Atelier Cologne

A married French couple set out in 2009 to solve a specific technical problem that had bothered them for decades. Traditional Oda Cologne was refreshing but evaporated from the skin within an hour. They invented a new category and built a fragrance house around it. Sylvie Gantar and Crystal of Servicelle launched Atelier Cologne in Paris in 2009 with a category they called Cologne Absolu, essentially a traditional Cologne composition, but formulated at perfume concentration rather than Cologne concentration. The scent stayed on the skin for 6-8 hours instead of the usual one hour of a classic Cologne. The citrus forward compositions remained fresh and bright, but the longevity on skin matched that of a traditional Oda parfum. The category invention gave the brand permanent first mover status.