Fragrance house

Téo Cabanel

Téo Cabanel traces its heritage to 1893, when medical chemist Théodore Cabanel began composing Eau de Cologne and scented-handkerchief quintessences with his wife, Méloé; together, they created hundreds of formulas. Their only daughter continued the family know-how from the 1930s, shaping the Cabanel style through the 1960s to the 1980s, and managed the company until 2000. After her death, Caroline Ilacqua, who had inherited the house at 22, officially took it over in 2005 and relaunched it in 2006, linking the family’s historical knowledge and archives with contemporary French perfumery and an emphasis on natural raw materials. The modern revival was shaped by Ilacqua’s partnership with perfumer Jean‑François Latty, whom she met in Grasse; together they created the first ten perfumes of the revived collection. Téo Cabanel’s creative identity joins inherited formulas with contemporary French composition and treats fragrance as a personal, everyday form of well-being. Before the revival, the house was associated with the Duchess of Windsor as an official court perfumer. Its amber fragrance Alahine explores Mexican-inspired roses, vanilla, agave warmth, and local spices.