Recapturing the Splendour and Elegance
of the Victorian Era
While working for the North Sea petroleum industry, crude oil and essential oil came together for Barry H. Gibson. Trained as a biochemist, he was employed as a petroleum engineer in Aberdeen, Scotland. Aberdeen is Europe’s energy capital, the place where Gibson founded Petro-Test. The company provided technical support for the oil industry by analyzing the various grades of oil discovered offshore.
Perfume was not even a distant thought in his mind until his high-vacuum distillation process for fragile substances caught the attention of a Scottish lavender farmer who needed help capturing the flower’s alluring fragrance. Gibson was unable to help, but the encounter piqued his interest in perfumery.
A few years after this encounter, Gibson’s professional life collided with his personal life as a rare and antiquarian book collector when he purchased several antique books on perfumery. Hidden within the lot was a formula book for The Crown Perfumery Company. He used the high-vacuum distillation process along with his knowledge of chemistry to recreate the perfumes. Because of the high quality of their ingredients, the Crown perfumes were more subtle and longer lasting than our modern day perfumes. Gibson was also surprised at the depth and warmth of the perfumes because Crown perfumers only had 500 ingredients to work with compared to the 5,000 ingredients of modern perfumers.
On June 20th, 1989, The Crown Perfumery Company was sold by Unilever to Barry Gibson. His goal was to return to the “art of the perfumer,” hand blending all-natural and organic materials into perfumes which would be appreciated for their classic structure. The (new) Crown Perfumery Company established a niche market among “scent connoisseurs,” those men and women looking for unique, perfectly blended perfumes.
Gibson brought back Thomson’s classic Crab Apple Blossoms as Crown Bouquet. He used the classic 1872 registered bottle design for his men’s line of cologne and aftershave products. The embossed logo was used for the bottles and a crown was used as an overcap for the spray bottles. The bottles were produced by Waterstone Glassworks in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England.
The following perfumes were brought to light in May of 1994 after a long absence from society’s boudoir.
Women: Crown Alpine Lily, Crown Aqua Mellis, Crown Bouquet, Crown Court Bouquet, Crown Ess Bouquet, Crown Esterhazy, Crown Heliotrope, Crown Rose, Crown Stephanotis, Crown of Gold, Marechale, Marechale 90, Malabar, Matsukita, Sarcanthus, Sumare, Tanglewood Bouquet.
Men: Buckingham, Crown Eau de Quinine, Crown Eau de Russe, Crown Fougere, Crown Imperial, Crown Park Royal, Crown Spiced Limes, Eau de Cologne, Marquis, Sandringham, Town & Country.
For perfume bottle collectors like myself, Gibson’s greatest achievement was the Limited Edition Baccarat crystal bottle of Marechale in a soft, cream leather, double hinged presentation box. Only 250 presentations were created.
The Baccarat bottle is 4.5″ / 11.5 cm tall
The antiquarian books Gibson collected contained another gem — a formula book for the 1669 creation of Marechale, a sachet powder for Madame La Marechale d’Aumont. Following the recipe as faithfully as possible, Gibson developed a highly concentrated limited edition perfume. Marechale 90 was a lighter version with a modern twist.
Marechale is a classic floral perfume. William S. Thomson offered Marechale in 1876 and Marechale Niel in 1884. Marechale Niel is based on the deep golden blossoms of the tea-rose plant. Other perfumers have created their own version of Marechale.
Needing to have the perfume house back in London, Gibson left Aberdeen and located his first showroom at Grosvenor House, 35 Park Street, in always fashionable Mayfair. Gibson’s next perfumery opened at 51, Burlington Arcade in London’s West End in 1995.
The Burlington Arcade was a superb choice for The Crown Perfumery Company. This glass roofed passage has been a fashionable shopping address for small, exclusive shops since 1819. Inside the boutique, the stylish cream and gold décor invited connoisseurs to browse and linger in comfort. High society was attracted to the Haute Parfum Salon on the first floor which created unique perfumes for unique individuals. These creations were conducted from personal interviews and samplings from a 3,000 ingredient “Fragrance Library,” all under the direction of the world famous nose, Anthony Pettifer.
Burlington Arcade
Courtesy Barry Gibson
The Crown Perfumery Company returned to the United States in 1996 at Bergdorf Goodman and Henri Bendel in New York. There were also a select number of specialty boutiques which carried the perfumes.
Gift Set
Courtesy Barry Gibson
Toiletries were also brought back. Gift sets included any combination of perfume, eau de toilette, bath foam, bath soap, face soap or hand lotion.
Gift sets for men and women
The Grosvenor House Hotel and the Hyde Park Hotel had special amenity trays of 21 items supplied with Crown Products (bottles of shampoo and bath foam, bath soap, glycerin soap), along with shaving and grooming supplies.
Courtesy Barry Gibson
To be asked to create a perfume for a special society event is a compliment. To be asked to create a perfume as a gift from one monarch to another is a rare honor. Barry Gibson had the thrill to receive requests for two very special perfume creations.
On her official state visit to Thailand in 1996, Queen Elizabeth II presided over the opening of new British Council offices and attended Golden Jubilee celebrations for King Bhumibol Adulyadej. She brought along two bottles of Orchidee, a bespoke Crown Perfumery creation, for Queen Sirikit of Thailand.
Orchidee was presented in a sparkling cut crystal Waterford bottle. The perfume was based on an 1879 formula involving the haunting floral aroma of Thai orchids. Gibson described it as a truly beautiful and timeless floral bouquet which transported one high above the clouds of Thailand’s rain forests.
Original sketch of the Orchidee bottle
Courtesy of Barry Gibson
Gibson created another perfume from these magnificent flowers. Orchid was placed in a plain spray bottle as a party favor for the one hundred guests of Edinburgh’s Orchid Ball. This famous social event supported Scotland’s Muscular Dystrophy campaign from 1989-2003.
Alas, Gibson’s tenure with the company came to an end when his partners wanted to expand into a more commercially oriented market from its current small-niche following. The Crown Perfumery Company continued for another few years until it was purchased by Clive Christian.
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