Alphonse Rallet

Alphonse Rallet (1819-1894) established his perfumery company Rallet in Moscow in 1843. Rallet's perfumes, soaps and cosmetics were so popular that by 1900, he was the most distinguished of all perfumeries in Russia. His excellence in quality made him the official supplier to the royal courts of Russia, Romania, Serbia, Persia and Montenegro.


After the death of Alphonse Rallet, the company was purchased by Chiris, a raw material supplier from Grasse, France. When the Russian Revolution took over and Rallet's Russian assets were nationalized in 1917, the company was reestablished in France. It was here in 1920, that the famous perfumer and technical director, Ernest Beaux , created several perfumes for Gabrielle Chanel, most notably Chanel No. 5, which remains a best seller almost 100 years after its creation in 1921.

"A. Ралле и Ко."

Note: Some info is from Wikipedia and a 2007 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist, as well as my own research. 

Alphonse Rallet:

Born in Castle-Thierry, Alphonse Antonovich Rallet (1819–1894), was the youngest of seven children born to Antoine (1771–1857) and Marie-Louise (Marry) Rallet.

In 1842 Rallet traveled to Moscow and in the spring of 1843 established a soap and perfume works at 47 Vyatskaya Street, initially employing about 40 workers. Rallet was joined in Moscow by his older brother, Eugene (1814–1865), a professor of French literature who initially sought to pursue a teaching career but ultimately joined his younger brother in the soap and perfume enterprise.

In Moscow the brothers meet Emile Baudrand, a trader, also from France. Baudrand was married to a woman from the Dauphine region of France near Grenoble and through Baudrand Alphonse Rallet made the acquaintance of Mathilde Farconet, daughter of Frederic (1807–1863) and Mathilde Farconet, whom he married in 1854. Farconet, a republican lawyer, had become provisional mayor of Grenoble in 1848 and served for several years before political changes caused him to retire from office.

In 1855, Rallet's only child, Olga, was born in Moscow. In 1856, having secured his fortune in Russia but suffering from lung problems, Rallet returned to France with his wife and daughter and began work on the restoration of the Château Servien at Biviers which he had purchased at the time of his marriage. From 1865 to 1888 Rallet served as mayor of Biviers.

Eugene Rallet later married Lėonie Farconet, sister of Mathilde.

In time, Olga Rallet, married Augustin Blanchet of the family of bank paper makers. She died in 1888 giving birth to her eighth child.

Rives-sur-Fure, 1976:

"Born Olga Rallet, daughter of Mr. Alphonse Rallet and Mrs. Mathilde Farconet, born in Moscow where her father had gone to set up a perfume factory, she returned with her parents to their castle in Bivier, in Dauphiné. Died at the castle."

In 1857, Alphonse Rallet, Emile Baudrand, and Napoleon Nayral join Joseph Vicat (1821–1902) to capitalize cements Vicat, Rallet supplying 25 percent of the capital.

Blind for the last ten years of his life, Alphonse Rallet died in 1894 and is buried in Biviers.

Perfume for Imperial Russia

In the early summer of 1843, Alphonse Rallet established a business at 47 Vyatskaya Street in Moscow to manufacture stearin candles. The factory was equipped with a single steam engine and employed 40 workers.  His older brother, Eugene, joined him in Moscow, where he taught first at St. Catherine's School, then at the Moscow University before assisting him in business.

In 1818 stearin, often produced from palm oil, had been discovered to be a particularly suitable wax for candles as it produced minimal soot and retained its shape at higher temperatures.  In Moscow the brothers met Emile Baudrand, a trader, also from France, who would become a Rallet business associate.

The company was named Perfumer of the Court of his Imperial Majesty by Tsar Nicolas 1 in 1846 and was awarded the national emblem of the Russian Empire four times. In 1855 Rallet achieved the prestigious title of Supplier of the Imperial Russian Household.

By 1855 manufacturing was being carried out in 22 wooden buildings on "warm lane" (Теплом переулке) in the Zamoskvoretsky district.  Perfumers had been hired from France and raw materials were being sourced from France and Italy. In addition to candles, Rallet was now producing perfumes, colognes, soaps, powders, and lipsticks.

In this same year The Trading House of Rallet also became owner of the Crystal Factory of Frederick Dyutfua, giving Rallet, for the first time, the capability of manufacturing their own original bottles decanters. Dyutfua, in turn, became a joint owner and Rallet shareholder.

