Caron

Caron has traded as a Paris haute parfumerie since 1904, and the house puts that date on the first line of its own site. Its claim on the record rests on two bottles. Pour Un Homme de Caron was the first fragrance made for men, and Tabac Blond was the first leathery scent. Both are still in the catalogue rather than kept as archive pieces. The house calls its historic scents the Exclusives and sells them only through its boutiques and its website, which keeps the older formulations out of general distribution. La Collection Merveilleuse sits alongside them as a separate line. Caron describes its own temper as revolutionary and singular, language that reads as a manifesto rather than a product note. The house has also opened a boutique in Monaco, at 1 rue de la Turbie, which it announces on the homepage. The Paris presence continues alongside it. Personalised consultation is offered in the boutiques and through the site, with samples included on orders. For a house this old the range is unusually short, and the site makes no attempt to pad it out with seasonal launches.