Aubusson

Summary

When someone says the word aubusson, people may think of the luxurious French tapestries. To the cosmetic industry, this is not the meaning of the word. To the beauty industry, the meaning is the Fragrantica definition stating that the word is shorthand for the fragrance company Parfums Daniel Aubusson. Despite this French name, the parent company is First American Brands, a company whose products are available in online and in-person retailers such as Wal-Mart, Kmart, CVS Pharmacy, Sears, and Overstock.com. This First American Brands sells fragrances for both men and women, many of which smell flowery. The company specialty may be perfume and cologne, but they also sell other personal care products for both sexes, such as shampoo, lotion, and body wash. Although they have not made a new fragrance in more than a decade, they have a collection full of timeless sprays.

Company History

Early Years (1984)

Daniel Aubusson started his company in 1984 and continues to sell fragrances today. Within their first year on the cosmetic market, they released two fragrances and thirteen more throughout this and later last century (“Aubusson Perfumes And Colognes”, 2019). The fragrance company is based in Saint Remy de Provence, Southern France, the same country where many other companies both directly and indirectly involved with Aubusson reside (“AUBUSSON”, 2019).

Guy de Lummen and 20th Century Couture (1984-Present)

During the early 1980s, many luxury brands struggled to sell their products due to how niche the industry was and still is. At the time, many small and medium-sized couture businesses failed due to various corporate mergers and buyouts. These larger companies wanted luxury goods to sell to a wider range of consumers. These businesses were further affected by the cheaper labor which was outsourced to different countries. A notable company that suffered from these economic changes was Societe Madeline Vionnet and Cie (Blaszczyk, & Pouillard, 2018, p. 85).

Societe Madeline Vionnet and Cie (also known as Vionnet) was founded by Madeline Vionnet, who was also the company’s main designer, in Paris during 1912. Vionnet particularly thrived in the years before World War II. In 1939, Vionnet closed its doors, and its founder retired. Decades later, entrepreneur Guy de Lummen would revive the brand (Blaszczyk, & Pouillard, 2018, p. 85-86).

Although initially trained in textile engineering, Guy de Lummen also learned about production management and gained the skills needed to handle approximately twenty couture business licenses and eventually be involved with Parfums Daniel Aubusson. De Lummen wanted to re-release Vionnet’s perfumes, A, B, C, and D. Since fragrances were not Vionnet’s focus, these perfumes did not sell well. Their lack of recognition may have contributed to the decision against manufacturing them. Lummen’s new licensee deemed the remaking of these discontinued sprays “too passe” (Blaszczyk, & Pouillard, 2018, p. 86-87). Lummen took these words to heart and made a fragrance titled Haute Couture, which was released in 1996 (Blaszczyk, & Pouillard, 2018, p. 91). Later in Aubusson’s career, his company was included under First American Brands, who would allow him to make fifteen products, most of which still sell today.

Products

Since 1984, the First American Brands Company has released fifteen fragrances, only five of which are for men. Their most recent product came out in 2004, and no sources suggest any signs of a new product. Many users state that the company’s products smell floral, but their scents are quite multifaceted in both smell and product design.

Histoire D’Amour

Histoire D’Amour is the perfume house’s debut fragrance. The title is French for “love story,” and it is their most popular fragrance. The box is white and silver, while the bottle is gold with a lid shaped like a white flower. Users describe Histoire D’Amour’s smell as predominantly “woody,” “yellow floral,” and “earthy.” It also has notes of sandalwood, rose, and jasmine (“Histoire D'Amour Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 1984.”, 2019). There is also an Histoire D'Amour body lotion and shower gel, which is commonly available in fragrance gift sets. Histoire D’Amour is a favorite among consumers, which led to two other versions of the scent.

Histoire D’Amour 2

The sequel to the “love story” was released in 2003, nearly twenty years after the original. Histoire D’Amour 2’s scent is also flowery, along with “ozonic” and “aquatic” according to reviewers. It also has hints of raspberry and watermelon. In addition to the new ingredients, Histoire D’Amour 2’s packaging also underwent slight changes. Both the box and bottle are pink and white, and the lid still looks like a flower (“Histoire D'Amour 2 Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 2003.”, 2019). Histoire D’Amour Cherie

Histoire D’Amour Cherie came out the same year as Histoire D’Amour (Histoire D'Amour Cherie.”, 2019). The first Histoire D’Amour was mostly yellow floral, but reviewers say that Histoire D’Amour Cherie is described as “white floral” due to hints of magnolia, tuberose, jasmine, and water lily. Other facets unique to Histoire D’Amour Cherie include notes of leather, Australian sandalwood, and musk. Histoire D’Amour Cherie also comes in a noticeably different box and bottle. The packaging is almost identical to Histoire D’Amour, except it comes in a purple container (“Histoire D'Amour Cherie Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women.”, 2019). Histoire D'Amour Cherie exists as a lotion and shower gel too. The Histoire D’Amour collection is a favorite among both the company and their customers, as seen in the little amount of attention other fragrances received.

Coleurs

A less flower-centric product is the 1997 spray, Coleurs. The English meaning of the fragrance name is “colors,” and as one would assume from the title, it has a polychromatic and multidimensional aroma. Fragrantica labels this fragrance as predominantly “fruity” and “sweet.” This fruity scent combines pear and peach. Some less prominent traits were “powdery,” “woody,” and “aquatic” (Couleurs Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 1997.”, 2019). Arguably, the product design matched the smell’s most noticeable attributes.