In 1856, having lung problems, Alphonse Rallet sold the business and returned to France with his wife and infant daughter. The buyers were a group of investors that included Bodranu Byuzhonu and the purchase was made with the condition that the company would continue to bear the Rallet name. The company was now reorganized as "A. Rallet & Co.," the name which would appear on all Rallet bottles and advertising.

In 1882, Recueil Consulaire Contenant les Rapports Commerciaux des Agents described Russian exhibitors to the Belgian fair.

"Parfumerie - toilet water and soap are represented by 21 exhibitors. The most renowned firms belong to Alphonse Rallet & Co., and Brocard & Co., in Moscow. The essences come from abroad."

Acquisition by Chiris:

In December 1896 the company was reorganized with a basic capital of 1 million rubles. In 1898, the company was acquired by Chiris, the large Grassois fragrance house founded by Antoine Chiris in 1768. Chiris already owned firms in Austria and Germany and was the main supplier of both finished and raw materials for Russia and France. The sale included the 1500 employees and the many products and formulas of the business.

During the last half of the 19th century, Rallet continued to expand. Dependence on foreign suppliers was reduced through the acquisition of plantations in southern Russia for the cultivation of aromatic crops. A new factory was planned at Butyrskaya under the direction of the celebrated architect Oscar-Jean (Franzevich) DiDio. Completed in 1899, this factory featured the latest technology including steam engines, electricity, an elevator, and telephone service.

By the early 20th century, Rallet was offering around 1,500 products and had three retail shops in Moscow and a wholesale business in St. Petersburg. Shipments were made regularly by rail throughout Russia and also to China, Persia, and the Balkans.

By 1903 capital had risen to 1.5 million rubles with net profit of around 75,000 rubles. By 1913 capital had reached 2,000,250 rubles and revenue estimated at 180,022 rubles.

Prizes and awards

Starting around 1855, when Rallet became an official supplier to the Imperial Court of Russia, including Tsar Alexander III, reg. 1881-1894 and Tsar Nicholas II., reg. 1894-1917. The company was awarded the state emblem of the Russian Empire four times, a very unusual distinction.

Rallet later became official supplier to the courts of the Shah of Persia [Shah Nasir ad-Din, reg. 1848-1896 and Shah Mozaffar ad-Din, reg. 1896-1907], Serbia and Prince Mirko of Montenegro [r. 1903-1918].

The company achieved a number of distinctions for its products.

In 1878 at the Paris World's Fair, Rallet received high awards.

In 1900 at the Paris Exhibition, Rallet was awarded the Grand Prix.

Chemist and Druggist, 1900:

"One of the most characteristic exhibits is that of A. Rallet & Co., of Moscow. It is devoted to perfumery and toilet-articles, the bottles for which are all richly decorated and distinctly ecclesiastical in design. The soaps are wrapped and packed similar to British. Rose, Heliotrope, and Violet soaps are represented, and a large quantity of milled soap, bearing a resemblance to our brands of Brown Windsor."

Relationship with Ernest Beaux:

During the last 20 years of the 19th century, Rallet made huge profits from the sale of fashionable colognes. At some time during this period, Edward (Edwardovich) Beaux, a member of the board of directors, became Deputy Administrator of the company. Edward (Edwardovich) Beaux had previously served as a clerk for the trading company of Muir and Merrilees. In 1896 his younger brother, Ernest, joined the company as a lab assistant.

Ernest Beaux (1881–1961) was a Russian-born son of a French father, chief perfumer to A. Rallet & Co., a Moscow soap and perfume manufacturer.  He eventually became the senior perfumer at Rallet in 1907 and continued to be the technical director and chief of the laboratory until 1911.

In the late 19th century, A. Lemercier, a very original perfumer with an interest in all things modern including the new products of aroma chemistry, became Rallet's technical director. In 1902, Beaux was employed by Alphonse Rallet as a trainee under the guidance of A. Lemercier. After five years of training at the laboratory, Beaux finished his education becoming a senior perfumer in 1907.

Yet, of perfumery technology in 1898, Ernest Beaux would later say, "perfumery consisted above all of preparing and mixing a small number of materials."

Beaux perfume "Tsar's Heather" was a huge success, and "Fairy of Roses" was considered the best reproduction of the scent of roses. "Nile Lily", "Russian Violet", "Silver Lily of the Valley", "Source of Love" and dozens of romantic names.

