Coty being Principle Partner of Somerset House’s Perfume exhibition is part of its mission to drive engagement with fragrance

Somerset House’s Perfume: A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent exhibition invites visitors to discover a vibrant new scent scene, making it the perfect fit for Coty, who is one of the exhibition’s Principal Partners. The exhibition showcases 10 extraordinary perfumes from the past two decades, alongside 10 pioneering fragrances by creators who are shaking up the scent culture today. These perfumes are each experienced through a multi-sensory installation, with a design inspired by the scent itself. The exhibition ends with a working laboratory where visitors can experience the skill and science of scent-making up close.

At the start of the exhibition, Coty takes a leading role within the showcase of 10 trailblazing scents of the 20th century, with three of the company’s fragrances featured in the display: L’Origan de Coty (1905), the blueprint for 20th century perfumes, which has been specially recreated by Coty for the exhibition; Chypre de Coty (1917), often cited as the first of its kind and the reference point for numerous other perfumes; and ck one (1994), the original shared fragrance that led the ‘clean’ scent trend.

Commenting on Coty’s partnership with the exhibition, Alexis Vaganay, General Manager, Coty Luxury, UK & Ireland, says: “Being Principle Partner of this major multi-sensory exhibition has reinforced our number one fragrance category leader position, which is something we are very proud of. Our founder, Francois Coty, was a visionary, starting his fragrance business more than 125 years ago. He dared to follow his dream, which led him to disrupt a market, create a category and inspire a whole new era in fragrance. It is this entrepreneurial spirit that is alive in Coty today and enables us to work with credible partners, such as Somerset House, to offer disruptive fragrance experiences to drive impactful engagement and discussion on scent.”

Clear commitment

The partnership is a clear indication of Coty’s commitment to the industry. Vaganay explains: “Our purpose is clear; we want to be the challenger in beauty, we want to innovate in beauty and we want to liberate beauty. We aim to keep disrupting the conventions of the industry through our outstanding portfolio of brands. Through our future product development, digital transformation and in-store executives, we will deliver our purpose and bring back the magic of fragrance.”

Coty classics

L’Origan de Coty (1905)

Although it wasn’t Francois Coty’s first fragrance, many believe it to be his first masterpiece. Will Andrews, Director and Technical Expert, Fragrance Communication at Coty Inc, says: “L’Origan was game changing because it was the first fragrance that was not simply trying to replicate nature – its message was more abstract, due to its combination of floral and oriental characters together in the same fragrance.”

Chypre de Coty (1917)

This fragrance led to the creation of the chypre fragrance family, which embodies luxury, sophistication and status. Andrews says: “No other fragrance family is surrounded by so much confusion about its name or origins. “Chypre” is “Cyprus” in French. Francois Coty created the first Chypre fragrance after visiting the island in 1917, and that came to define the olfactive structure of all chypre-type fragrances that followed.”

ck one (1994)

Simple, understated and accessible, ck one is a naturally clean, pure and universal shared fragrance. The sheer citrus scent combines notes of bergamot, cardamom, tangerine, freesia, lavender, green tea accord, violet, rose, orange flower, musk and amber.