Blondeau et Cie & Vinolia

The perfumes of Blondeau et Cie:

Blondeau et Cie was a British-French company established in around 1885 by Dr Eggleston Burrows and James Hill Hartridge at Lever House, Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars, London. Though they were primarily a soap manufacturing company, they produced some beautiful perfume presentations up until 1930.

Blondeau et Cie were also the proprietors of the Vinolia Company Ltd, manufacturers of ‘Vinolia preparations’. The brand name "Vinolia" was adopted for the company's toiletries range, including soap, skin cream and powder advertised as suited to those with sensitive skin conditions. 

Merck Report, Volume 2, 1893:

"BLONDEAU ET CIE, NEW YORK.

 Vinolia Soap has become famous the world over first because of the inherent good qualities of the article and second because of judicious advertising. The proprietors Blondeau et Cie have their factory and head offices at Ryland Road, London England, a Paris office in the Rue de la Paix, and a New York office at 73 77 Watts Street England.

The latter is under the able management of FJE Welch, a native of Taunton, whose energy and enterprise have been fully proven by results in the two and a half years since the New York branch has been established. They first opened at 96 Fulton Street and moved to their present extensive quarters in July 1891.

The trade mark name 'Vinolia' used for the Soap is also employed in an entire series including Perfume, a most delicate bouquet, Shaving Soap, Shaving Foam, Lait Vinolia for the complexion, Pomade, Powder for toilet and nursery, Cream and Dentifrice.

 The latter is in three styles English, American, and No 2 and contains no soap is free from gritty particles, has no mineral acids, is antiseptic preservative and peculiarly refreshing.  It is handsomely boxed and also put up in ivory stoppered bottles. The latter form which is especially useful and economical incurs an additional duty of 20% over the ordinary form on account of the ruling that the bottles must be classed as cut glass.

Their perfumery includes fifteen odors but up to the present time only three special odors: Marequil, Jequilla and Vinolia Bouquet have been pushed in this country. They are bottled in 2 ounce size exclusively. The design see illustrations is original and pretty.

 

The Vinolia Shaving Soaps are superfatted with Bay Rum incorporated in the basis and prepared in both Stick and Cake form. The Sticks are in attractive silver metal cases with convenient loose bottom while the Cakes are put up in porcelain dish and silver metal cases. The Soap gives a very good firm lather that does not dull the razor or irritate the skin. Vinolia Shaving Foam in collapsible tubes, is a creamy preparation that leaves a cool and refreshing effect on the skin after use and is preferred by many to the use of shaving soap.

 The Lait Vinolia and Pomade are sold in dainty receptacles of Staffordshire ware artistically decorated in antique style. 

The Vinolia Powder is a very fine impalpable rose dusting powder free from zinc oxide or bismuth and is equally applicable to nursery uses and for the toilet. It is prepared in 3 sizes and in pink white and cream tints. Each box contains a pretty little puff and is therefore complete in itself. 

Of the five Vinolia Toilet Soaps sold at various prices, the Vestal is the most expensive and while retaining all the good qualities of the Vinolia Soaps in being free of excess of alkali, devoid of sugar and containing some extra free, stable unsaponified cream is lavishly perfumed and boxed in extremely is attractive packages of imitation calfskin with gold embossed name. The Toilet Otto Soap has a very large sale as it is perfumed with the finest Otto of Roses an odor which is especially liked by those of refined taste. The other Vinolia Soaps are the Premier, Floral and Balsamic (Medical). Each of these is put up in dozen boxes with gold silver or fine color work embossed labels. 

In placing the Vinolia Soaps on the market the manufacturers took up the cudgel against their rivals and predecessors by publishing home and scientific tests for the detection of adulterations, etc, such as bad fats, sugar as in transparent soaps, methylated spirit, excess of caustic alkali, arsenic, tartar emetic, mercurial coloring compounds, etc, most of which find place in some old style toilet soaps. They claim that the Vinolia Soaps are superfatted, their color being that of the pure oils used in their manufacture, that they are made from edible fats, are milled and not merely boiled, are guaranteed neutral, and to contain no irritating scents. Further that in washing they set free but little alkali and yield a cleansing emollient lather which is beneficial to delicate and diseased skins. 

