Ladies and Gentlemen, dear colleagues,
A great figure in the world of perfumery has passed away.
Jean Kerléo left us in July, leaving behind a significant legacy for the profession.
His unconventional journey began as a young perfumer at Helena Rubinstein before joining the Jean Patou perfume laboratory, where he remained for 30 years. His mission was to carry on the legacy of the iconic Joy 1929 by Henri Alméras. We owe him many beautiful and well-known creations: 1000 by Patou (1972), Eau de Patou (1976), the iconic Lacoste Eau de Toilette (1968), and Sublime (1992) to name a few. It was also in the Jean Patou perfume laboratory that he had an interest in reviving the house’s vintage perfumes from the 1930s, which had long since disappeared from the market. He brought back to life fragrances such as Moment Suprême (1929), Cocktail (1930), Vacances (1936), and Colony (1938), true signatures of their era. This passion later extended to other perfumes that had made a mark in their time.
Building on this experience, he came up with the idea of creating an olfactory database.
During his president term at the SFP, Jean Kerléo supported by the Versailles Chamber of Commerce, the French Perfume Committee/FEBEA, and the Technical Society of French Perfumers, he gave birth to the Osmothèque, the world’s first perfume conservatory.
The association was setup at the end of 1980s, and he was the founder supported by a few perfumers who believed in his project. The Osmothèque started with a modest collection and now it has since grown to include over 5,000 perfumes, including 800 which are no longer available commercially.
A true time capsule, this unique worldwide collection allows us to understand the evolution of perfumery creation, to serve as a source of inspiration for perfumers, and by recalling the past, to evoke deep emotions to the visitors. Jean Kerléo brought the art of perfumery into the area of culture.
At the same time, he created the Technical Commission of the SFP, bringing together passionate and volunteer perfumers from diverse backgrounds who meet once a month.
Their task is to classify all new fragrance launches on the market. This is the official perfume classification system, which organises fragrances into families and subfamilies, thereby highlighting the major accords that form the foundation of modern perfumery. This classification has the merit of being neutral and is not influenced by any company or brand. There is a digital version on the SFP website and a paper version. The commission still continues its work to this day.
At a time when the concept of heritage is becoming ever more important, we can say that Jean Kerléo was a visionary pioneer.
He gave to the profession an invaluable database.
We owe him our deepest gratitude.
Thank you to Patricia de Nicolaï Michau for writing this tribute.
Crédit photo : Priscillia Pamart / Osmothèque
