Annick Goutal Biography

Annick Goutal was born in 1946 in France. Throughout her teens she adored music, particularly the piano, and set out to learn it. Her natural talent, along with her determination, made her a natural. She won numerous awards for her piano playing skills, and performed in a number of continental Europe's most prestigious venues.

Whilst it was her first love, her love of the travelling and constant practice & performing began to wane, and so - still an attractive 20 something, she took up modelling, after a friend managed to get her a small modelling contract with a Parisian agency. It was during a job in Grasse that she met a perfumer by the name of Henri Sorsana.

Grasse

Grasse since the 1700's has been the base of much of the French perfume industry, for two reasons. The first is the unique mesoclimate of the region, allowing a wide variety of strongly scented flowers to be grown in the area. The second reason is due the availability & abundance of the perfume aromas, perfume houses such as  Molinard, Fragonard & Galimard are based there, and many of France's top individuals in the field of perfume have spent time in Grasse.

Mr Sorsana & Annick Goutal

Henri Sorsana was in Grasse on business, and met Annick Goutal. After a discussion with Annick Goutal, Henri was impressed with her determination and seemingly good nose. Annick was offered a training role under Mr. Sorsana, and - after winding down her modelling career, Annick Goutal relocated to the costal town of Antibes, 30 minutes outside of Grasse, and trained for 7 years under the watchful eye of Mr Sorsana. The time spent was in learning fragrances, memorising them, and learning traditionally what goes together with each perfume. Henri Sorsana made sure that over the training period, he didn't crush Annick Goutal's natural creativity.

Her First Perfumes & Boutiques

Annick Goutal finished her training in 1977, and left Grasse to open her first boutique in Central Paris, on the south bank of the River Seine. To begin with, she only sold 3 perfumes, Folavril, Passion and Eau d'Hadrien. Folavril really wasn't at all successful, and Passion was remotely successful. However, Eau d'Hadrien - a perfume which is designed to evoke memories of Emperor Hadrien - became Annick Goutal's most succesful perfume ever. This fragrance caught the nose of a number of popular celebrities, who even to this day call themselves fans of Annick Goutal's range. This, along with the success of Eau D'Hadrien, allowed Annick Goutal to increase the amount of Boutiques she owned.

Annick Goutal The Company & Expansion

In 1980, the company "Annick Goutal Parfums" was formed. This was primarily done to open up a number of Boutiques nationally & internationally. Annick oversaw all of the recruitment & distribution process, as despite the process of expansion, Annick wanted to keep her fragrances exclusive and individual. As such, only a very few companies can distribute Annick Goutal fragrances, and you'll find very few places outside of Annick Goutal's Boutiques that sell the fragrances. However, Annick Goutal's boutiques are numerous, located in 43 countries worldwide, so you can be sure that if you lived in a developed country, there will be an Annick Goutal Boutique near you.

Later Life & Legacy

In the mid 1990's however, Annick Goutal developed breast cancer, and after a long fight, Annick Goutal tragically died. She was only 53. Annick Goutal left behind a legacy with a nubmer of things - 25 fragrances & compositions, a great creative work ethic, and a daughter Camille Goutal, who shares her mother's business knowledge and creative genes, to help make Annick Goutal Perfumes the success they are today!