After the Russian revolution (when he fought with the White Russians), Ernest Beaux left for France in 1919. 

Bouquet de Catherine & Rallet No.1 & Chanel No.5:

In 1912, Rallet scored a major success with its Le Bouquet de Napoleon, a floral accentuated eau de Cologne, created by Ernest Beaux. The fragrance was launched with great fanfare to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of Borodino, Napoleon's last victory in his failed Russian campaign.  

In the same year, Houbigant introduced Quelques Fleurs, created by perfumer Robert Bienaimė. Quelques Fleurs was novel in its use of aldehyde C-12 MNA (2-methyl undecanal) which had been synthesized by Georges Darzens in 1903. The inclusion of aldehyde C-12 MNA gave Quelques Fleurs a "modern" feeling which fascinated a number of Bienaime's young contemporaries including Chiris perfumers Vincent Roubert, Henri Alméras, and Henri Roubert, and Rallet's somewhat older Ernest Beaux.

In his inspiration for Bouquet de Catherine, Beaux was studying Quelques Fleurs. As gas chromatographs had not been invented yet, there was no other possibility for Beaux than to find out by trial and error, which aldehyde Bienaimé had used and at what level. So Beaux started experimenting with a 1:1:1 complex of the novel aldehydes C-10/C-11/C-12, upon which he discovered that these purged the fattiness of the natural rose and jasmine oils. He consequently incessantly increased the level of the aldehydes and the jasmine–rose accord of Quelques Fleurs.

The resulting perfume was created by perfumers Meissonnier and Ernest Beaux was named "Bouquet de Catherine" in Moscow hoping to repeat the success of Bouquet de Napoleon. The perfume launched in 1913 and was named after Empress Catherine the Great,  and the three hundredth anniversary of the Romanov dynasty, (no doubt a nod to his friends, the princesses Tatiana and Olga Romanov). However, this perfume proved to be unpopular in Russia due to Catherine the Great's German ancestry and when war broke out, it halted the production of the perfume.

In 1914, Ernest Beaux, while working for Alphonse Rallet & Co, still the undisputed leading Russian perfume house, used aldehydes in his new perfume, Rallet No. 1, whose mystical composition is finally known thanks to analysis of surviving sealed bottles.  

It was reported that Rallet re-christened Bouquet de Catherine as Rallet No. 1 and relaunched under this name in 1914. Due to wartime restrictions on raw materials and difficult economic circumstances, the perfume did not prove to be a bestseller yet. In France, it appears that Rallet Le No. 1 was first marketed around 1923. 

Prewar examples of the Bouquet de Catherine fragrance no longer exist but it is believed that Bouquet de Catherine is close to or identical with to Rallet's post-war perfume, Rallet No.1.

In the spring of 2007, a research team led by Dr. Philip Kraft, Givaudan SA, undertook to analyze and reconstruct the formula for Rallet Le No. 1. The results of this study were published in "From Rallet No.1 to Chanel No.5 versus Mademoiselle Chanel No.1" in the October 2007 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine. 

When this early sample of Rallet No.1 was subjected to GC-chromatography and GC-olfactometry analysis, Rallet No.1 was found to make use of an aldehyde "cocktail" similar to that found in Chanel's No.5. The claim has been made by Marcel Carles, former director of the Roure perfumery school at Grasse, that Chanel's No.5 was developed from Bouquet de Catherine.  

Not only did this work reveal the relationship between Rallet Le No.1 and Chanel No.5, it also uncovered an unexpected relationship between Rallet Le No.1 and Mademoiselle Chanel No.1, a fragrance offered by Gabrielle Chanel in the 1940's — in violation of her contract with Parfums Chanel.

For Rallet No. 1, Beaux used sparkling aldehydes of undecanal, dodecanal, and undec-10-enal, together with the brightness of neroli and tropical ylang ylang for the top note. Then added precious jasmine absolute, rose de mai, dusty orris and springlike lily of the valley for a rich, floral heart. The base is warm and sensual with the addition of creamy sandalwood, earthy vetiver, styrax, balsamic vanillin, and nitromusk. 

Between 1919- 1920, while working in France, he experimented with the Bouquet de Catherine formula and developed Chanel No. 5, again using the same cocktail of aldehydes C10 & C12 as used before, as well as the familiar neroli and ylang ylang for the top notes. Included in the composition was opulent jasmine, rose, fresh lily of the valley and the dusty orris as seen used in the Rallet No.1 perfume. To this mix, he added a base of sweet sandalwood, vetiver, vanillin and animalic notes of musk. What makes this composition slightly different than Rallet No.1 was the addition of oakmoss and civet, and the styrax was left out.