In addition to the bolder smell, the product design was also multicolored. Two out of three Histoire D’Amour products came in white boxes, whereas Coleurs came in a red and neon yellow box. Inside this box was a triangular, aqua-colored bottle. Even though the smell has many likable elements, buyers did not like it as much as the Histoire D’Amour perfumes. Coleurs is also lesser-known, which may contribute to the lower ratings. Although the perfumery is mostly known for its women’s fragrances, they have released some fragrances for men.

Futuros

Futuros was the business’ first male-targeted product. Its name is Spanish for the word “futures.” The strong cologne comes in an opaque black bottle which has ridges on its sides, giving it a rough texture as well. Some editions of Futuros make the bottle with a blue lid and have only the middle of the bottle black. Unlike the Histoire D’Amours, Futuros’ scent gives off a mainly “warm spicy” flavor, but like Histoire D’Amour, it contains notes of wood. It also has hints of leather, cloves, and tonka bean (“Futuros Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 1987.”, 2019). The matching aftershave for Futuros that came in a similar bottle as the cologne. Unfortunately, Futuros has been discontinued (“Futuros”, 2019). However, there are still has other masculine fragrances available for purchase.

Homme

Homme was launched in 1992, and like the Futuros scent, it is also spicy with notes of wood. Homme contains smaller notes of citrus fruits too. Among these citrus fruits are orange and lemon. Similar to many of the female fragrances, Homme uses many flowers in its scent, including carnations, jasmine, and geranium (“Homme Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 1992.”, 2019). Homme means “man” in French, and one could say that the box for Homme is much more masculine than most other boxes, which are brightly colored. Homme’s box has a light, leathery brown color that matches the top of the bottle. The rest of the bottle is aqua green.

Man in Blue

Man in Blue was released in 2004, and no new products have been released since then. The product’s appearance matches its name, as the container features two translucent shades of blue, one pastel, the other cobalt. Its lid is silver. Similar to other products, the scent has woody overtones. Other elements of Man in Blue include bamboo leaf, salt, and amber (“Man in Blue Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 2004.”, 2019). This and other fragrances can be bought globally.

About First American Brands (Parent Company)

Despite being a French company, Parfums Daniel Aubusson’s parent company is First American Brands. First American Brands is located in New York City and was established in 2001 (“First American Brands Inc.”, 2019). They make fragrances and cosmetics for many other companies. Today First American Brands sells over one hundred body sprays. Many of these fragrances are inspired by cartoon characters from companies such as Nickelodeon, Disney, and Looney Toons.

Their Nickelodeon-inspired releases are of Spongebob Squarepants characters and are all unisex. Each bottle is shaped like one of the characters. First American Brands does not have any other perfumes with Nickelodeon shows, but there are many Disney movie and television-themed sprays.

First American Brands has a wide selection of Disney-related perfumes from franchises such as the Disney princesses, fairies, and Star Wars. The Star Wars Collection is mainly unisex, except for the 2016 product, Star Wars for Men. The entire Hannah Montana collection is for women, just like the princess and fairy lines. However, their fragrance for the hit film Frozen unisex and is the only gender-neutral fragrance associated with Disney. Most of their other Disney products are for women, while the same cannot be said for the Looney Toons perfume line. Nearly all of their Looney Toons fragrances are unisex except Tweety, a women’s perfume. First American Brands has many other cartoon-themed body sprays, like their Winx Fairy Couture products and their Lalaloopsy line. However, they also have more sophisticated scents.

Some less media-focused fragrances First American Brands includes is the musky line of Ford Mustang cologne, the same company that sells Mustang cars. In addition to Mustang, First American Brands also distributes Penthouse fragrances, a line for both men and women. They also make Torand, another male and female-friendly line consisting of twenty items. First American Brands also has several celebrity fragrances (“First American Brands”, 2019).

First American Brands manufactures perfumes for many famous designers and performers. They have worked with designers Adreienne Vittadini, Judith Leiber, Bill Blass, and Carmen Electra. The Vittadini, Leiber, and Electra products are all designed for women. Twelve out of fifteen Bill Blass items are also aimed at female buyers. There is only one product associated with Carmen Electra, and the perfume is titled Rrrr! First American brands also sells a fragrance for singer, actor, and voice actor Jesse McCartney called Wanted.

References

• Couleurs Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 1997. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Aubusson-Couleurs-4556.html
• Homme Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 1992. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Aubusson-Homme-4559.html
• Man in Blue Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 2004. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Aubusson-Man-in-Blue-4560.html
• Aubusson Perfumes And Colognes. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/designers/Aubusson.html
• Blaszczyk, R. L., & Pouillard, V. (2018). European fashion: The creation of a global industry. Manchester: Manchester University Press.
• First American Brands. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/parent-company/First American Brands.html
• First American Brands Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.macraesbluebook.com/search/company.cfm?company=829304
• Futuros. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.basenotes.net/ID26120653.html
• Futuros Aubusson cologne - a fragrance for men 1987. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Futuros-38368.html
• Histoire D'Amour 2 Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 2003. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Histoire-D-Amour-2-4551.html
• Histoire D'Amour Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women 1984. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Histoire-D-Amour-4549.html
• Histoire D'Amour Cherie. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from http://www.basenotes.net/ID26149077.html
• Histoire D'Amour Cherie Aubusson perfume - a fragrance for women. (n.d.). Retrieved February 27, 2019, from https://www.fragrantica.com/perfume/Aubusson/Histoire-D-Amour-Cherie-28071.html