Perfume of the Month: Iris Rose by E. Coudray

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A house of distinguished provenance, doctor Edmond Coudray made his name designing some of the world’s finest fragrances for use by the French and English aristocracy. Established in Paris in 1822, E. Coudray travelled the world in search of exciting new raw materials to utilise in his creations. The resulting perfumes, “Rêve de Reine” and “Gants Pudrés” to name but a few, became the Colognes of choice for any well-to-do French gentleman during this turbulent period of history. Queen Victoria herself even sought out Coudray’s expertise, leading him to create “Reine Victoria” especially in her honour. Today, E. Coudray are regarded as among the very best exponents of fine French perfumery, and they are counted alongside L.T. Piver, Lubin, Houbigant and Guerlain as the finest perfumers of the 19th Century.  


E. Coudray continues to go from strength to strength, modernising its scents in order to keep the house in line with current olfactory trends yet retaining a firm sense of traditional values and inspirations. A number of recent innovations have kept this venerable institution ahead of the game in recent years, as E. Coudray released their unique range of roll-on and purse spray perfumes designed to be easily used on the go. Aesthetically the company has retained a delicate sensibility that is expressed in the fine glass etch work of their scent bottles, instantly evocative of the elegant courts which their original fragrances were conceived for.



Created by perfumer Randa Hammami, Iris Rose is a rich composition redolent of the classic floral scents that have for so long typified our expectations of elegance. Building from a sumptuous base of vanilla, patchouli and white musk, the fragrance opens up into a beautiful patina of subtle rose aromas, the top notes serving to lightly floriate the base notes rather than overpower them. The cumulative effect is light and breezy, yet firmly grounded, an ideal fragrance for a spring day or summer evening. In achieving this pivotal balance, Iris Rose is an expression of the consummate skill and classical nous that has led E. Coudray to occupy such a rarefied position in the world of perfumery.

To browse our extensive collection of E. Coudray’s perfumes, body creams and body oils, click here.


Head to our Twitter to be in with a chance of winning a free bottle Iris Rose, along with a free Iris Rose body cream.

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