TALE OF A SYMBOL
Armand Petitjean, the Lancôme founder, had a true passion for roses and grew them in his rose garden in Ville d'Avray, just outside of Paris. So, it's no surprise that he chose the rose as the symbol of the Lancôme fragrances: a traditional, round rose with a curved stem, based on the works of Belgian painter Redouté - aquarellist and engraver, specialised in plant and floral plates (1759-1840).
1964 : a stylised long-stem rose with small leaves becomes the symbol the brand. It is featured in the Lancôme ads and on all the packaging.
1974 : the rose loses its leaves, becoming even more refined.
1996 : the rose comes to life in the ads as it straightens up and blossoms into different colours according to the product type - white for skincare, red for makeup and yellow for suncare.
2000 : Everything changes. The rose becomes an integral part of Lancôme communications and changes according to the products.
THE REAL LANCÔME ROSE
A real Lancôme rose actually exists! Created by Delbard in 1973, it is a gorgeous, pale fuchsia rose with a very long, cylinder-shaped bud. Its petals - between 35 and 40 - are thick and shiny.
The Lancôme rose is a very robust rose that, according to Delbard, takes after its parents. Its father - a rosebush nicknamed "the Oak Tree" for its extreme sturdiness - produced magenta red roses. Its mother produced roses that were nearly mauve in colour. This is how the rare and vibrant rose known as the Lancôme rose, came to be.
To get your own Lancôme rose, write to:
Delbard - 16, Quai de la Mégisserie - 75038 PARIS CEDEX 01 Telephone : +33 (0)1.44.88.80.20