Fragrance house

Dodge

Dodge traces its history to 1798, when New York pharmacist Robert Bach established an importing business for pharmaceutical and chemical products, including essential oils, perfumes, and soaps. As partners joined, the business adopted several names before becoming Dodge & Olcott in 1861. The company began producing aromatic raw materials and, by 1862, was making oils such as cumin, sandalwood, nutmeg, cloves, and bay. Chemist Francis T. Dodge later helped define its technical contribution by identifying and isolating citral in 1890 and founding the Essential Oils Association in 1927 to establish raw-material standards. Its synthesis of aromatic products supported the company’s role in the flavor and fragrance industry during the 1920s and 1930s, while chemist Ernest Guenther’s publication The Essential Oils became a major historical contribution associated with the business. Taken over by National Distillers during World War II, Dodge & Olcott passed to Fritzsche Brothers in 1952, joined it in a 1969 merger, and was acquired by BASF in 1980 before Givaudan acquired and integrated it in 1991. Its fragrance identity is rooted in essential oils and industrial aromatic materials rather than a consumer perfume house built around one signature scent.