For these reasons, Vinolia Soaps are largely recommended by leading dermatologists, who have found that skin diseases are often caused by the continued use of the impure toilet soaps. In conversation Mr Welch said: 'The advertising of this house has done a great deal to improve the quality of Toilet Soaps, especially in England, where we have the largest sale of any high class Toilet Soap, because in both Medical and Lay Journals, Blondeau et Cie have published from time to time, reliable tests which will readily determine whether the soap tested has any excess of free caustic alkali or any bad fats in its composition, and also if it is colored with injurious matters as mercurial compounds, etc. 

That the better class of soap makers appreciate these efforts to put soap making on a higher plane is shown by the fact that the Secretary of the Soap maker's Association of Great Britain wrote us some time ago to the following effect,' I wish to offer the proprietors of Vinolia Soap my most cordial wishes for their success in the efforts they are making to bring about the necessary reforms in the manufacture and supply of Soaps for Toilet use.' 

In connection with this work, it is also pleasing to say that at the recent Annual Conference of the Association of German Soap makers at Leipzig, a resolution was unanimously accepted to memorialize the Imperial Chancellor to the effect that the proposed legislation to restrict the fulling of Soap is not stringent enough, but that all fulling processes in which any insoluble materials are used should be prohibited.' The Association also agreed that the addition of sugar to soap did not increase the preserving capacity but only increased the weight at the expense of the cleansing powers of the article.

 Druggists are specially interested in this matter of good soaps as they handle the greater part of this business and their recommendation of any particular kind carries considerable weight.' 

'Our trade in the United States', continued Mr Welch, 'is rapidly growing to large proportions, which speaks well for the way in which our business has been pushed. In my opinion, no little of our success is due to the attention we have given to co operation with both wholesale and retail druggists, and to seeing that they get a good profit on Vinolia goods. There is a heavy demand in the United States for fine imported soaps, etc, and the drug trade has been found very willing to recommend good articles in preference to the cheaper untrustworthy ones. An interesting item of information we gained, was that each hand employed in their factory is allowed two weeks vacation in summer with full pay, and that a Mutual Sick Club has been established for the benefit of the employees, any expense incurred by protracted sickness including medical attendance being defrayed from this club. 

Space forbids us from making more than a passing mention of their Vinolia emollient Cream for the skin, in health and disease which is meeting with considerable recognition from the profession and said to have been highly spoken of in the British and American publications as being very serviceable in eczema, itching and burning insect bites, etc."

The "Vinolia" business was founded in the beginning of the year in 1888 and at first, Vinolia produced mainly soaps with a limited production of luxury perfume presentations starting in 1892. It carried on under the trade name of Blondeau et Cie, until April 1898, when for family reasons it was converted into a private company with a nominal capital of  £100,000, under the name of "Vinolia Company (Limited)". The Vinolia Company was formed as a limited liability company to take over the business of Blondeau et Cie, and in 1899 it was incorporated as a public company, to acquire the business of this previous Vinolia Company.

The Vinolia Company Ltd was established at 37-38 Upper Thames Street, London. Factories were established in Kentish Town and other parts of London. Their agents were Robert & Co of 76, New Bond Street, London and also at 5 Rue de la Paix, Paris.

By the end of the nineteenth century the Vinolia range included eau de cologne, brilliantine for the hair, toilet soap and powder, dentifrice, shaving sticks and a lip-salve that was to prove its most enduring product: Vinolia Lypsyl. 

In 1900 the company achieved the coveted accolade of a Royal Warrant as soap makers to Queen Victoria. The company was acquired by Lever Brothers on 1 October 1906 and in 1907 production of the Vinolia range was transferred to the Lever Brothers' factory in Port Sunlight.

Vinolia was seen as a luxury product and their soaps were provided to passengers on the Titanic in 1912. 

On 24 September 1915 another company, Blondeau et Cie, was formed to work in conjunction with the Vinolia Company, apparently to preserve certain patent rights belonging to the original concern of Blondeau et Cie.

By 1920 the Vinolia range also included toothpaste and bath salts, a baby range of soap and powder. Of special interest to my readers, Vinolia introduced and a range of perfumes contained in cut crystal bottles called the 'Cut Flower Series', including such fragrances as English Rose, Russian Violets, Aralys, Osiris and Sourire d'eté.

They later closed their London showrooms in 1939, but continued production under the Lever Brothers name until early 1960’s.

