Fragrance house

Volnay

Volnay was founded in Suresnes, France, in 1919 by René and Germaine Duval. René had been François Coty’s commercial director and was trained by Coty, while Germaine had worked as a Lanvin model. The house later expanded internationally: by 1937 it had produced more than 20 fragrances, which reached markets including London, Brussels, Milan, Buenos Aires, Sydney, Melbourne, Montréal, and New York. Many historical Volnay bottles were created by René Lalique, making bottle design part of the house’s heritage. After the Second World War, the family business focused on contract perfume packaging rather than developing Volnay fragrances, and the family company entered bankruptcy in 2011. Founders’ descendants Muriel and Olivier Madeline revived Volnay in 2013, drawing on archived formulas and fragrances preserved at the Osmothèque. Amélie Bourgeois adapted the historical fragrances, while Anne Durand and Patrick Millet directed the modern artistic identity. Ambre de Siam was a defining historical reference for the revival: a renewed version appeared in 2015 after the discovery of a Lalique bottle at auction prompted the family to reconsider Volnay’s heritage. The modern identity also includes the recurring Base 4092 accord and a contemporary bottle inspired by Lalique.