There are perfume houses, and then there are maisons that quietly propose an entire way of life. Henry Jacques belongs firmly in the latter camp, treating scent less as an accessory than a companion to thought, mood and memory. The maison expresses its own art de vivre, placing fragrance at the heart of everyday life. Central to a set of rituals threaded through the day, scent becomes a means of structuring time so that it reads with more clarity and, crucially, more pleasure.
Les Brumes fragrances can be splashed directly on the skin. Photo: Handout
At the heart of this philosophy stands Les Classiques de HJ, a curated library of 50 fragrances distilled from an archive of around 3,000 bespoke creations, inviting the wearer to build their own personal olfactory wardrobe. Available in every Henry Jacques boutique, these perfumes act as a gateway to the house’s universe, expressing its vision of haute parfumerie in a ready-to-wear form, while maintaining a clear link with the maison’s bespoke roots. For many, one favourite fragrance will become a long-term signature, while those with a flâneur’s curiosity may choose to play and experiment, selecting different perfumes from different scent families based on their mood, the season or with specific occasions in mind.
Les Toupies are Henry Jacques’ collection of paired perfume flacons. Photo: Handout
Les Classiques are available in three formats: as Les Essences, Les Brumes and Les Solides. Each format explores a different texture and tempo, inviting the wearer to weave scent into their daily life.
Les Essences are perhaps the purest expression of the maison: dense and richly coloured concentrates housed in a crystalline flacon that sits reassuringly in the palm. One drop on the skin, applied with a glass wand, revives a forgotten, intimate gesture and underlines the idea that luxury today lies in taking one’s time.
For those who move at a quicker pace, Les Brumes are airier and more volatile, yet impressively persistent. Reframing the familiar spray as a considered act rather than a reflex, these fragrances can be splashed directly on the skin, or diffused as a soft cloud over hair and clothes, wrapping the wearer in a subtle veil of scent that quietly changes the atmosphere.
Henry Jacques Cremona founded his eponymous perfume brand in Grasse, France. Photo: Handout
Les Solides recall the earliest days of parfumerie, offering balm-like concentrations that melt into the warmth of a wrist or hollow of the collarbone. Like a silent conversation with oneself, applying these sensual unguents is the kind of discreet ritual that speaks softly yet leaves a lasting trace.
Pushing further into the realm of objects, Les Toupies take the idea of perfume flacon as sculpture and set it in motion. Spinning-top crystal characters Mr H and Mrs Y, or the more avant-garde No 16 and No 81, are conceived as pairs in conversation, their dance suggesting how two fragrances can reflect and illuminate one another.
Finally there is Clic-Clac, a pocketable monolith that has become a modern icon of the house. Engineered with a watchmaker’s precision to house Les Solides, its addictive opening motion and satisfying weight turn the simple act of applying perfume into a tactile pleasure, a small but considered luxury that slips easily into everyday life.