Bourjois

History

• 1862: Actor Joseph-Albert Ponsin created a skin product that would whiten the skin of artists, actors and actresses from theater and boulevard companies, to replace the greasy stage makeup in use by theatre artists.
• 1863: Ponsin launched his makeup company by preparing make up and perfume for actors and actresses.
• 1868: Alexandre-Napoleon Bourjois, a partner in the company was entrusted with Ponsin's entire activity.
• 1879: Word spread beyond theatre about their products and with the creation of a Java Rice Powder, a product to lighten the skin and leave it velvety, their target market widened to women and extended to the mass market worldwide.
• 1917: Pierre Wertheimer and his brother Paul took over the directorship of the company. The Wertheimer family, holders of the Chanel group, would own Bourjois for nearly 100 years.
• 1924: The first perfume of Bourjois, Mon Parfum, was designed by Ernest Beaux, the perfumer most famous for creating Chanel No. 5.
• 1928: Bourjois created its most famous perfume, Soir de Paris. The blue bottled perfume was a great success in the United States, where it was called Evening in Paris. It was one of the most popular fragrances during World War II is highly valued by collectors nowadays.
• 1936: As women had started their fight of independence; Bourjois adapted to suit their market by promoting the use of make up for personal pleasure and to affirm personality. The company supported women's right to vote by one of its campaigns while the idea was still justa discussion in the French parliament.
• 1938: Constantin Weriguine was hired as a perfumer at Bourjois. He would go on to create fragrances such as Mais Oui, Ramage and Glamour for the company.
• 1960: By this time Bourjois had developed a variety of perfumes, gift boxes, kits and make up products.
• 2014: In April 2015, the American group Coty Inc. bought Bourjois from the brothers Wertheimer for approximately 239 million American dollars.