Before the turmoil of the Russian Revolution, an olfactory culture had already taken root across the empire. The foundations of perfumery in Russia were not only inspired by French tradition but were vigorously cultivated by visionary entrepreneurs and master craftsmen who helped the industry flourish in unexpected ways. This chapter explores the individuals—both famed and forgotten—who left a lasting trail on Russian perfumery in their wake.

The Entrepreneurs

By the mid-19th century, Russia was experiencing a growing appetite for luxury and refinement. Into this blooming market stepped two French-born pioneers—Alphonse Rallet and Henri Brocard—who would go on to shape the very identity of Russian fragrance.

Alphonse Rallet: The Founder of Russian Perfumery

Alphonse Rallet was a French entrepreneur who laid the foundation of the Russian perfume industry in 1843. Recognizing an emerging market, Rallet went to Russia where he initially set up a business in Moscow producing candles. He diversified into soap and perfume manufacturing, where French expertise and innovation allowed the company to also produce toiletries, eau de cologne, pomade, and lipsticks, catering to Russia’s growing luxury market. He introduced glycerine soap, a revolutionary product at the time, which was far gentler on the skin than the traditional lye-based soaps used in Russia.

Rallet's ambition extended beyond formulations. Determined to control production, he acquired plantations in southern Russia for raw materials and even purchased a glass factory in 1855 to produce perfume bottles in-house. The business grew rapidly, however Rallet, suffering from lung problems, sold to investors around 1856/7 with the proviso that the Rallet name would be maintained. The business was sold again in 1893 to the Grasse-based Chiris fragrance house.

By the time of the initial sale Rallet enjoyed success and acclaim; the company was a Purveyor to the Imperial Court of Russia and, shortly after, began supplying the courts of Romania, Montenegro, Persia, and Serbia. They racked up awards at the 1878 and 1900 Paris Expositions and had been granted the emblem of the Russian Empire, a prestigious type of warrant. The company was responsible for crafting perfumes used by the Russian aristocracy, including members of the Romanov dynasty. Rallet was also known for producing "Bouquet de Napoleon", a popular fragrance in Russia during the 19th century, mentioned in Chapter 1.

As the new century dawned Rallet had a catalog of over 600 products, 3 retail shops in Moscow and a wholesale business in St Petersburg. The company also had a trump card: perfumer Ernest Beaux. However, the Russian Revolution of 1917 led to the nationalization of Rallet, which was rebranded as Soap and Perfume Works No. 4 (or No. 7 – accounts vary). The company’s assets were seized, and its focus shifted to producing basic hygiene products instead of luxury fragrances.

Henri Brocard: The Maker of Accessible Perfume

Henri Brocard was another Frenchman who came to Russia seeking new opportunities. Born into a family with roots in the perfume industry, he learned his craft from his father who had a Paris-based company producing oils, soaps and hair products. After a brief stint in the US, the young Brocard decided to try his luck where there was less competition: in Russia. He began as an assistant in a soap factory, then, while working as chief perfumer for the factory of Konstantin Gik, he developed a new method of producing concentrated perfume. He went on to open his own company, but rather than cater to the aristocrats and the elite, he wanted to make quality products at a price point the general public could afford.

Brocard had married a Belgian woman named Charlotte who turned out to be a marketing genius. She had grown up in Russia with parents who were tutors to the nobility. She had the perfect cross-cultural experience and knowledge to help Henri combine the French savoir faire with Russian taste. At her prompting, they produced soaps in the shapes of rabbits, bears, alphabet letters, fruits and flowers which, at the price of 1 ruble, were extremely popular. With this success Brocard branched into pomades and powders, and even toothpaste.

Between Brocard’s knowledge of fragrance production, his quest for technical advances and innovations plus his wife’s marketing campaigns, he was able to build a fragrance empire that catered to both the aristocracy and the common man. Over the course of a few years he had to relocate his production several times to accommodate demand. His factory grew to be the largest in Russia. In 1872 he opened his first boutique in Moscow near Red Square. For the occasion he created beauty sets that included soaps, face creams, colognes, and rouge. Six years later he opened a second boutique for which he launched what must be the first discovery set – a coffret of ten perfume samples priced at one ruble. It is said to have caused a stampede!

Like Rallet, Brocard goods were also popular with the royals. In Russia he earned the title of Purveyor to the Imperial Court and he also produced perfumes for the Spanish court. In 1886 Tsar Alexander III gave his stamp of approval with a personal seal with coat of arms.

