfumers' prize, and he chaired the French Society of Perfumers, of which he became honorary president.
Jean Patou
From 1967 to 1998, he was Jean Patou's in-house perfumer, the second after Henri Alméras, at a time when only a few houses, such as Chanel and Guerlain, had their own perfumer. There he created 1000 in 1972, Eau de Patou in 1976, Patou pour Homme in 1980, Ma Liberté in 1987, Sublime in 1992, Voyageur in the mid-1990s and Patou For Ever in 1998.
He also composed for Lacoste, including Booster in 1996, and for Yohji Yamamoto, two brands licensed to Patou. Jean-Michel Duriez succeeded him as the house perfumer.
The Osmothèque
He co-founded the Osmothèque, the perfume conservatory based in Versailles, created in 1990, and became its director in 1999. The institution is dedicated to preserving perfumes, especially the historic creations that shaped modern perfumery. Jean Kerléo died on July 23, 2025, at the age of 93.
Creations by Jean Kerléo
Oriental
Fougère