Pink Packaging c1950s

For a brief period during the 1950s, Guerlain adopted a distinctly feminine and refined packaging style that stood apart from its more familiar gold or patterned designs. During this time, the house used a delicate pastel pink wrapping paper, a color that conveyed softness, grace, and a touch of romantic nostalgia perfectly suited to the elegance of Guerlain’s image. Around each parcel was a contrasting gray paper band, creating a subtle interplay between warmth and cool sophistication. To complete the presentation, a black ribbon was neatly tied around the package, adding a sense of tailored precision and timeless luxury.

This packaging style reflected the postwar era’s renewed emphasis on beauty, optimism, and modern refinement—an age when presentation was as much a part of the experience as the perfume itself. The combination of pink, gray, and black was understated yet stylish, capturing the restrained glamour characteristic of 1950s French design.

Because this particular wrapping was used for only a short period, surviving examples are now extremely rare, prized by collectors for their ephemeral charm and the glimpse they offer into Guerlain’s mid-century aesthetic experimentation. The pastel pink wrapping, once commonplace on the counters of Parisian perfumeries, has become a sought-after artifact of Guerlain’s packaging history, symbolizing an elegant moment in time when even the wrapping paper exuded refinement.

Truffle Hunt with Sacheverell Sitwell, 1953:

"Guerlain sell their delicious soaps à blanc de baleine, and wrap up each purchase so delightfully in pink paper that it is a direct invitation to come back for more."