Rallet
| Company type | Private (historically) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Perfume, cosmetics, soap manufacturing |
| Founded | 1843 |
| Founder | Alphonse Rallet |
| Fate | Nationalized in Russia in 1917; reconstituted in France; sold to François Coty in 1926 |
| Headquarters | Moscow (historically), later La Bocca, France (post-1917) , Russian Empire (historically), France (post-1917) |
Area served | Russia, Persia, Montenegro, international markets including China and Balkans |
Key people | Alphonse Rallet (founder), Ernest Beaux (technical director) |
| Products | Perfumes, soaps, cosmetics, candles |
Number of employees | Approx. 1,500 (Svoboda, successor company in Russia) |
| Parent | Chiris (from 1896), later Coty (from 1926) |
Rallet, established in 1843 in Moscow by Alphonse Rallet (1819–1894), emerged as Russia's foremost producer of premium perfumes, soaps, and cosmetics by the turn of the 20th century, catering to royal households across Russia, Persia, and Montenegro. In 1896, the company was purchased by Chiris, a fragrance firm based in Grasse, France. Following the 1917 nationalization of its Russian properties, Rallet was reconstituted in France. Notably, in 1920, Rallet’s technical director, Ernest Beaux, crafted a collection of fragrances for Gabrielle Chanel, including the legendary No.5. The brand was ultimately sold to François Coty in 1926.
Alphonse Rallet
Alphonse Rallet (1819–1894), born in Château-Thierry as the youngest among seven siblings, founded a perfume and soap manufacturing enterprise in 1843 at 47 Vyatskaya Street, Moscow, initially employing around 40 workers. His brother Eugene (1814–1865), a professor of French literature, later joined the firm.
Through Emile Baudrand, a French merchant operating in Moscow, Alphonse married Mathilde Farconet in 1854. The Farconet family held significant political influence; Mathilde’s father had been mayor of Grenoble. Their sole daughter, Olga, was born the following year.
Due to health concerns, Rallet returned to France in 1856 and acquired Château Servien located in Biviers, dedicating himself to its restoration. He held the mayoral office of Biviers from 1865 until 1888. Eugene Rallet wed Mathilde’s sister Lėonie.
Olga Rallet married Augustin Blanchet, whose family was involved in bank paper manufacturing; she passed away in 1888 shortly after childbirth.
In 1857, Alphonse entered into a partnership with Emile Baudrand and Napoleon Nayral to invest in the cement company Vicat, contributing a quarter of the required capital.
Despite losing his sight during his final decade, Alphonse Rallet died in 1894 and was interred in Biviers.
Perfume for Imperial Russia
Alphonse Rallet launched his stearin candle manufacturing operation in 1843 at 47 Vyatskaya Street, Moscow, employing some 40 workers and powered by a solitary steam engine. Joined by his brother Eugene, the firm soon connected with French trader Emile Baudrand. By 1855, production expanded across 22 wooden structures within the Zamoskvoretsky district; French perfumers were hired and raw materials imported from France and Italy. Beyond candles, the product range included perfumes, colognes, soaps, powders, and lipsticks.
That same year, Rallet secured the distinguished status of Supplier to the Imperial Russian Household and acquired Frederick Dyutfua’s Crystal Factory, enabling internal manufacture of unique bottles and decanters. Dyutfua became a partner and shareholder. In 1856, due to health problems, Alphonse sold the company to investors including Bodranu Byuzhonu under the stipulation that it retain the Rallet name; it was reorganized as "A. Rallet & Co."
In 1898, Chiris—a prominent fragrance house founded in Grasse in 1768—acquired Rallet. The company broadened its agricultural operations by purchasing plantations in southern Russia dedicated to aromatic plants. A state-of-the-art factory designed by architect Oscar-Jean DiDio opened its doors in Butyrskaya in 1899 featuring steam power, electrical systems, elevators, and telephone connectivity.
During the late 19th century, Rallet capitalized on popular colognes for substantial profits. Edward Beaux served as Deputy Administrator while his brother Ernest joined as a laboratory assistant in 1898. Under technical director A. Lemercier’s guidance, modern advances in aroma chemistry were introduced; nonetheless perfumery largely focused on blending a limited palette of ingredients.
By December 1896, share capital stood at one million rubles; this increased to 1.5 million rubles by 1903 with net earnings around 75,000 rubles. By 1913 capital exceeded two million rubles with revenues estimated at approximately 180,000 rubles. Entering the new century, Rallet offered nearly 1,500 different products through three retail outlets in Moscow and operated wholesale distribution from St. Petersburg. Its network extended throughout Russia via railroads and internationally into China, Persia, and Balkan markets.
