L.T. Piver

L.T. Piver is one of the oldest perfume houses still active in France and was founded in 1774.

The founding father is the "Maître Gantier Parfumeur Versaillais", the "Master Glove Maker Perfumer" Michel Adam from Versailles, who opened his perfumery "À la Reine des Fleurs" at 82 Rue des Lombards in Paris on July 8, 1774, at a time when gloves were still perfumed and ivory-white wigs were worn. His lavender-scented glove perfume resp. stain remover "L'Eau Vestimentale" is said to have appealed to King Louis XVI. Michel Adam named his first Eau de Cologne, which was released 1774 in the year of the brand foundation, after his boutique. It was given the name "Eau de Cologne de la Reine des Fleurs".

In 1799, Michel Adam's son handed over the company to his second cousin Pierre-Guillaume Dissey. From 1805, Pierre-Guillaume Dissey and Louis-Toussaint Piver, who had previously been employed in trade, managed the business. With the renaming of the company to "Dissey et Piver", the name Piver appeared in the company name for the first time and founded the Piver dynasty. Empress Josephine is said to have been a respected customer at this time and was particularly fond of cosmetics, eye shadow and fragrances. In 1809, the company moved to 111 Rue Saint-Matin, which is now called Rue de la Paix.

From 1817, flourishing business led to the opening of the first branches in London and Brussels and later in Barcelona and other locations. International successes from Russia to Brazil followed the ongoing expansion. In the 19th century, L.T. Piver had over 100 branches worldwide. Loyal customers included the Bonaparte family and later Sarah Bernard. In 1822, Pierre François Pascal Guerlain joined the company to found his own house, Guerlain, after six years of experience.

With the death of Pierre-Guillaume Dissey, the business passed solely to Louis-Toussaint Piver in 1823. The "intrepid entrepreneur" renamed his company "L.T. Piver" and built his first factory in La Villette. As a sign of his high esteem, Charles X awarded the house the title of "Purveyor to the Court". In 1826, Napoleon II, General Lafayette, Lord Byron and other high society personalities were among the customers.

Due to personal difficulties, Louis-Toussaint Piver, whose wife Alexandrine Martin had fallen seriously ill, had to sell the house to his friends Messier and Amavet in 1832. In 1837, Alphonse Dissey and Alphonse Piver, both nephews of Louis-Toussaint Piver, took over the reins. They expanded the product range to include castor oil, hair care products, macassar oil, iris milk and soaps made from lettuce juice as the "best of all toilet soaps", which Napoleon III is also said to have praised. "Eau des Princes" was created in 1850.

In 1859, Alphonse Piver, the "visionary", acquired a distillation factory in Grasse for processing flowers, thus securing a pillar of raw material production for his company. Thanks to his skills and innovative processes, the company received several prestigious awards. At the World Exhibition in Paris in 1867, the international jury declared L.T. Piver's products to be "out of competition" and awarded the company the Cross of the Legion of Honor as its highest distinction. In 1869, the "Knight of the Legion of Honor" and "Perfumer to His Majesty the Emperor" inaugurated another cosmetics factory in Aubervilliers. To mark the 100th anniversary, "À La Reine des Fleurs" was launched as an Eau de Cologne.

In 1881, Alphonse Piver's son Lucien-Toussaint Piver took over the management of the company with the support of his cousins Athanase and Gustave Nocard. Lucien-Toussaint Piver was known as "the conscientious one". The perfumes Rêve d'Or and Cuir de Russie were created under his leadership. In 1885, the Eau de Cologne "Héliotrope Blanc" was the first to use the molecule heliotropin, which was discovered and synthesized by the German chemists Rudolph Fittig and W. H. Mielk in 1869.

In 1896, Lucien's son-in-law Jacques Rouché, the "curious one", became manager at L.T. Piver. With him, the company was led onto the path of modern perfumery at the time. Support was provided by the chemist Georges Darzens, who revolutionized the composition of fragrances with his successes in organic chemistry. "Le Trèfle Incarnat" was a further in-house milestone. In 1898, the house presented "Le Trèfle Incarnat" as its first perfume with artificial essential oils. Georges Darzens had discovered amyl salicylate in 1896 and used the aromatic orchid herbal note - the "scent of clover in bloom in the heat of August" - as a blender.

In 1926, L.T. Piver had 1500 employees and produced around 50 tons of various cosmetic, care and perfume products every day. In 1948, L.T. Piver entered the market with the slogan "Piver perfumes the whole world".

From 1940, the company's management changed several times. Sogémarci took over in 1972 and Rhône-Poulenc in 1979. Nelly Chenelat has been CEO of the long-established company since 2021.

L.T. Piver continues to build on craftsmanship and tradition instead of annual new releases with flanker succession. The successful fragrances Rêve d'Or, Pompeïa, Héliotrope Blanc, Eau des Princes, À La Reine des Fleurs and Cuir de Russie still make up the perfume product range today. Production takes place in Chartres to the west of Paris in the heart of the "Cosmetic Valley". Perfume raw materials come from Grasse. Other components are supplied by partners from France and other parts of Europe.