Serge Lutens

About the house

Serge Lutens was born on 14 March 1942 and worked in make-up long before his name went on a bottle. He was creative and development director for Christian Dior make-up from 1968 to 1980. Shiseido then asked him to rethink its image, and his work there is credited with helping the Japanese group enter Europe. Sources give 1979 or 1980 for the start of that job.

His first fragrance, Nombre Noir, came out for Shiseido in the early 1980s, with sources split between 1981 and 1982. In 1992 Les Salons du Palais Royal Shiseido opened in Paris, presenting seven fragrances. France Today describes the interior as a room in several shades of purple, from tender orchid to deep violet. Lutens called the place more of a refined salon for perfumes than a boutique. Now Smell This dates Ambre Sultan to 1993, Iris Silver Mist to 1994, Un Lys to 1997, Tubéreuse Criminelle to 1999 and Datura Noir to 2001.

The brand Parfums-Beauté Serge Lutens was created inside Shiseido in 2000. The Perfume Society names Maurice Roucel and Christopher Sheldrake among the noses he worked with. Credit for Féminité du Bois is split: one blog gives the original woody-fruity structure to Pierre Bourdon, while other sources name Sheldrake as Lutens's perfumer.

Lutens lives in Marrakech, and Morocco is described as an influence on the spiced character of many of his perfumes. He says he sees perfume as the expression of his own desire and identity, and he rejects gendered rules for florals and woods.

In March 2015 Shiseido announced an agreement to buy the Serge Lutens trademark, with Lutens staying on as creative director. Before the sale the fragrances were sold through about 2,000 outlets in 35 countries.