Fragrance house

Alvarez Gómez

Álvarez Gómez began in Madrid in 1899, when León-born cousins Herminio Álvarez Gómez, Belarmino Gómez, and Emilio Vuelta Gómez took over a droguería and established the name. After moving to Calle Sevilla 2, the founders made perfumes and other cosmetic preparations in the shop’s back room while hosting an influential social gathering. In 1912, the company began producing Agua de Colonia Concentrada Álvarez Gómez from a formula brought by a European traveler and adapted to ingredients available in Spain. The citrus-and-aromatic fragrance, built around lemon, bergamot, lavender, rosemary, and geranium, became popular during postwar scarcity and is described as a recognizable Spanish scent across generations. A Serrano shop opened in 1951 and was the company’s oldest surviving store. From the 1990s, the brand modernized its designs while retaining the original cologne bottle with only slight changes to its packaging and labeling. In 2018, Global Saphir Group acquired Álvarez Gómez Perfumes and was recorded as its sole shareholder. The brand’s identity continues to center on the traditional cologne alongside a broader fragrance and personal-care offering.