Oh, patents! Guerlain Homme Intense

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

The Guerlain Homme Intense perfume was released in 2009, as a deeper, more aromatic and sensual, version of the Guerlain Homme fragrance, released the year before. The Guerlain Homme Intense fragrance was created by Thierry Wasser, Guerlain’s Master Perfumer,  and Sylvaine Delacourte, Guerlain’s Perfume Creative Director. 

The Guerlain Homme Intense bottle is made of dark grey glass, cladded with dark grey metal, on the front and back of the bottle. Guerlain commissioned the renowned public italian car design firm, Pininfarina to design and manufacture the bottle. Pininfarina, founded in 1930, works in collaboration with such famous car makers as  Ferrari, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Fiat, GM, Lancia, and Maserati.

The Guerlain Homme Intense bottle is patented. The US design patent, USD588469S, titled Perfume bottle, was awarded to Paolo Pininfarina, inventor and CEO of Pininfarina, who assigned the patented design to Guerlain. Below, the patent Figure 6, together with an image of the marketed Guerlain Homme Intense perfume bottle.

Expert perfumers describe the Guerlain Homme Intense fragrance in following terms : 

Top notes are Mint, Mojito and Rhuburb; middle notes are Rum, Geranium and Floral Notes; base notes are Vetiver, Virginia Cedar and Patchouli.

References

Guerlain (website) https://www.guerlain.com/us/en

Pinifarina (website)  https://pininfarina.it/en/

Oh, patents! Guerlain's Abeille Royale honeycomb flask

 Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Guerlain’s Abeille Royale line of cosmetics includes a patented honeycomb-shaped flask, used as vessel for the collection of night, day and eye creams. Beyond mimetics and the company's twenty-first century research on the benefits of bee-related compounds, the flask design is  aligned with the history of the Guerlain products. In particular, the honeycomb flask celebrates the renowned bee bottle, containing the Eau de Cologne Impériale, created by the founder Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain, in 1853. Guerlain's choice of a bee design had then honored the French Emperor's own heraldic selection of this symbol, together with the eagle, almost two centuries ago. 

The US design patent USD908501S, titled Flask, in contrast to a utility patent, covers the ornamental aspects of the Guerlain honeycomb flask. As a reminder: 

“a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 USC 171), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 USC 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].

Below, the patent Figure 1 depicting a front view of the flask, together with the marketed day and night Abeille Royale creams, in their patented honeycomb flasks. 

References

Guerlain (website) https://www.guerlain.com 

Guerlain Abeille Royale (product line)   https://www.guerlain.com/us/en-us/skincare/collections/abeille-royale/ 

Manual of Patent Examination Procedure (MPEP) Chapt. 1502.01 – Definition of a Design [R-07.2015]   https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html

Guerlain’s 1853 Imperial bee bottle

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Designed in 1853 by Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain, who commissioned Pochet du Courval(1) Glassmakers for manufacturing the Eau de Cologne Impériale bottle, the Guerlain "bee" bottle is still produced, used, and much commemorated. For example, for the 160th anniversary of the bee bottle, in 2013, the House of Guerlain asked 25 artists to create a variation of the bee bottle. The re-created bee bottles were then exhibited at the Guerlain flagship store, on the Champs-Elysées, in Paris. On this occasion, Guerlain also issued a 24K-gold special edition of the bee bottle. Otherwise, the bottle is used for several other, currently marketed, Guerlain fragrances,  such as Samsara, Eau de Fleurs de Cedrat, Jardins de Bagatelle, Muguet (2021 Lucie Touré Edition), or Petit Guerlain (children’s eau de toilette with a blue or pink label), in addition to the historic Eau de Cologne Impériale.

 Below, a Guerlain Youtube video of the present-day bee bottle glassmaking process, together with an image of the iconic Eau de Cologne Impériale bee bottle. 

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Note (1) The Groupe Pochet (former Pochet du Courval) patented several glass bottle stoppers, as well as electric glassmaking equipment in the early 1960s.   

References

Groupe Pochet (History) http://www.groupe-pochet.fr/group/#!/history

Guerlain - https://www.guerlain.com/us/en-us#anchor-section-0

Oh, patents! Guerlain’s Abeille Royale

Copyright © Françoise Herrmann

Almost 200 years after the foundation of the House of Guerlain, in Paris, in 1828, the famous French luxury cosmetics brand continues to innovate in the spirit of the founder, Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain. The House of Guerlain became famous in 1853 with the creation of L’Eau de Cologne Impériale for the French Emperor Napoleon III. A commission that promoted Pierre-François Guerlain: “His Imperial Majesty’s Official Perfume Maker”.

The 1853 perfume bottle was no less famous than the Eau de Cologne, as it was decorated with hand-painted bees, in gold. Bees, which were the Emperor’s symbol of choice, appearing embroidered on the imperial ermine coat, together with the Imperial Eagle. Thus, it comes as no surprise that a cosmetics product line, research-driven using the beneficial properties of bees, should arise so many years later. A line of bee products that, most significantly, boasts another fabulous ornamental bee design on the bottle.

The 21st century Guerlain Abeille Royale (royal bee) bottle design is patented with the US design patent USD862244S, titled Perfume bottle. As a reminder: “a utility patent” protects the way an article is used and works (35 U.S.C. 101), while a “design patent” protects the way an article looks (35 U.S.C. 171) [MPEP Chapt. 1502.01; [R-07.2015]].

Below, one of the patent drawings of the 21st century Guerlain Abeille Royale bottle, together with an image of the marketed embodiment.

References

Guerlain - The House. https://www.guerlain.com/us/en-us/c/maison-guerlain.html

USPTO - MPEP – Chapt. 1502-01 – Distinction between design and utility patent. https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1502.html