With a well-tuned nose and an impeccable vision, House of Houbigant French perfumer, Paul Parquet, laid the foundation of modern perfumery in 1882 with the in-house creation of Fougère Royale. The meticulous, genius, courtly construction evocative of cool, lush, green, fern-like woodland foliage was a genre-defining fougère, and has since become the ubiquitous standard behind the worlds most enduring mens fragrance classics. Fougère Royale’s nuanced scent composition opens with a vibrant, sparkling cocktail bergamot, lavander and mediterranean herbs. A redolent heart follows, where the floral-spicy "Rondeletia" accord is revealed through rich geranium nuances and warm spices. Finally, a grand finale of earthy, ambery and woody harmonies, where moss notes join a sensual patchouli theme enriched by warm coumarinic undertones of tonka beans and clary sage absolute.
It all began with just a basket of flowers. One day in Paris in 1775, a young man, Jean-Francois Houbigant, hung a hand-painted sign of a basket of flowers over his little shop in rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré. From the start, his fragrances found favor with royalty and the nobility. When Marie-Antoinette was executed by guillotine in 1793, she carried 3 vials of Houbigant perfume in her corsage to give her strength. In the spring of 1815, Napoleon had been in Paris for only three months, raised an army, and yet found time to shop at Houbigant. Two hundred years later, in 1973, Micheal Perris met the last descendant of the Houbigant family and began his involvement with the House of Houbigant. Years later, the Perris family became the owner of the House of Houbigant, and got the honor to try to put back together the historic brand.