The creation and conception of this exceptional perfume is surrounded by many legends, to which Coco Chanel and Ernest Beaux contributed themselves considerably:

According to one of these, the 0.6% overdose of the aldehyde accord should be due to a mixing error of Beaux’s assistant, who dosed the aldehydes in pure instead of 10% dilution. However, taking into consideration the perfect balance of the rose–jasmine accord with the aldehyde complex, this seems rather unlikely.

According to another, reported by Constantin Weriguine, a student of Ernest Beaux, the composition of Chanel No. 5 was inspired by Beaux's military station on the Kola Peninsula during the Russian Civil War 1917–19, with the intention to capture the scent of extreme freshness of the northern lakes under the midnight sun. However, Beaux himself has already used aldehydes in 1913 in the related Bouquet de Catherine, which had been inspired by Robert Bienaimé's big success Quelques Fleurs (Houbigant, 1912).

Edmond Roudnitska also claimed that Chiris offered the Rallet No.1 formula to Coco Chanel. In addition, Marcel Carles, the son of Jean Carles and one-time director of Roure's perfumery school, reported that his father had confirmed to him that Chanel No. 5 was developed from Bouquet de Catherine (Buket Ekaterina) and Rallet No. 1.

Year Book and Buyer's Guide, 1956:

"It was not until some years later that a celebrated Parisian perfumer made on the basis of the aldehyde C11 the perfume "Rallet No. 1," which was subsequently known as "Chanel No. 5," and became very widely appreciated, as everyone knows."

Coco Chanel's lover, Grand Duke Dmitri Pavlovich an emigree of Russia, introduced Ernest Beaux to her, and prior to that she may have been aware of Bouquet de Catherine, which Dmitri′s sister was fond of using.  In the late summer of 1920, Coco and Dimitri met with Ernest Beaux on a trip to Cannes, and asked him to create some scents for her springtime showings of summer frocks and with that request, they visited his laboratory, where he showed his creations to them.

Her intention in launching the scent was to give women a perfume with the scent of a woman rather than the traditional scent of a flower bouquet. "I want to give women an artificial perfume," said Chanel. When asked what she meant by that, she replied, "Yes, I really do mean artificial, like a dress, something that has been made. I don't want any rose or lily of the valley, I want a perfume that is a composition."

Although aldehyde C-12 MNA (2-methylundecanal) had been used by Robert Bienaimé in Quelques Fleurs (Houbigant, 1912), and synthetics were introduced to perfumery by Paul Parquet in 1882 with his famous use of coumarin in Fougère Royale (Houbigant), Chanel Nº 5 became famous for its overdose in synthetic perfumery raw materials, the aldehydes in the top note.

"Beaux used the best materials he had at his disposal at the time," says Chanel perfumer Jacques Polge, "but he said that the impression was that there was too much at the bottom of the bottle and that it lacked lift."

Already in his first adaptation trials of the Bouquet de Catherine, which Beaux showed to Chanel, the content of real Bulgarian and French rose essences and Grasse jasmine absolute had been reduced, since the perfume would have become unaffordable otherwise. He achieved this with the help of the commercial jasmine base Jasmophore, and an own rose base Rose E.B. (E.B. for Ernest Beaux). The floral accord is enhanced with hawthorn, lily of the valley, Madagascan ylang ylang and jonquil from Holland.

The flowery-floral heart is nuanced by the incorporation of ionone (Iralia), powdery-voluminous violet odorants that take up and extend the orris theme. Spicy accents of cassie and isoeugenol introduce liveliness and lead into the base of the composition.

Unusual for the base of a feminine fragrance is its vetiver note (Javanese quality), which constitutes a masculine counterpoint at the beginning of the base note. This is a signature of Beaux which is absent in Quelques Fleurs. This woody note is nuanced by sandalwood and patchouli oil. Vanillin, coumarin and styrax lead the way to a distinctly sensual musk complex that dominates the final scene of the composition and consisted in the original of 1921 of genuine musk, ambergris and civet infusion in an interplay with the nitro musks Musk Ketone and Musk Ambrette that are beguiled by traces of oak moss and cinnamon bark. Since for instance genuine musk has been banned from perfumery use to prevent the extinction of the species, and since nitro musks were limited in use due to their photo-toxicity  the formula of Chanel Nº 5 was constantly adapted for security norms.

