Perfume in Style

Starting in 2014, the BEAUTIK Haute Parfumerie opened the gates of the first perfume museum in Romania

Ana-Maria Cononovici, 19.07.2023, 12:58

Starting in 2014, the BEAUTIK Haute Parfumerie opened the gates of the first perfume museum in Romania. It is a private collection, unique in Romania, very valuable historically, bringing together creations and tradition, but also Romanian exhibits, recipients which stand witness to the glory days of Romanian interwar perfume making.

Georgian Gheorghe, head of PR for the museum, told us its story:

“Everything started in 2006 with the purchase of a vial of perfume, a special one for us, and emblematic of the museum, because it was a vial of perfume worn by Queen Marie of Romania. It was later dedicated to her, and a strong connection was recorded by history between the perfume and the queen. This is the Mon Boudoir perfume from the Paris Houbigant House. Much later, in 2014, we opened the museum proper, in December. It is a museum that has a wing for Romanian perfumes from the communist period, a wing for international perfumes from all over Europe, and more from the US, the Americas, Australia, and Asia.”

Georgian Gheorghe told us about the history of perfumes in Romania:

“Right now we have no tradition at all, and I doubt it will ever recover to the level that it once was. That is because, before the communist period, Romania copied everything made abroad, in order to have such an industry ourselves. Later came the factories from the communist period, which made history to an extent. There are several brands that existed in Romania in those times: Red Poppy, made by Miraj, the brand that took over the factory, and we also had the Farmec factory in Cluj. Before this, Romania, between the wars, was one of the strongest countries in Europe in terms of the perfume industry. That is because there were many world famous brands that had, at the time, factories or branches in Romania, such as Coty, or Guerlain, or House Legrain. However, there was not necessarily a cult of perfume making in the country, in terms of the industry, it was more that the country was a major hub for large international producers.”

Georgian Gheorghe tols us about the museum collection proper:

“Right now, in the Perfume Museum we have around 400 exhibits, but our entire collection, which is impressive, includes upwards of 10,000 items. When I say items, I am talking about many products, not just the vials of perfume. In this exhibition you find codices on perfume making, all kinds of plant catalogs with presentations and details on products and ingredients, how they were used, or what they brought as added value to a perfume, as well as products that complement perfumes, such as foundation, sometimes perfumed, or makeup products like lipstick, blushes, etc.”

The perfume shop that hosts this museum preserves the elegance of times past, attracting select clients. Here is Georgian Gheorghe:

“Among our top clients are personalities from the world of arts and culture, as well as members of the Romanian royal family, because we are also purveyors to the Royal House of Romania, and we have a close relationship with the family, including Princess Margaret, the Custodian of the Crown.”

The Perfume Museum is often associated with cultural events, as Georgian Gheorghe told us:

“Weve had several events outside the museum. These are events that took us all over the country, we held exhibits in Constanta, Iasi, Cluj, Alba Iulia, even in Sinaia, where we took part in an exclusive event we organized together with the Royal House at the Peles Museum. We held an exhibition at the Pelisor, the Little Peles, which is part of the Sinaia Museum Complex. In addition, we also had some more temporary exhibitions in key buildings. One of them was an exhibition we held in Oradea, four years ago, an exhibition in a renovated historical building. We also have an exhibition in Alba Iulia started in December, where we wanted to have as a crown exhibit Queen Maries perfume. This was a very close and beautiful collaboration with the city leadership, who helped us organize this exhibition, and we are planning more theme exhibitions in the future. I invite all your listeners to follows us on social media, because there you can find additional information and updates.”

The Perfume Museum can also be an attraction for those interested in historical artifacts. This exhibition contains rare items with great international significance, such as a perfume appreciated by King Carol I of Romania. This is a famous fragrance, made in the oldest factory in the world, in Cologne, the famous Water of Cologne. It was created by Johann Maria Farina, the first perfume purveyor to the Royal House. His name can be seen in documents showing deliveries to the Romanian royal house starting in 1889.