Fragrance house

Legrain

Legrain was founded in Bucharest in 1915 by Simon Moscovitz and Aizic Manole, who entered perfumery because French fragrances were difficult to obtain locally. Its French-sounding name was chosen to evoke Parisian perfumery, even though the business originated in Romania. In 1926, the partnership adopted the Casa Legrain identity, with a shop on Calea Victoriei and a depot in Pasajul Macca; its advertising used Art Deco visuals by graphic artist Alexandru Maur. After the war, a relaunch in Barcelona shifted Legrain’s identity toward that of a Spanish household personal-care brand. Its fragrance history includes Royale Ambree, launched in Barcelona in July 1943 after the family’s arrival and Spain’s best-selling cologne. S3, created in 1954, became Legrain’s most popular product: a fresh, gender-neutral cologne associated with family and everyday Spanish life across generations. Ownership later moved from Henry Legrain to AkzoNobel, then Sara Lee and Unilever. In 2022, Sensogreen acquired S3, Petit Cheri and Royale Ambree from Unilever under an agreement including a national and international licence for Legrain.