The perfumes of Blondeau:

• 1889 Vinolia Bouquet
• 1890 Violette de Parme
• 1892 Jequilla (Vinolia)
• 1892 Luxuria (Vinolia)
• 1892 Marequil (Vinolia)
• 1892 Vinolia Bouquet
• 1893 Eau De Cologne
• 1893 Ess Bouquet
• 1895 Jasmin
• 1893 Jockey Club
• 1893 Marechale Niel
• 1893 Millefleurs
• 1893 Opoponax
• 1893 Stephanotis
• 1893 White Heliotrope
• 1893 Ylang Ylang
• 1895 Losaria (Vinolia)
• 1895 One Drop Perfumes
• 1895 Ambergris
• 1895 Amaryllis
• 1895 Frangipanni
• 1895 Honeysuckle
• 1895 New Mown Hay
• 1895 Musk Rose
• 1896 Chypre
• 1896 Lys de France (soap)
• 1896 Mignonette
• 1896 Musk
• 1896 Patchouli
• 1896 Violet
• 1896 Wallflower
• 1896 White Lilac
• 1896 White Rose
• 1898 Clematis
• 1898 Hyacinth
• 1898 Lily of the Valley
• 1898 Narcissus
• 1898 Opoponax
• 1898 Patchouli
• 1898 Peau d'Espagne
• 1898 Rhine Violets
• 1898 Rondeletia
• 1898 Rose d'Orient
• 1898 Stephanotis
• 1898 Violette
• 1898 Violette de Parme
• 1898 White Heliotrope
• 1898 Wood Violet
• 1919 Sweet Pea
• 1919 Night Scented Stock
• 1919 Persian Lilac
• 1921 Mystic Charm

The perfumes of Vinolia:

• 1892 Jequilla
• 1892 Liril Violets
• 1892 Marequil
• 1892 Vinolia Bouquet
• 1893 Losaria
• 1893 White Heliotrope
• 1893 Wood Violet  (still sold in 1922)
• 1893 Ess Bouquet
• 1893 Frangipanni
• 1893 Jockey Club
• 1893 Marechal Niel
• 1893 Millefleur
• 1893 Stephanotis
• 1893 Opoponax
• 1893 Ylang Ylang
• 1893 Musk
• 1893 Ambergris
• 1893 Amaryllis
• 1893 White Lilac
• 1893 White Rose  (still sold in 1922)
• 1893 Luxuria
• 1895 Lavender Water
• 1896 Honeysuckle
• 1896 Vinolia Eau de Cologne
• 1896 New Mown Hay
• 1896 Lily of the Valley
• 1896 Rondeletia
• 1896 Narcissus
• 1896 Clematis
• 1896 Hyacinth
• 1897 Mignonette
• 1899 White Vinolia
• 1899 Quadruple extract Carnation
• 1899 Quadruple extract White Lilac
• 1899 Quadruple extract Jockey Club
• 1899 Quadruple extract Mylissa
• 1899 Quadruple extract Opoponax
• 1899 Quadruple extract Violette de Parme
• 1899 Quadruple extract White Heliotrope
• 1900 Sourire d'Ete
• 1900 White Seringen
• 1903 Quadruple extract Waneeta
• 1910 Mon Caprice
• 1910 Peau d'Espagne (still sold in 1922)
• 1911 Royal Rose
• 1911 Royal Vinolia
• 1911 Red Rose
• 1911 Tulipe d'Or
• 1913 Red Clover
• 1914 Sweet Scented Daphne
• 1919 Aralys
• 1920 Alaba
• 1920 English Rose
• 1920 Golden Tulip
• 1920 Osiris
• 1920 Violet
• 1920 Quadruple extract Wallflower  (still sold in 1922)
• 1922 Jasmine
• 1922 Lilac
• 1922 Sweet Pea
• 1922 Carnation
• 1922 Rhine Violet
• 1924 Floral Toilet Waters
• 1925 Old English Lavender
• 1927 Aralys Chypre
• 1927 Eau de Cologne
• 1930 Dylissia
• Mitcham Lavender
• Quadruple extract Mylissia
• Quadruple extract Reine Violets
• Triple Eau de Cologne
• Blue Rose
• Perfection
• Tres Chic
• Violets de parme
• Witte Seringen

Pharmaceutical Journal - Volume 19, 1904: