Rancé: Smells like nobility

Smells like royalty is more like it. Rancé, after all, was the favorite perfume of Napoleon Bonaparte and his wife Josephine. You could say that holding a bottle of Rancé is like holding history in a bottle.

And that’s what we did recently in Milan: take a sniff of that scent that probably helped win battles — and hearts — in history.

In Milan, we actually focused on three attractions: Leonardo da Vinci’s “The Last Supper,” the Duomo Cathedral and the Rancé Perfumery.

Why Da Vinci’s “The Last Supper”? Because we wanted to see up close that controversial painting, having been intrigued by issues raised in Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol and of course, the movie Da Vinci Code.

Why Duomo Cathedral? Because we read somewhere that the poet Percy Shelley used to read literature inside this cathedral. And that Alfred Tennyson enjoyed a view of the Alps from the Duomo roof. And that Mark Twain, after visiting Milan, devoted a chapter of his book Innocents Abroad to this Milan cathedral. We wanted to feel the magic that moved these writers.

Why Rancé Perfumery? Because we wanted not only to see and experience Milan. We wanted to smell it as well.

So what do ”The Last Supper,” Duomo Cathedral and Rancé have in common? All three are part of Milan’s historical and cultural core.

Truth is, Rancé was originally founded in 1795 in Grasse, France, by Francois Rancé, and it was originally known for producing perfumed gloves, which were in vogue. After the French Revolution, this romantic patriot and talented perfumer created scents in honor of his most famous client, Napoleon Bonaparte. Most popular among these scents was La Vainqueur (“The Victor”), which remains one of Rancé’s bestsellers today.

Another bestseller is Josephine (originally named L’Imperatrice), which was created in a beautiful porcelain bottle in honor of Napoleon’s wife, Josephine, who was an avid fan of Rancé.

It was heir and successor Alexandre Rancé who moved to Italy and established the Rancé factory and headquarters in Milan. He created another top seller called Eugenie, in honor of Napoleon III’s graceful wife, Eugenia.

Today, Rancé is managed by its 11th-generation heiress Jeanne Sandra Rancé, a lady so elegant and beautiful, her noble charm is reminiscent of Deborah Kerr and Princess Grace Kelly. At the historic Rancé building at Via Lombardini in Milan, we enjoyed the scent of this genteel woman as she told stories about Rancé together with her husband Felice D’Elia and son Giovanni D’Elia Rancé. Interesting whiffs of history also came from their international development manager Patrick Pace.

PHILIPPINE STAR: You make, breathe and live perfumes. Did you read perfume labels even before you learned to read the alphabets?

JEANNE SANDRA RANCÉ: Yes, my grandfather and father were always talking about perfumes every day, all the talk filled my ears and my nose. In the morning, my father Maurice Rancé would put perfume in the bathrooms. Then he would open the windows, spray perfume on a handkerchief, let me smell it, and then he would ask me: “What do you think? How do you feel?”

And how did you feel?

 I was only five years when my father started doing this morning routine, and it taught me that perfumes must give you an emotion. When I smell perfume, I must see something in my mind — perhaps a cloud, perhaps a bunch of flowers. Perfume must hit the nose first, then the head, before it reaches the heart.

Does perfume make people more romantic?

Yes, it makes people more amorous and fascinated with love. When I look at a person, first I see the clothing. Then I smell the perfume, and I can tell what it is. Personally, I feel naked without perfume. Every elegant woman has a small perfume bottle in her bag. Perfume completes you.

You are practically what is called a nose. You can distinguish one scent from another.

Yes, and my education as a nose was started by my father when I was young. He was such a beautiful person, I never saw anyone as fantastic. He was good looking like my husband, he wore nice clothes and he had personality. The way he moved, oh! Every woman was in love with my father, my mother was so jealous. Even my own friends were crazy about him.

How did your husband win your heart? With scents?

With the scent of flowers that I loved, yes. And his first gift was a beautiful vintage box in silver, very nice. I love art objects.

Who buys perfume? Is it the women who buy for the men?

Women are the biggest buyers because they buy for themselves as well as their men. But in Italy, men also choose their own.

A perfumer once said that 100 new perfume brands are born every year.

Yes, and after a year, most of them are dead. Only those with real quality survive in the market.

You have a lot of bestselling perfumes. How long does it take Rancé to create a new scent?

It takes one to two years before we launch a new scent. We create one, then we ask many people to try, try, try it and we listen to each and every comment.

What is your personal favorite among the scents that Rancé has created?

Oh, I am always in love with the latest one! But like most of our clients, I love La Vainqueur (which is for men, but women also love it), Josephine and Eugenie as my classic favorites.

Do perfumes have a peak season?

Worldwide, Christmas is perfume season. In Asia, it’s Christmas and Valentine’s.

Is the perfume industry affected by recession?

From what I see, people are still buying perfumes all over the world.

As the 11th-generation heiress of this centuries-old perfume brand, what is your vision for Rancé?

We want to make more fragrance lines so that both young and old will have many choices. The mature, elegant market goes for the time-tested classics, while the young ones like mild, fresh scents. Some people like variety, they change perfumes every time they change their clothing.

What kind of men use Rancé?

FELICE D’ELIA: Affluent gentlemen who are elegant and not loud.

And what kind of women use Rancé?

Sophisticated, elegant women love Rancé.

Would you like to name some Rancé users?

We are not really looking for celebrity endorsers because for them, it is just business. They use the scent only because you pay them, like in America. Celebrities have been presenting themselves to us, but that is not our style. We want to sell our product for its own merits.

As a chemical engineer, what innovations are you bringing in to Rancé?

Chemical analysis of a perfume is more complicated than the usual stuff that chemical engineers analyze, because every scent is a mixture of hundreds of ingredients. We aim to always improve quality, bring in modern methods and new products. At the start, Rancé was making only perfumes, then came powder and pomade which Napoleon himself used. Now Rancé has soaps, toothpaste and a whole skincare line.

How do you compare the scents produced during Napoleon’s time to those you sell at present?

I guess during Napoleon’s time, perfumes were way too strong. Why? Well, in the original Versailles Palace in Paris, the architect forgot one thing — toilets! So you can imagine how royalty had to do necessary things in corners of the palace. Certainly, they needed very strong perfumes! Now we produce more refined versions for modern-day clients.

Do you still get your ingredients from Grasse?

Grasse was the central source of perfumers because it has the perfect weather and soil to grow the flowers. But such flowers grew not only in Grasse. Northern Africa which was a French colony, also grew them. We get our essences from France as well as from other places.

You belong to the 12th generation of Rancé heirs, and you probably look at your family’s 214-year-old tradition from a different perspective. Are there any innovations you wish to contribute to Rancé?

GIOVANNI D’ELIA RANCÉ: When you hold a Rancé bottle of perfume, you hold history in a bottle. That is the main point of interest in our scents. My take is to keep myself faithful to the original recipes, then we improve on the ingredients  when we need to. But, of course, being the youngest in the Rancé family, I keep my eyes — and nose — open to what the young generation likes.

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In the Philippines, Rancé is exclusively distributed by Rustan’s and is available at Rustan’s Makati, Rustan’s Alabang and Rustan’s Tower in Edsa Shangri-La.

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Thai Airways offers excellent service, cuisine, and comfort as it flies Manila-Bangkok-Milan thrice weekly, every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. For reservations and inquiries on the most attractive rates and packages, call 817-5442.