Parfums Caron was established in 1904 by Ernest Daltroff, who purchased a perfumery located on Rue de la Paix, Paris from Anne-Marie Caron. He kept the original name and from the very beginning, unlike Chanel or Dior who were primarily in the fashion business, the house was dedicated solely to perfumes. He met and hired his muse, Felicie Wanpouille, in 1906 and it was she who contributed to the designing the bottles as artistic director. After Daltroff fled to the US to escape Nazi persecution of Jews in 1938 (he died in 1947 aged 80), Felicie ran the house expertly until retiring herself in1962 (she died in 1967 aged 93)
As a perfumer, Daltroff was a true innovator combining new and exciting synthetics in a very bold way with traditional ingredients. While all Caron scents are stunningly diverse, even though created by a single perfumer, each share a common thread in their base accord called "Mousse de Saxe" which is a blend of geranium, liquorice, leather, iodine and vanillin.
Of his creations, many are still in production including Narcisse Noir [1911], Infini [1912], N'aimez que Moi [1917], Tabac Blond [1919], Nuit de Noel [1922], Bellogia [1927], Fleurs de Rocaille [1934], Royal Bain [1941] and many others created during the Wanpouille years by the subsequent Caron perfumer, Michel Morsetti. All can be sampled at Woodforde's.
Daltroff's legacy is apparent, not only through the Caron scents that have endured for nearly a century, but in his influence upon successive perfume houses. Madame Rochas, Caleche, Chanel No 19, Bois de Iles and Habanita were all said to be based in greater part upon Daltroff's original "Mousse de Saxe" accord.
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