Brocard asserted itself on the international stage as well. The company left a lasting impression at the 1878 Exposition Universelle in Paris, showcasing their wide range of toiletries, perfumes and grooming products. The blend of French fragrance tradition and Russian craftsmanship positioned Brocard as a pioneering force In the perfumery industry. In 1889 at the Exposition Universelle in Paris Brocard launched one of his iconic fragrances, Persian Lilac, a fragrance dedicated to his wife and still in production today. Towards the end of the century, products were distributed across Russia, France, Germany, Austria, Romania, Persia and Turkey. By 1915 they had established a partnership with New York-based F.R. Arnold & Co to distribute Brocard fragrances across the United States.

In 1900, Brocard left Russia due to poor health, but his sons stayed there until the time of the Revolution. The factory, which was the largest in Russia, was nationalized by the Bolsheviks in 1917 and rebranded as Soap and Perfume Works No.5. In 1919 Brocard’s son Alexandre was arrested along with other members of management for “anti-Soviet crimes”. He was imprisoned for 5 years after which he left Russia and established a business in France.

After Rallet and Brocard were nationalized the operations were merged. It wasn’t until 1922 or somewhat later that each was given a new name in a move away from numbers. The former Rallet company was christened Svoboda (Freedom) while Brocard became Novaya Zarya, or New Dawn. The New Dawn factory still exists today.

The Perfumers

As the 19th century came to a close, two gifted perfumers—Ernest Beaux and Auguste Michel—stood at the helm of their respective houses. Each one played a critical role in not only shaping scent but also carrying their expertise into an uncertain future.

Ernest Beaux: The Master Perfumer

Ernest Beaux started his remarkable career at Rallet in 1898 beginning as a lab technician. Born in Moscow but with French heritage, he would become one of the most illustrious figures of modern perfumery. In 1902 he undertook his perfume training under the technical director, Alexandre Lemercier, and on completion in 1907 he was promoted to senior perfumer or technical director – the records are not clear. Shortly after, he created several iconic fragrances. Bouquet de Napoleon (1912), a floral eau de cologne which marked the centenary of the emperor’s Russian campaigns, was a huge commercial success and spawned what today would be called a rash of dupes.

In 1913, Houbigant perfumer Robert Bienaimė created Quelques Fleurs, which was ground-breaking in its use of aldehydes. Undoubtedly, Beaux started experimenting with these novel materials, and surely his work resulted in new creations. It has been argued that one was called Bouquet de Catherine, a tribute to Catherine the Great. However, at least one historian questions this story, and even whether the fragrance ever existed. No bottles or advertising have been found, nor any eyewitness accounts. It was further speculated that this fragrance was relaunched as Rallet N°1, but this is an incomplete story. According to Viktoria Vlasova, “The fact is that pre-revolutionary Russian manufacturers had a custom of indicating the concentration of aromatic substances in the most basic, hygienic eau-de-colognes with the help of the sign "No." and a number, where 1 meant the weakest concentration.” There was a Rallet N°1 eau de cologne which pre-dated the Revolution, and there was also a Rallet N°1 perfume which was not documented until after 1921. These facts put into question the theory that Bouquet de Catherine/Rallet N°1 was the precursor to Chanel N°5.

But let’s get back to Ernest Beaux. Due to his French origins he was obliged to serve in the French Army during WWI. In the meantime, many of his French colleagues fled Russia, settling in the South of France to work for Chiris, the current owner of Rallet. By 1919 Beaux was released from the army but advised not to return to Russia, so wisely, he went to France where he landed at Chiris in La Bocca, not far from Grasse. He most certainly brought with him the formulas for Bouquet de Napoleon and Bouquet de Catherine, if it existed. In the next years he developed a number of fragrances while also building his network of fellow Russian émigrés possibly including Grand Duke Dimitri Pavlovitch. Pavlovitch, who had been exiled due to his role in the assassination of Rasputin, was also in a relationship with Coco Chanel. It was here that Beaux met Coco Chanel—and where, as the legend goes, he transformed a modified version of “Bouquet de Catherine” into the legendary Chanel No. 5.

But that’s another story which is still a mystery.

Here is a fascinating short video about Ernest Beaux in Russian with English subtitles.

Auguste Michel: The Soviet Perfumer

There is more mystery than history behind Auguste Michel. Born in Grasse, he was able to avoid military service by training as a pharmacist and then as a perfumer. He joined Rallet in Moscow in 1908 where he trained under Alexandre Lemercier, just like Beaux. Certainly the two perfumers knew each other. Records indicate Michel was lured away to work for Brocard, where in 1913 he created his own aldehydic fragrance, Le Bouquet Favori de l’Impératrice. Like Bouquet de Catherine, it was produced to mark the 300th anniversary of the Romanovs and it actually became a favorite of Empress Alexandra. Little did he know at the time that this fragrance was destined for glory in the Soviet era and beyond.

