Creed

The Legacy of Creed

Creed is a perfume house based in Paris, France, one of the oldest in the world. It opened in 1760 as the House of Creed, then in London, England, and passed down from father to son to the present day. No other company is like Creed – the only luxury company in the world held by a private family. In its centuries-spanning history, Creed has served more than 100 royal houses, creating perfumes for great monarchs and rulers.

The House of Creed

Today, Creed has a boutique in Paris and one in New York City. According to the company, all the perfumes are made by a two person team: a father and his son. Currently, this is Olivier Creed, and his son Erwin Creed, but it all began in 1760 with James Henry Creed.

At first the company was established for tailoring. By the mid-19th century, Henry Creed and his company was making articles of clothing for queens, empresses, and other luminaries of the time – including Queen Victoria and Empress Eugenie themselves. Both these monarchs gave Creed official status to supply them with fashion. Royalty across Europe, from Austro-Hungary to Spain were clamoring for the work of the House of Creed.

Creed Scents

The current head of Creed, Olivier Creed, is well known for his work. Two of the many fragrances his is personally credited for are Millesime Imperial and Silver Mountain Water, both colognes for men.

Millesime Imperial is an enchanting fragrance which blends green mandarin, bergamot, Florentine iris, and Sicilian lemon into a truly amazing scent.

Silver Mountain Water is a bright fresh scent, truly unique in its composition. The concept was born from the sharp clear air of the Switzerland Alps. This experience is mixed with notes of green tea, Galbanum, musk, mandarin, bergamot, sandalwood, and black currant. It truly evokes a sense of the outdoors and is perfect for casual everyday wear.

Women’s fragrances are not neglected either. Silver Mountain Water is also available for women, with many of the same notes, but with a different balance for women – subtle to avoid being overwhelming, but still evoking that sense of high mountain peaks.

There are quite a few classic scents that remain available from Creed’s long history, as well. For instance, consider the fragrance made for Empress Eugenie, wife of Napoleon III, more than 150 years ago. This is an exotic oriental scent that still manages to evoke hints of the European, as well, with notes of sandalwood, vanilla, and Italian jasmine.

The Personal Touch

Olivier Creed, like his ancestors before him, has a personal hand in every fragrance created by his company. These “Vintages” use only the highest quality essences, like rose from Morocco, Turkey, or Bulgaria. Florence is the source of irises and jasmine; the tuberose essences come straight from India. Creed still uses an infusion technique that the other perfumers have long since abandoned, making sure his scents are always the same as they were when they were first made. The basic infusions are all weighed, mixed, macerated, then filtered personally by hand, just the way James Henry Creed did it centuries ago.

Olivier Creed has a talent for creating perfumes, passed down through the generations. His is the sixth Creed to head the house, with his son already a part of the family business that has endured more than 230 years. Oliver Creed’s children, Erwin and Olivia, respectively a Senior Perfumer and an art designer for Creed, are poised to take the company into the future.

A Legendary Name

Tradition is a strong force in any business that’s been at work as long as Creed, even more so when that business is owned by a single family. Their devotion to crafting fragrances by hand when all others have turned to mechanical means displays this sense of traditionalism, spanning more than two centuries of excellence. But they are also innovators, always creating new fragrances for new people, new times, and new generations. This combination is what makes the House of Creed such a powerful force in the world of perfumes.

Creed has served royalty, celebrities, modern political leaders, athletes, musicians, artists – but they are not the only people to benefit from the skill and artistry of the Creed family. There is a Creed fragrance for anyone and everyone who enjoys the scent of beauty.