There is a house in New Orleans, no it’s not the “House of the Rising Sun”, but a perfumery that has existed for over 150 years. Unlike in The Animals classic song, the House of Bourbon French Parfums, hasn’t been the ruin of many poor boys although they might have made a few perfumistas poor.
From the colonial days of New Orleans to the present time, a unique group of people, known as the “Creoles” have contributed to the most European city in America. Creoles are descendants of French, Spanish and Caribbean slaves and natives; a Creole is also a person whose ancestry derives from the mixed nationalities in the Caribbean.
This rich tapestry of contribution by the Creoles includes good food, excellent tobacco, fine clothing and exquisite fragrances, all the hallmarks of sophisticated living, which contributed to the grandeur of New Orleans.
The history of Bourbon French Perfumes is like a history of New Orleans. The person who started it all was August Doussan. Arriving from France in 1843, August Doussan became the first full-time perfumer in New Orleans. His skills and capabilities of blending flowers and spices into marvelous parfums became the sensation all over New Orleans but mostly it was in demand by the leading aristocratic families in the city. Mr. Doussan established the Doussan French Perfumery in the Vieux Carre or as it is more familiarly known The French Quarter and it is the oldest and most famous neighborhood in New Orleans.
August Doussan hired a young chemist named, J. H. Tindel who had learned perfumery in Europe. Doussan and Tindel created and marketed their secret formula, that became highly successful, which was ‘Eau de Cologne’. They would later add other scents that were based on the traditional fragrances of Europe and the Orient. Years later, Doussan would retire and pass the business onto Tindel; he would eventually change the name to the Bourbon French Perfume Company.
Under the leadership of J. H. Tindel, the little shop in the Vieux Carre prospered. New and exciting fragrances were created in Louisiana using fragrant notes influenced by the imports of Central and South America which arrived at the port city on a daily basis. By this time, The Bourbon French Perfume Company’s fame had spread, generating clients all over the United States and Europe. Mr. Tindel needed more help so he hired Marguerite Acker who was just 17 years old. Tindel made Marguerite his apprentice in the Art Of Perfumery and taught Marguerite everything he knew. She was a quick study and in no time she could correctly identify the fragrant notes in any perfume from its scent.
In 1973, Marguerite’s granddaughter, the lovely Alessandra Crain inherited Bourbon French Perfume Company and like her grandmother she showed the gift of “le nez”. It is the gift of any natural born perfumer; with it Alessandra could also identify all of the fragrant notes in a perfume. Her ability would lead to her best known creation, ‘Voodoo Love’.
‘Voodoo Love’ Parfum is all about the re-creation of the potion that the well-known American voodoo priestess, Marie Laveau, gave her clients. Marie Laveau was a Free Woman of Color born in 1794. She became the most famous and powerful Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Mme. Laveau was respected and feared by all in New Orleans and had clients near and far. Her specialty was love and money. Marie Laveau died in 1881 and is buried in St. Louis Cemetery in New Orleans. Her tomb is the focal point of travel to New Orleans by all those who have marveled, and feared, at her abilities.
Voodoo Love carries an Old World flavor while also giving off a dark and mysterious vibe redolent of decadence and decay. It is a gorgeous, long lasting scent bursting with notes of cinnamon and amber. It reminds me of stories I read about the New Orleans of centuries ago.
Alessandra Crain would sell The Bourbon French Perfume Company in 1991 to Mary Eleftorea Behlar, who is the current owner and House Perfumer. Mary, like all of the people who have owned The Bourbon French Perfume Company, also has the gift of “le nez”. She has used it to develop new fragrances which still hearken back to the traditions begun in 1843. Mary has created numerous fragrances for The Bourbon French Perfume Company but the name has now been slightly changed to Bourbon French Parfums.
Some of Mary’s most popular and successful fragrances are:
Sesquessence- created to celebrate Bourbon French Perfumes 150th anniversary in business, in 1993.
La Pluie- meaning ‘the rain’
Jardin de Cour- meaning ‘courtyard garden’
Antonis- named for her father
Eleftorea- for Mary’s Greek name
Since 1843, Bourbon French Parfums haven’t changed very much, although the name has. From the earliest days until the present whoever “le nez” has been, they were influenced by all that makes New Orleans a special American city. The one constant throughout the lifetime of Bourbon French Parfums is the method of manufacturing, the use of the finest ingredients from natural sources wherever possible has remained the same. According to Mary Behlar, the current owner of Bourbon French Parfums, “The best methods are still the simplest, the most direct and the most natural”. This is exactly what has been done and proved to be highly successful for the last 167 years!
-Felicia M. Hazzard, Contributor
Art from the Lousiana State Museum website.