Michel remained in Russia throughout the 1917 revolution and the civil war though he tried to return to France. It appears his passport was lost or misplaced, which forced him to stay put. By this time Brocard had been nationalized and the focus shifted away from perfume and towards basic soaps and toiletries – the very products the company had originally made. The number of employees at Brocard had dwindled from 1000 to roughly 200.

Although Michel still had all the fragrance formulas, the Party politik and the severe material shortages curtailed his perfume production. It wasn’t until 1924 that essential oils were imported again, and the Party mindset had shifted. Michel was offered a plum job in the Soviet perfume industry at New Dawn which allowed him to return to creating fragrance. He was given his own laboratory and even students that he could train as future Soviet perfumers. In 1925 he released Manon, but he was working on something much bigger, a reworking of Le Bouquet Favori de l’Impératrice. The new version was named Krasnaya Moskva (Red Moscow) and was launched in October of 1927 to mark the ten year anniversary of the Revolution. Rich with floral and musky notes, it was an immediate success and became the olfactory symbol of Soviet identity.

On the eve of the twenty year anniversary of the Revolution, plans were about to construct a new political convention center which would be the tallest structure in the world at the time. The government commissioned Michel to create a companion blockbuster scent to be called Palace of Soviets. The project was presented at the Paris world expo in 1937, but for whatever reason, the fragrance was never completed (nor was the building). Around the same time, Michel granted a very candid interview to the magazine Our Achievements, founded by Maxim Gorky. Shortly after, he disappears. He is no longer seen in company photos, all trace of him is lost, replaced by speculation. After contributing to Soviet perfumery’s rebirth, he vanished from public record—leaving behind a legacy steeped in both triumph and intrigue.

The Change Makers

As the Revolution reshaped society, the role of women changed substantially. They gained the right to vote in July 1917, they were educated in greater numbers, and, according to the Soviet Constitutions were granted “equal rights with men in all spheres of economic, state, cultural, social, and political life”. The new ideology allowed women to step into leadership roles and to hold important positions. In perfumery, two remarkable figures left an indelible mark on the Soviet perfume industry.

Yevdokiya Ivanovna Uvarova : The Unsung Heroine

Barely a mention is made in history of this fearless and visionary lady. Following the nationalization of the Brocard factory, Uvarova was appointed director of the newly named Soap Factory No. 5. Apparently she took stock of the remaining inventory, which included raw materials and some of the fragrance essences, and she recognized the importance of preserving Russia’s perfume-making legacy. She personally petitioned Lenin and convinced him to allow the factory to resume production, even though on a much smaller scale than in its heyday. Clearly one to carry the flag in the name of the Russian perfume legacy, without her advocacy, the industry may have been lost.

Polina Zhemchuzhina: The Architect of Soviet Beauty

Born into poverty in 1897, Polina started working around age 13 in a tobacco factory and at the time of the Revolution she was working as a cashier in a pharmacy. In 1918 she joined the Red Army and the Bolshevik Party who sent her out on underground assignments. Through these activities she met and eventually married a prominent party member, Vyacheslav Molotov, the man who would become the Soviet foreign minister. Through him, she gained access to the inner circles of power. She pursued her education and professional career which eventually brought her to the New Dawn perfume factory, first as secretary of the Party cell and then, by 1930, as director of the factory itself.

In 1932, Zhemchuzhina was promoted to director of TeZhe, the Soviet State trust for cosmetics. The trust, which manufactured cosmetics, toiletries, makeup and perfumes, basically had a monopoly in the Soviet Union and was the largest producer of this category in Europe. Polina earned the nickname “Perfume Commissar” by reshaping the cosmetics and fragrance industry. She believed that communists were still entitled to a little luxury, to something beautiful to brighten their lives. Her political leanings manifested themselves in packaging and branding: the red cap of Red Moscow resembles a Kremlin tower, she launched fragrances named Crimean Violet, Scythian Gold and even Leningrad. She expanded Soviet cosmetics beyond perfume, integrating skincare and makeup, promoting the idea that beauty products were not bourgeois indulgences but symbols of Soviet progress.

In the third and final chapter of this series we will delve into the post-Revolution and modern Soviet perfume culture.

SOURCES

Cleopatra's Boudoir: Brocard

Politiques du parfum et des odeurs - Nez le mouvement culturel olfactif

The Scent of Empire Chanel No 5 and Red Moscow by Karl Schlogel - Bois de Jasmin

Marketing for Socialism: Soviet Cosmetics in the 1930s by Olga Kravets and Ozlem Sandikci

Manchester Calling | Women’s History Month 2021: Women after the Bolshevik Revolution: Equality and Independence? A brief introduction to the role of Women in the early Soviet Union.

A New Address in the History of Chanel №5 ~ Columns