Inspired by the Parisian company founded by perfumer Jean-Vincent Bully, in 1803, the entrepreneur couple composed of Ramdane Touhami and Victoire de Taillac awakened this old gem to create Officine Universelle Buly, a new experience of enchantments of the past.
“We were lucky enough to uncover an appealing beauty catalogue created by this 19th century brand. The product names and bottles were engaging, so we opened our first store on Rue Bonaparte, in Paris. This move was in line with our desire to have an outstanding beauty store, which we thought Paris did not offer back then. We mixed the company’s iconic products, based on the original catalogue, for example Eau Triple or Huile Antique, and on a selection of 20 to 30 plant oils and botanical powder clays, to revive the original system of beauty stores, with a selection of beauty accessories”, explains Victoire de Taillac.
A world reminiscent of the Golden Age for a unique shopping experience
Boosted by an identity focused on the Golden Age and an experience customized with calligraphy, the Buly stores and products soon conquered global markets. And with a dozen more stores opened in 2022, Officine Universelle Buly now counts four points of sale in Paris and about 40 around the world, in particular in Japan (Tokyo, Sapporo, and Osaka), as well as in South Korea. In Europe, the brand is already present in Paris, London, and Munich, and it also recently settled in Milan.
Victoire de Taillac, manager of the brand image since LVMH purchased the company in October 2021, believes this success is due to a “typically French aura” and a very unique store experience.
“When a customer makes a purchase, we personalize the box with the product name and theirs, written in hand calligraphy. We also offer many customization options, including engraving and embossing. So, to me, we embody a very specific vision of beauty and elegance à la française, both abroad and in Paris”, she claims.
Are veggies a major oversight of the perfume industry?
In addition to this profoundly anchored identity, the brand does not hesitate to innovate: it launched a new collection of water-based perfumes last spring, putting vegetable garden ingredients in the spotlight, although they are rarely used in perfumes.
Inspired by old seeds, the Les Jardins Français collection features fragrances with Indian cucumber, mint from Syria, watercress of the East, parsley from Sardinia, and even beetroot from Iraq or rhubarb from Egypt... The six olfactory compositions let Nature express itself with fresh, light notes instantaneously revealed by the water-based emulsions.
This new collection completes the 12 perfumed combinations with a water base, i.e. the Eau Triple fragrances by Officine Universelle Buly, like Eau Triple Al Kassir, which features sandalwood, cardamom, and patchouli chords, or Eau Triple Miel d’Angleterre, composed of honey, amber, and cedar wood chords.
Available in 75-ml bottles, the collection can also be purchased as a set containing six travel-size fragrances.
