Lightyears Collection
Germaine Cellier
(1909-1976)

Germain Cellier was born in Bordeaux, France, January 26, 1909. She moved to Paris in 1930 to study chemistry. After finishing her degree, she obtained employment with Roure Bertrand, working as a chemist under Jean Sfiras.

In 1943, Cellier left Roure for a job with Colgate-Palmolive where she worked as a functional perfumer developing fragrances to perfume soap. After three months she left Colgate and returned to Roure.

Louis Amic, owner of Roure, had set the company's course on obtaining briefs from the great coutour houses of the day. Perfume had already worked for Chanel, Patou and Lelong. Amic signed up a host of others eager to share in the potential profits. Cellier found herself creating perfume for Robert Piguet, Pierre Balmain, Nina (really Robert) Ricci, Balenciaga, Hermés, and Elizabeth Arden.

Friction, it is said, developed between the outspoken, independent minded Cellier, and Jean Carles, Roure's superstar perfumer and founder of Roure's famous school of prefumery (recently relaunched by Guivadan, the Swiss fragrance company which ultimately swallowed up Roure.)

Louis Amic's solution was to the problem, which saved the services of both talented perfumers for Roure, was to set Cellier up in her own laboratory in Paris (Exarome) where she could create and meet clients — away from Jean Carles.