Originally Chanel No. 5 consisted of exactly 31 perfumery ingredients (bases not broken down into individual components), though one can often read of over 80 or even 250 ingredients in women's magazines.

It begins with an aldehydic top, followed by an elegant floral heart, resting on  sensual feminine base.

• Top notes: aldehydes, bergamot, lemon, Grasse neroli, rosewood
• Middle notes: Grasse jasmine, violet, orris, cassie, clove, Grasse rose de mai, hawthorn, lily of the valley, Madagascan ylang ylang and Dutch jonquil 
• Base notes: ciste, cedar, Mysore sandalwood, amber, musk, patchouli, vanilla, tonka bean, styrax, Bourbon vetiver, oakmoss, cinnamon bark, civet

Originally intended only as a Christmas present to her best clients and limited to 100 flacons, Coco Chanel chose the vial labeled Nº 5 from the two series of Rallet Nº 1 adaptations that Beaux presented her, and that were labeled 1–5 and 20–24, respectively. When Beaux asked her how she would name the perfume, she replied: "I always launch my collection on the 5th day of the 5th month, so the number 5 seems to bring me luck – therefore, I will name it Nº 5." It was released for public for sale in the middle part of the year in 1922. 

Takeover by Coty:

By 1926, Ernest Beaux had left Rallet to become technical director for Chanel and Bourjois. In 1926, Francois Coty acquired Rallet. In 1928, Coty acquired the entire capital stock of Marie Earle, Inc.  

In 1938, the products sold by Marie Earle, Inc. and Rallet Corporation of America were also manufactured by Coty Products Corporation at the New York plant. .The Coty Products Corporation performed the manufacturing operations. Coty Processing Co, Inc. another subsidiary of Coty, Inc, packed the products manufactured by Cort Products Corp.

Coty, Inc., a Delaware corporation had its principal office at Wilmington, Delaware. It owned all of the stock of Coty Products Corporation, a New York corporation, and Marie Earle, Inc. a New York corporation, and a majority of the stock of Rallet Corporation of America, a Delaware corporation. Coty, Inc. and its afore mentioned subsidiaries maintained a principal place of business at New York City herein called the New York plant where they were engaged in the business of manufacturing and selling perfumes and cosmetics. 

Prior to July 1 1938 Coty, Inc. was solely a holding company. Coty Products Corporation performed the manufacturing operations. Coty Processing Co., Inc. another subsidiary of Coty, Inc. packed the products manufactured by Coty Products Corporation. Coty Sales Corporation, also a subsidiary of Coty, Inc. sold and distributed the products manufactured and packed by the other two subsidiaries. The products were sold by Coty Products Corporation to Coty Processing Co. Inc. which in turn sold them to Coty Sales Corporation. On July 1, 1938, Coty Processing Co. Inc. and Coty Sales Corporation were legally dissolved and their functions taken over and continued by Coty, Inc. which thereupon became an operating company as well as a holding company. At all times Coty Inc and all its afore mentioned subsidiaries had and have the same management. 

In 1940, Societe des Francaise des Parfums Rallet, S.A. was listed as a subsidiary of Coty S.A. of France. Also in the directory was Marie Earle, Inc. and the Rallet Corporation of America listed under their subsidiary, Coty, Inc. (New).

When Coty bought Rallet in 1926, he continued to promote Rallet as a luxury cosmetic brand which created perfumes for royalty. Coty used the factories near Moscow to create custom perfumes for many of the Eastern European fashion houses.

Coty developed an aldehydic floral perfume based on Rallet No.1's formula. It was rumored that Ernest Beaux tried to sell the formula for Rallet No. 1 to Coty, but Coty had declined. I believe that this may have happened and he was frustrated that he did not take Beaux up on his offer, so he created what he thought was a close copy based on his own samples and memory. This turned into the infamous L'Aimant which was launched in 1927. 

Timeline:

• Bouquet de Catherine
• Rallet No.1
• Chanel No.5
• Coty's L'Aimant

The 1927 ad below lists several of Rallet perfumes, including Rallet No. 5, Rallet No. 22 and Rallet Gardenia. Coincidentally these are also the names of three of Chanel's perfumes, was Rallet (Coty) trying to capitalize on the perfumes?

