Alphonse Rallet

Alphonse Rallet , was a manufacturer and founder of Rallet co in Moscow 1843. Known for its fine perfume, soap and cosmetics Rallet became, preeminent official supplier to the royal courts of Russia, Persia, and Montenegro. In 1855, Rallet's only child, Olga, was born in Moscow. In 1856, having secured his fortune in Russia but suffering from lung problems, Rallet returned to France with his wife and daughter and began work on the restoration of the Château Servien at Biviers which he had purchased at the time of his marriage. From 1865 to 1888 Rallet served as mayor of Biviers. Blind for the last ten years of his life, Alphonse Rallet died in 1894 and is buried in Biviers About his company: In Russia Rallet was surrounded with French technicians amongst them one of the most famous master perfumers, Ernest Beaux (who would later create Chanel n°5). Beaux inherited his position with Rallet through his father, a perfumer, member of the board, and superintendent of the company. Ernest Beaux learned his craft and art as a laboratory apprentice. Coty and Brocard where two other French names who settled around the time in Russia. In 1912, Ernest Beaux, now Rallet's top perfumer and manager of the laboratories, had a grand success with his Bouquet de Napoleon. Then came the Russian Revolution. Rallet's Russian assets were nationalized and the new Soviet government renamed Rallet to Soap and Perfume Works No 7 and No 4. Operations were merged with its former chief competitor, Brocard (established in Moscow in 1861), the former Rallet factories were directed to produce only soap. Brocard’s plant became Soap and Perfume Works No 5. Dissatisfied with number names, the new managers petitioned the Council of People's Commissioners and in 1922 the former Rallet enterprise became Svoboda (Freedom) and the former Brocard enterprise, Nova Zayra (New Dawn). A. Rallet & Co. — what was left of it — and Ernest Beaux decamped for Grasse, France, where they were taken in under the sheltering wings of Chiris, a major fragrance wholesaler, who had probably been a major supplier to Rallet. The company struggled to reestablish itself. They were joined by Ernest Beaux in 1919. By 1926, Ernest Beaux had left Rallet to become technical director for Bourjois and Chanel (with the famous Chanel n°5 happy end) and Rallet was sold to Coty. The Rallet Corporation of America was chartered in Delaware in 1947 and Rallet’s fine fragrances were offered at least as late as 1948 but the company never regained its former Russian prominence. Anecdote: Svoboda,(the former Rallet company in Russia) at this moment in time employs about 1,500 workers and is specialized in skin care products and soap. It is among the top ten cosmetics companies in Russia. The perfume bottle to the right has the Romanov double-headed eagle on it. Link to Wikipedia biography