The love story behind Shalimar fragrance

It is a rare fragrance that can span eras without losing any of its aura. Yet Shalimar is one. Composed by Jacques Guerlain in 1921 then released in 1925, the irresistible appeal of this first oriental fragrance in perfume history lives on across the world. Combining pure intuition and genius, its success stems from a perfect equation: the joyful meeting of everlasting inspiration with a fragrance so revolutionary that it successfully captured the spirit of an era. 

THE INSPIRATION BEHIND AN ETERNAL MYTH

As with many works of art, Shalimar was born out of a love story. At the dawn of the 1920s, Perfumer Jacques Guerlain drew inspiration from the passion between 17th century Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan and Princess Mumtaz Mahal. The Indian sovereign had sumptuous royal gardens in Lahore built for her and named them Shalimar, Sanskrit for “temple of love.” Until the Princess’s tragic death when the inconsolable sovereign had the Taj Mahal built, one of the seven new wonders of the world, these gardens served as the setting for their love story.

INTUITION NAMED VANILLA

While the story was a beautiful one, more was needed to be able to write the formula for a great perfume. And it took a twist of fate doubled with a pure stroke of genius for Shalimar to see the light of day. It was when friend and chemist Justin Dupont presented Ethylvanilline, one of his new creations, that Jacques Guerlain was struck by sudden inspiration and poured several drops of the strongly scented molecule into a Jicky bottle. Was he aware that he had just put together the very beginnings of the first oriental in perfume history? Completed several months later, Shalimar’s composition showcased the contrasts between aphrodisiac yet fresh vanilla, overdoses of bergamot delicately powdered with iris, and the rare sensual, transporting warmth of balm and indulgent Tonka bean. Filled with never-before-seen sensuality, this semi-erotic fragrance went on to revolutionize perfumery of the time.

A REVOLUTIONARY CREATION

To hold this avant-garde scent, Guerlain gave it a made-to-measure container designed by his nephew, Raymond. The distillation of several innovations, the bottle, complete with its Mughal inspiration and Arabesque scrolled designs, evokes the basins in the Shalimar gardens. As the first footed fragrance bottle in history, it was also the first to be mounted with a colored stopper made from sapphire-blue Baccarat crystal and stained by Baccarat using a technique that has been kept secret ever since. A work of technical prowess as well as an audacious gem, Shalimar was first unveiled at Paris’ International Exhibition of Decorative Arts, which was held in 1925, four years after the perfume’s creation. The House’s choice to wait for the right moment to launch its new perfume paid off, as the prestigious event awarded it first prize. With its Indian inspiration and searing exoticism, Shalimar expressed the era’s fascination with the East superbly and captured the zeitgeist perfectly.

A LEGEND IN THE MAKING

Many factors came together to make Shalimar a success. And by crystallizing the fantasies of the roaring twenties that saw its birth and disrupting the era’s perfumery codes, Shalimar established a whole family of oriental fragrances. Since winning over its first faithful fans in the United States, it has been adopted by many women. During a transatlantic voyage, Raymond Guerlain’s wife became the spontaneous ambassadress for the perfume as American passengers who were enchanted by the scent kept asking her what she was wearing. It was an enthusiastic response which clearly foreshadowed the overwhelming success of a perfume that would go on to envelop the whole world in its sensual fragrance. A legend in modern perfumery, Shalimar is now also a mainstream icon. Three exotic syllables, which while well-known, boast a magic that remains intact.