When stars embody perfumes...

Marilyn Monroe, Catherine Deneuve, Ava Gardner... the world of beauty has often asked the stars to represent its image. Even the cartoon character Corto Maltese is getting into the game!
by Renaud Legrand

1954. When a reporter asked Marilyn what she wore to bed, she famously replied, "Nothing but Chanel N° 5." It's a well-known story, and those few little drops gave Chanel the most stunning of spokeswomen, and this, without benefit of a contract or marketing strategy.
But the odds are that this gave Jacques Helleu, Chanel's creative director, an idea. A prestigious perfume demands a prestigious face, so N° 5 had to be represented by the most beautiful woman in the world! From 1968 to 1977, this face belonged to Catherine Deneuve for the American market, and, worldwide, to Carole Bouquet from 1986 to 1996.

From Sarah Bernhardt to the star-studded soap

An excellent idea, but not a new one. In the late nineteenth century, perfumes and beauty products started to appear with the face of the star of the moment. Undoubtedly, the recent and simultaneous explosion of modern perfumery and famed actresses had something to do with it. A forerunner in 1889, Sarah Bernhardt powdered her nose with La Diaphane. Mistinguett, Yvonne Printemps and Gabrielle Dorziat followed suit. Then the movie industry made its entrance in advertising in America, with the splashing success of Lux soaps as early as 1925 . From Ava Gardner to Brigitte Bardot, from Michèle Morgan to Jane Fonda, more than 200 stars or starlets have vaunted the merits of this soap over the course of fifty years.

Lancôme, the hall of fame; Guerlain, the exception

After Chanel, which also featured Vanessa Paradis as a mischievous caged bird in 1991, and Lux Beauty products, Lancôme is the third major brand to use the world of cinema to its benefit. Lancôme's first spokeswoman was Isabella Rossellini, for cosmetics, and for the perfume Trésor since 1990. Then Inès Sastre, Cristiana Reali and Marie Gillain came along for Oh Oui !, Juliette Binoche for Poême, Uma Thurman for Miracle and this year, Mathieu Kassovitz for Miracle Homme. Guerlain, on the other hand, remains aloof from this marketing approach. Apart from Champs Elysées with Sophie Marceau in 1997, no other stars have been featured by this prestigious brand but its own creations.

What about men?

They are less commonly featured and are not necessarily movie stars. They can be dancers, such as Patrick Dupont (Pour un Homme by Caron), or singers, such as Johnny Hallyday (Eau Sauvage by Christian Dior). Some are athletes, such as Zinedine Zidane (Eau Sauvage as well) or Christian Karembeu (Yin by Jacques Fath). And even a comic-book character, Corto Maltese, makes a cameo appearance on Eau Sauvage. A first!

Atwo-way street

What do stars think of their other occupation? "Deneuve thought it would tarnish her image in Europe," says Jacques Helleu. "Advertising was not as prestigious as it is nowadays." This explains why her contract with Chanel N° 5 applied only to the United States. Juliette Binoche, who refused at first, was finally talked into doing it by Jacques Cavallier, the creator of the perfume. She admits that the financial aspect had some influence on her decision. "My earnings from Lancôme allowed me greater freedom in selecting my film projects," she said, even if she feared losing a bit of freedom in her private life. If perfumes benefit from the celebrity of a star, a star also enjoys greater fame and fortune thanks to advertising. Tie game.