Nationalization & Soviet era

Though Rallet was able to expand to highly populated parts of Russia, the domestic market was hindered by the country's large and impoverished rural citizens. Trade in this region was eventually curtailed with the onset of war in 1914 and ceased during the communist revolution. 

The Bolsheviks seized all foreign capital in Russia, including the three former Rallet-Chiris factories that Coty had bought from Chiris.

In 1917, A. Rallet & Co. was nationalized by the new Soviet government and renamed "Soap and Perfume Works No.7." [or No.4 as some accounts vary.] Operations were merged with its former chief competitor, Brocard, the former Rallet factories were directed to produce only soap.

Brocard, the soap and perfume works established by Frenchman Henri Brocard in Moscow in 1861, had been renamed upon nationalization, "Soap and Perfume Works No. 5."

Frustrated with the changes from brand names that were reduced to "numbers", the new managers petitioned the Council of People's Commissioners and in 1922 the former Rallet enterprise became "Svoboda" ("Freedom") and the former Brocard enterprise, "Novaya Zarya" ("New Dawn").

Bolshevik Russia, 1920:

"Among the older or more important enterprises founded with French capital should be mentioned first the group of large French firms in Moscow, most of them nearly a century old. Such are the silk mill of Giraud and Son, one of the largest spinning establishments in the world and those of Moussy and of Simonod then there are the perfumery manufacturers Brocard, Rallet, and Siou. " 

The factories fell under the supervision of Polina Zhemchuzhina, wife of Vyacheslav Molotov, who became head of the Soviet Union's cosmetics trust in the 1920s, a position she would hold until 1932 when she incurred Joseph Stalin's displeasure at the time of his wife's suicide. In 1948, fluent in Yiddish, she acted as translator for a diplomatic meeting between her husband, Vyacheslav Molotov, the Soviet Union's foreign minister, and Golda Meir, foreign minister of the new state of Israel. Shortly afterward she was exiled until after Stalin's death.

Novaya Zarya continues to be a major cosmetics enterprise in post-Soviet Russia.

Post-Soviet era

Svoboda, employing about 1,500 workers, is specialized in skin care products and soap. It is among the top ten cosmetics companies in Russia together with Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Gilette, Kalina, Schwarzkopf & Henkel, Unilever, Nevskaya Kosmetika, Colgate, and Beiersdorf. Like the majority of Russian cosmetics companies, Svoboda continues to be located in Moscow.

Rallet in France

After nationalization, Rallet's French staff regrouped at the main Chiris plant in La Bocca, France, where the company struggled to reestablish itself. They were joined by Ernest Beaux in 1919.

Vincent Roubert, another famous perfumer trained at the Rallet factories in Russia before they were relocated to Grasse. Roubert went on to work for Coty.

By 1926, Ernest Beaux had left Rallet to become technical director for Chanel and Bourjois and Rallet was sold to Coty. Coty used the factories near Moscow to create custom perfumes for many of the Eastern European fashion houses.

When the Bolsheviks confiscated the factories of Rallet, Coty relocated his French staff back to France and reestablished the facilities in Provence.

A June 1, 1926 stock certificate shows the company's name as Société Française des Parfums Rallet.

In 1948 Rallet No. 1 was sold under the Marie Earle name, as in "Marie Earle's Rallet No.1". In 1954, Coty merged the Marie Earle and Lilly Dache divisions and Rallet No.1 was advertised under the Lilly Dache name in newspaper ads. Rallet No. 1 continued to be sold until 1968.

The Rallet Corporation of America was chartered in Delaware in 1947 and Rallet fine fragrances were offered at least as late as 1948, but the company never regained its former prominence. Rallet Corporation of America, had headquarters at 730 Fifth Avenue, New York, N. Y, reported in American Import Export Bulletin from 1950.

Perfumes by Rallet

Perfumes from Imperial Russia:

[With the exception of several of the well known Rallet Imperial Russian Era fragrances, information on the many fragrances Rallet produced between 1843 and 1914 is very fragmentary. Fragrances were labeled in both Russian and in French. Advertising posters would confirm the existence of some Rallet fragrances, but Rallet advertising placards are sparsely found today. Many records and archives may have been destroyed following the nationalization period. Some of the information below was compiled from the Perfume Intelligence website and from Michael Edwards' wonderful book, "Perfume Legends."]

