Henry Jacques: quiet luxury and the cultivation of Rosa Centifolia

A rose by any other name would scent as sweet. But a rose Henry Jacques farmed on their estate in the South of France smells even more adorable.

The French perfume house Henry Jacques epitomizes quiet luxury, celebrated for its dedication to traditional French perfumery.

The recent relocation of their operations to La Motte, France, in the heart of wine country, has further solidified this reputation.

The region’s farmland is highly prized for its agricultural richness, and Henry Jacques is utilizing their plot to cultivate rosa centifolia, also known as May rose, for their exclusive rose absolute.

A Commitment to Detail

“We did everything with the same obsession of detail when we had to plant,” says Henry Jacques CEO Anne-Lise Cremona.

“It takes a lot of time until the moment arrives to collect the absolute. The day it arrived, finally, I had in mind that it would be slightly different because we were buying roses for years from different places—Bulgaria, Morocco, Turkey.”

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“And of course, it was different. All the effort that we put to do the best, that made it unique. We couldn’t wait to work with it. It was like having a new color in our palette. It’s enhancing the perfume in a way we could never imagine. It has this power that really shocked us.”

The Inaugural Harvest and Exclusive Release

The first crop of May rose was harvested in 2023 and used to create the Henry Jacques Rose Trio for 2023. Only 500 of these exclusive sets were made, each encased in a stunning coffret.

Like limited edition works of art, each trio is numbered and will never be reissued, adding to their allure and desirability. Future rose fragrances will be inspired by the unique nuances and qualities of each year’s harvest.

Exploring the Rose Trio Concept

Creating a trio of perfumes was not the initial plan. “I wanted to celebrate the rose, of course, and we started working at first on one perfume,” Cremona explains.

“Then we wanted to explore more, using the same rose but differently. This is how we decided at the end to keep three of them. The three are amazing.”

Henry Jacques’ dedication to cultivating their own roses and the meticulous process of creating exclusive fragrances exemplifies their commitment to quality and luxury. Each perfume in the Rose Trio captures the essence of their unique May rose, offering a distinctive olfactory experience that is both rare and exquisite.