Roger & Gallet is a classic French perfume house that offers lovely and elegant products at a very reasonable price. In France it is available at pharmacies everywhere and is as ubiquitous as any body mist or soap collection available at drugstores here. The only difference is that Roger & Gallet smells expensive and elegant, vs synthetic and nose-hair singeing.
 |
| These are the Ginger soaps- gorgeous! |
The soaps have long been a favourite of mine. Going to visit friends and stay at their cottage? Consider bringing the Roget & Gallet Coffret of 3 soaps. At around $30 they make a perfect hostess gift- the box is gorgeous and just made to be gifted. I love to put them in my drawers or linen cupboard just because they smell so clean and fresh. But they are actually soothing and gentle on skin as well.
I have many faves among the Eau de Colognes and the Fragrant Waters (how lovely do they sound?), and a few I haven’t tried yet. Lemon, Fleur d’Osmanthus and Ginger Fragrant Waters are on my To Sniff list for sure- don’t they sound gorgeous? The eau de colognes are all lovely as well, and one of my faves is Jean Marie Farina. It is a cologne in the true historical sense of an eau de cologne– here is some history from Fragrantica:
In 1806, Jean Marie Farina established a successful business supplying Eau de Cologne, based on the historic original formula created by his great grand-uncle, Johann Maria Farina, in the 1700’s. Jean Marie Farina sold the catalog of his company to Roger and Gallet in 1862. The pair produced this beloved formula under the name Jean Marie Farina Extra Vieille (“extra-ancient”) Eau de Cologne and offered the fragrance in perfumed soaps and other scented products that delighted both new and old Farina clientele.
 |
| Jean Marie Farina Extra-Vielle Eau de Cologne |
Jean Marie Farian Extra Vielle Eau de Cologne is a shared scent, easily worn by both sexes. It is a herbal and citrus aromatic scent with notes of bergamot, amalfi lemon, orange and mandarin orange; the middle notes are petit grain, carnation, neroli, rosemary and rose; and base note is clove, which is an old fashioned soapy carnation note. It smells clean and fresh, like the Mediterranean garden after the rain that it is designed to evoke. There is a slight “Noxema” note in it- I think it is an old fashioned herbal scent that was used a lot in skincare and perfume in the past. Did your mum put Noxema on your sunburns when you were a kid? Mine did. Perhaps that is why I associate it with summer. But here is the kicker with Jean Marie Farina ( thanks to the amazing Candy Perfume Boy for reminding me of this practice!) – keep it in your fridge. And on those unbearably hot and humid days, when you just feel like you could melt (I love those days but I am crazy that way…) just take it out and spritz yourself head to toe. You will feel energized and refreshed by the cool feel and citrus notes, and you will smell amazing. And you will wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.
Roger & Gallet is available at select retailers in the US & Canada. See their website for listings.