Heritage: J.Grossmith & Son
ESTABLISHED IN 1835
Founded in the City of London in 1835 by John Grossmith, Grossmith is one of England’s longest-established perfume houses.
John’s son, John Lipscomb Grossmith, transformed the firm into one of the most influential names in perfumery. The house manufactured an extensive range of perfumes, essential oils, fine soaps, face powders, hand creams, and other toiletries. By the early 1900s, the Grossmith formula books recorded over 300 products.
With a factory in Grasse and premises at 29 Newgate Street, London, known as ‘The Laboratory of Flowers’, Grossmith stood alongside the very best French perfume houses of the time through innovative creativity and progressive marketing.
Letterhead from 1930s
Grossmith’s factory at 29 Newgate Street was known as ‘The Laboratory of Flowers'.
Photograph from the Review of Reviews, 1903
creative perfumery
As ocean liners and railways opened up the world, fascination with travel and exploration became fashionable.
In response, John Lipscomb Grossmith created fragrances designed to transport the wearer in their imagination. These were rich, complex floral ambers that moved beyond the single-floral perfumes that were popular at the time. This marked the beginning of what can be described as creative perfumery.
Fragrances such as Hasu-no-Hana, Shem-el-Nessim, and Phul-Nana reflected this spirit of global inspiration.
At the Great Exhibition of 1851, John Grossmith, the founder, was awarded a prize medal for perfumery. Grossmith later exhibited at the Brussels International Exhibition in 1897.
Medals awarded to Grossmith for excellence in perfumery. Great Exhibition medal in centre
Grossmith display at the Brussels International Exhibition 1897
Phul-Nana, launched in 1891, became one of Britain’s most successful fragrances of the 20th century.
ROYAL ASSOCIATIONS
Grossmith has a long tradition of celebrating royal occasions.
The house was patronised by three generations of British Royalty, Queen Victoria, King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, and King George V and Queen Mary. In 1895, a bottle of Phul-Nana was presented to Queen Alexandra at the Orient Exhibition at Olympia.
John Lipscomb Grossmith hosted King Edward VII at the Grossmith premises in Grasse in 1903. During the 1920s, Grossmith was awarded Royal Warrants by the Royal Courts of Greece and Spain, as well as by Queen Alexandra.
In 1897 Victorian Bouquet recognised Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee
Advertisement for Betrothal, 1893
Advertisement for Victorian Bouquet, 1897
Regal logo, 1902
Several historic fragrances were created to commemorate royal milestones. In 1893 Betrothal was created to celebrate the engagement and marriage of the Duke of York and Princess May (who became King George V and Queen Mary). Honouring Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee in 1897, Victorian Bouquet was advertised as ‘The National Perfume’. In 1902 Regal was launched to mark the Coronation of King Edward VII and was described as ‘truly a royal perfume’.
Archive
Now returned to family ownership, Grossmith continues to build both a physical and virtual archive. Many people connected with Grossmith’s past have shared memories and artefacts with us that enrich this history.
Historic packaging continues to inspire modern design. Early Grossmith bottles from the mid to late 1800s featured ground glass stoppers with decorative lozenges, silk ribbons, and detailed illustrated labelling to distinguish the presentation.
Grossmith glass bottles with glass stoppers advertised in 1906.
The standard oval perfume bottle, used by many houses back in the mid to late 1800s, had a ground glass stopper which bore a lozenge to make opening and closing possible. Grossmith sought to add interest and a distinguishing feature to the presentation of their perfumes with their labelling, silk and ribbons, and the stopper lozenge. The image above shows three Grossmith bottles with decorative lozenges which were being advertised in 1906.