• Milskaya Liliya ("Spider Lily") (1880)
• Bouquet nezabuduk and Roses (1887
• Le Lys de Nil (1889) [in USA by 1916]
• Fleur de Neige (1890
• Primavera (1890)
• Mignonette-Reseda (1890)
• Breath of Spring (1890)
• Rose in Russia (1890)
• Heliotrope (1890)
• Rezeda (1890)
• Royal Court (1893)
• Perce-Neige ("Snow-Drops") (1895)
• Vesovoi No.3 (1895)
• Double Flowering Lilac (1895) (Makhrovaya Siren)
• In Honor of the Coronation (1896)
• Bouquet Ameres ("Bitter Almond") (1896)
• Tsar's Heather (1896)
• Alienor (1900)
• Pensee
• Leda
• Parfum Royal Rallet
• Sada Yakko (1900) [the name was used again in France in 1925 for an altogether fragrance.]
• Orchidea (1910)
• Bouquet de Napoleon (1912)
• Bouquet de Catherine (1913) [released post-war as Rallet Le No.1]
• Arôme Divin (1920)

Perfumes in post-war France

• Rallet No.1 (post-1914/1923)
• Sada Yakko (1925)
• Gardénia (c.1926-1931)
• Le No.3 (c.1925-1929)
• Le No.33 (c.1925-1929)
• Parfum Dix Sept (1927)
• Floric (1927)
• Xyris (1928)
• Chypre (1930)
• Maidou (1930)
• La Giroflée (1932)
• Muguet (1933)
• Jasmin (1933)
• Lilas (1934)
• Confession (1934)
• Last Paradise (1935)
• Le Success (1935)
• Rose (1940)

Bottles:

Rallet used many different types of bottles in their manufacture of perfumes. The oldest bottles dating to the 1800s are some of the rarest that can be found. The most common bottles we find today are for Rallet No. 1.

Baccarat created a stunning Art Deco crystal bottle for Rallet in 1934. 

Resurrection of Rallet:

Luckily for us, Rallet was resurrected in 2013 as Haute Parfumerie Rallet, and launched several new perfumes. The company was re-launched through licensees Empire of Scents with travel retail distribution handled by niche brand specialist Be Keen. The new Rallet fragrance range debuted at TFWA World Exhibition (Yellow B15) on the Empire of Scents stand. All are presented in similar styled glass bottles containing 100ml Eau de Parfum.

• 2013 Spectre Noir
• 2013 Flou Artistique
• 2013 Aqua Mystique
• 2013 47 Vyatskaya St
• 2016 Sada Yakko
• 2016 Soir Antique

47 Vyatskaya St was launched in 2013. It is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women. Created by Delphine Lebeau.

• Top notes: black currant, mandarin orange, violet leaf
• Middle notes: jasmine, rose, magnolia, lily
• Base notes: agarwood (oud), patchouli, benzoin, cedar, birch, peach, honey, vanilla

Aqua Mystique: was launched in 2013. It is classified as a floral woody musk fragrance for women. Created by Corinne Cachen.

• Top notes: lemon, bergamot, bitter orange, neroli, cardamom, mandarin orange 
• Middle notes: jasmine, mint, lavender, pepper, elemi, basil
• Base notes: woodsy notes, patchouli, white musk

Flou Artistique: was launched in 2013. It is classified as a floral oriental fragrance for women. Created by Delphine Jelk..

• Top notes: white peach, fondant almond, jasmine 
• Middle notes: ylang ylang, violet leaf, iris
• Base notes: sandalwood, styrax, patchouli, white musk

Spectre Noir: was launched in 2013. It is classified as a leather fragrance for women. Created by Benoist Lapouza.

• Top notes: lemon zest, mandarin, bergamot, grapefruit, red berries
• Middle notes: tarragon, elemi resin, sage, cloves 
• Base notes: patchouli, oakmoss, cedar, benzoin, vetiver, leather

Sadda Yako: this name stems from an earlier Rallet perfume, Sadda Yako, originally launched in 1900 and again in 1925. The newest offering is from 2016 and is classified as an oriental fragrance for women. Created by Ane Ayo.

• Top notes: artemisia, bergamot, neroli
• Middle notes: osmanthus, iris, jasmine
• Base notes: myrrh, vanilla, amber, musk

 Soir Antique: launched in 2016 is classified as a woodsy fragrance for men and women. Created by Christelle Laprade.

• Top notes: peach, orange
• Middle notes: jasmine, jasmine sambac, Siam benzoin, tuberose
• Base notes: guaiac wood, Virginian cedar, sandalwood

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