Industria Argentina

Prior to 1930, Guerlain created an exceptionally rare Argentinian edition of L’Heure Bleue, a bottle that reveals much about the house’s early international strategy. The front label carries the unusually worded “GUERLAIN PARIS Bs. AIRES,” flanked by “Extracto” (perfume extract) and “Industria Argentina.” This blending of French prestige with Spanish-language detail underscores that the bottle was not an export from Paris but a locally produced article for the Argentinian market. Such examples are vanishingly rare, making this bottle an object of particular interest to both collectors and historians.

Argentina, before the upheavals of the Second World War, possessed one of the wealthiest upper classes in the world. Until the 1920s it was the leading non-European luxury export market, surpassing even the United States, which only overtook it around 1920. Guerlain’s decision to produce bottles and labels locally reflects both the purchasing power of Buenos Aires society and the sophistication of a market eager to associate itself with French elegance.

The bottle is fitted with two back labels: “contenido 20 cc neto” (net content 20 cc, or approximately two-thirds of a fluid ounce) and “Guerlain Perfumista S.A., graduación alcohólica 37 gr” (Guerlain Perfumers, 37-proof alcohol). Most telling of all, the base is molded with “GUERLAIN INDUSTRIA ARGENTINA,” an explicit declaration of local manufacture. This stands in stark contrast to Guerlain bottles destined for Europe and North America, which invariably bore French markings.

The presentation box, too, departs from international norms. Unlike the richly printed packaging sold in Paris, London, or New York, the Argentinian boxes carried no prominent GUERLAIN branding on their exteriors. Instead, the back bore only a modest label naming the retailer, almost certainly one of the luxury shops situated in central Buenos Aires. This discreet approach suggests that Guerlain relied on local prestige retailers to lend their imprimatur to the product, while the fragrance itself served as the ambassador of Parisian refinement.

Taken together, these details illustrate not only the rarity of this particular bottle but also Guerlain’s adaptation to Argentina’s unique luxury economy, in which French goods were both status symbols and deeply embedded in local patterns of consumption. For collectors, the survival of such a piece represents an extraordinary discovery; for historians, it is a material witness to the globalization of French perfume before World War II.

Among the most intriguing Argentinian Guerlain bottles are the carré flacons produced for Jicky. These square, utilitarian bottles were adapted for the South American market, yet they preserve the prestige of the Parisian house through their markings. The old labels, now heavily worn and in poor condition, are printed with “Extrait Jicky” along with the designation “Industria Argentina” at the top—clear evidence of their local production.

The glass itself bears unmistakable Guerlain signatures. The base is embossed with “Guerlain France Paris,” while one side carries the “Woman with Flags” logo, a hallmark emblem of the house. Standing approximately four inches tall, the bottle is compact but instantly recognizable as Guerlain. Despite its modest size, it would have held one of the house’s most legendary perfumes in extract form.

What makes these bottles particularly significant is their hybrid identity. The finished products were assembled and sold in Argentina, using imported French concentrates that Guerlain shipped overseas. This practice ensured that the essence of the perfume remained authentically Parisian, even while the packaging and distribution were tailored to the South American market. For the wealthy clientele of Buenos Aires and beyond, such bottles symbolized both French refinement and local accessibility.

Today, surviving examples are rare, and those that surface often bear the scars of time, as with these damaged labels. Yet their historical value remains immense. They testify not only to Guerlain’s early global ambitions but also to the importance of Argentina as a thriving luxury market in the years before World War II..