Mugler

About the house

Thierry Mugler moved to Paris at 20 and put out his own fashion label in 1974, according to the Irish Times obituary, while other sources give 1973. Fashion was not enough for him, he said, and he went on to create in other ways. Perfume was one of them, and so was a Cirque du Soleil show, Zumanity, which he created for Las Vegas in 2003.

The first fragrance came in 1992. Angel was the house's debut scent, made with Clarins, and its bottle is an irregular star. Sources disagree on who composed it: one account credits Olivier Cresp and Yves de Chiris, while the Perfume Society names Yves de Chiris alone. The Perfume Society also says Angel created a new gourmand category, a claim Aromara repeats.

The Irish Times says Angel's success led Clarins to buy a controlling stake in 1997. In 2020 the house changed hands again, when L'Oréal completed its purchase of the Mugler brands and Azzaro fragrances from Clarins Group on 31 March.

A men's line, A*Men, followed in 1996. Alien, the house's other long-running women's fragrance, has Ropion and Bruyère named as its composers by the blog The Candy Perfume Boy, which describes it as a solar floral pairing Sambac jasmine with woody amber. Mugler describes Alien as a sacred talisman charged with positive energy. Its amethyst bottle is refillable, and the Perfume Society says Mugler runs refill stations called The Source at its counters.

Womanity arrived in 2010. The Perfume Society calls it the first eco-designed fragrance, and says it used molecular extraction to limit natural raw materials. Angel Muse, created by perfumer Quentin Bisch, is listed under 2015 or 2016 depending on the source.