UAE. Lancôme and Dubai Duty Free have partnered in an exclusive two-month pre-launch for the French beauty house’s new luxury private perfumes collection, Maison Lancôme, from 1 March to 30 April.
Maison Lancôme celebrates the ‘French art of living’ that has defined the rose-emblemed brand since it was created by perfumer Armand Petitjean in 1935.
The collection features a range of fragrances composed, designed and produced in France. For 2019, Maison Lancôme draws inspiration from French gardens for its four new creations: Figues & Agrumes, Magnolia Rosae, Patchouli Aromatique and Pivoines Printemps.
Spreading the word to the Chinese consumer A consumer version of this story will also appear this week on popular Chinese travel shopping WeChat platform Globuy, through a new information-sharing partnership between Globuy publisher Extra-Aile Media and The Moodie Davitt Report. |
Armand Petitjean had a special love of French gardens, as evidenced by those he laid out at the Lancôme plantation in Chevilly, known at the time as the ‘Versailles of Perfumery’. His passion found its ultimate expression though in the garden of his country home, Les Vallières, described by Lancôme as “a bucolic and romantic haven of peace”. There, the perfumer and his wife grew rare flowers and hosted receptions for friends and family every Sunday.
Lancôme said that the new collection merges the quintessentially French tradition of weekends in the countryside with the historical heritage of the brand. Maison Lancôme represents an “olfactory interpretation of the French country garden”, it said.
Shoppers can discover that interpretation via an immersive and multi-sensory virtual reality in-store experience.
“An olfactory interpretation of the French country garden” – Introducing Maison Lancôme 2019
Figues & Agrumes (above right): By Alex Lee and Patricia Choux
“We worked together on the fig, combining our two visions to create a unique interpretation of the fruit. Patricia was inspired by the fresh, green fig you can smell when you walk by the fig trees in southern France. Alex played on the mouth-watering and addictive facet of the fig.”
Magnolia Rosae (second right): By Mathilde Bijaoui
“When I was a child, I would go to my maternal grandparents’ garden and sit on a bench beneath an enormous magnolia tree, which was spectacular when in bloom. I imagined a fragrance around the plump, velvety petals of the magnolia, a fragrance of skin and flowers.”
Patchouli Aromatique (second left): By Juliette Karageuzoglou
“Patchouli is my favourite ingredient. I wanted to work this sublime plant into a comfortable creation. My objective was to tame it by blending it with a French garden.”
Pivoines Printemps (top left): By Nicolas Beaulieu
“The dense whorl of peony petals makes me think of the smooth, creaminess of whipped cream.”