Awards and Honors
From approximately 1855, when Rallet was designated an official purveyor to the Imperial Court of Russia, the company accumulated numerous accolades. It subsequently became a supplier to the royal households of Persia and Montenegro, receiving the Russian Empire's state emblem on four separate occasions—a distinction rarely bestowed.
At the 1878 Paris World's Fair, Rallet was honored with prestigious awards, followed by securing the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exhibition.
Bouquet de Catherine
In 1912, Rallet introduced Le Bouquet de Napoleon to mark the centennial of the Battle of Borodino. This fragrance was developed by Ernest Beaux, then serving as Rallet’s technical director and perfumer.
That same year, Houbigant launched Quelques Fleurs, notable for incorporating aldehyde C-12 MNA—first synthesized in 1903. This ingredient gave rise to a "modern" olfactory profile that influenced contemporaries, including Beaux at Rallet.
The following year, in 1913, Rallet unveiled Bouquet de Catherine, honoring Catherine the Great and celebrating the Romanov tercentenary. Also created by Beaux, this scent’s prewar samples have not survived; however, it is widely believed to be identical or closely related to Rallet’s postwar fragrance Le No.1. A 2007 analysis revealed that Le No.1 employed an aldehyde mixture comparable to that found in Chanel’s No.5, another creation by Beaux. Marcel Carles, former director of the Roure perfumery school, asserted that Chanel’s No.5 was developed based on Bouquet de Catherine.
Nationalization and Soviet Period
Following the 1917 revolution, A. Rallet & Co. was nationalized by Soviet authorities and renamed either "Soap and Perfume Works No.7" or No.4 (sources vary). Its operations were merged with those of its erstwhile rival Brocard, whose factories were redesignated as "Soap and Perfume Works No.5." The former Rallet facilities pivoted exclusively to soap manufacturing.
By 1922, both enterprises were rebranded: Rallet became known as "Svoboda" ("Freedom"), while Brocard adopted the name "Nova Zayra" ("New Dawn"). These factories functioned under the Soviet cosmetics trust overseen by Polina Zhemchuzhina, spouse of foreign minister Vyacheslav Molotov, until her political downfall in 1932.
In contemporary Russia, Nova Zayra remains recognized as a significant player in the cosmetics industry.
Post-Soviet Developments
Currently employing approximately 1,500 personnel, Svoboda focuses on skin care products and soap production. It ranks among Russia’s leading cosmetics manufacturers alongside multinational corporations such as Procter & Gamble, L'Oreal, Gillette, Kalina, Schwarzkopf & Henkel, Unilever, Nevskaya Kosmetika, Colgate, and Beiersdorf. Like most Russian cosmetic companies, Svoboda maintains its headquarters in Moscow.
Rallet’s Continuation in France
After nationalization in Russia, former French employees of Rallet regrouped at the Chiris factory located in La Bocca, France, endeavoring to revive the brand. Ernest Beaux joined this effort in 1919 but departed by 1926 to become technical director at Chanel and Bourjois. In that year, ownership of Rallet transferred to Coty. A stock certificate dated June 1, 1926 identifies the firm as Société Française des Parfums Rallet.
The Rallet Corporation of America was incorporated in Delaware in 1947 and marketed fine fragrances at least through 1948; however, it never recaptured its earlier market prominence.
Fragrances from Imperial Russia
Details regarding Rallet’s scent creations between 1843 and 1914 remain scarce. The perfumes featured both Russian and French titles, with only a few promotional posters available to verify certain items. Notable fragrances from the Imperial period include:
- Milskaya Liliya ("Spider Lily") (1880)
- Bouquet nezabuduk and Rose's (1887)
- Le Lys de Nil (1889)
- Fleur de Neige (1890)
- Primavera (1890)
- Mignonette-Reseda (1890)
- Breath of Spring (1890)
- Rose in Russia (1890)
- Heliotrope (1890)
- Rezeda (1890)
- Royal Court (1893)
- Perce-Neige ("Snow-Drops") (1895)
- Vesovoi No.3 (1895)
- Double Flowering Lilac (1895) (Makhrovaya Siren)
- Alienor (1900)
- Sada Yakko (1900) [Name later reused in France in 1925 for a different scent]
- Orchidea (1910)
- Bouquet de Napoleon (1912)
- Bouquet de Catherine (1913), which was subsequently reissued after the war as Rallet Le No.1
Perfumes in France after the War
- Le No.1 (post-1914/1923)
- Sada Yakko (1925)
- Gardénia (circa 1926–1929)
- Le No.3 (circa 1925–1929)
- Le No.33 (circa 1925–1929)
- Floric (1927)
- Xyris (1928)
- Maidou (1930)
- La Giroflée (1932)
- Confession (1934)
- Last Paradise (1935)
- Le Success (1935)
External links
- Information sourced from Cleopatra's Boudoir.