Eau Lustrale, one of Guerlain’s long-lived grooming staples, was created as a liquid hair treatment that served multiple purposes: cleansing, degreasing, softening, and imparting a lustrous shine. The formula relied on a combination of castor oil and alcohol, both deodorized to remove any heavy scent, ensuring the product remained fresh and pleasant to use. To this base, Guerlain added cantharides powder, an ingredient once believed to stimulate circulation in the scalp and thus prevent baldness. The mixture was rounded out with bergamot oil and rose otto, which gave the preparation its refined, elegant fragrance. This blend of functional and aromatic components reflected Guerlain’s dual emphasis on efficacy and luxury.
The earliest records place Eau Lustrale in circulation before 1853, and remarkably, it remained a popular item well into the mid-20th century, making it one of Guerlain’s longest-lasting grooming products. Unlike heavy pomades, this was a light, water-like liquid designed to be applied after washing the hair. By the 1930s, magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar praised it as a delightful setting lotion, noting its quick-drying qualities and its ability to make the salon experience more enjoyable. Its versatility allowed it to be used both as a tonic to maintain scalp health and as a finishing treatment for styling.
In terms of pricing, Eau Lustrale was offered in a range of sizes to suit different customers. A 1941 price list shows bottles available in 4 oz for $1.00, 8 oz for $3.25, a pint for $6.60, and a quart for $12.75—a clear indication that this was not merely a luxury item but a regular-use product that customers could buy in large, practical sizes. The continued production of Eau Lustrale until the 1960s highlights how enduring its reputation was, bridging a century of changing beauty ideals and grooming practices.
Ultimately, Eau Lustrale exemplifies Guerlain’s ability to blend pragmatism with refinement: a preparation that was at once cleansing, beautifying, and perfumed. It offered men and women alike the promise of healthier hair with a polished finish, while its rose and bergamot scent provided a subtle air of sophistication, ensuring even the most functional of grooming routines carried the unmistakable touch of Guerlain.
Cantharides powder, also known as powdered Spanish fly, was made from the dried and crushed bodies of the blister beetle (Lytta vesicatoria). Historically, it was prized for its ability to stimulate blood flow when applied to the skin, though this property came at a cost: it was also a severe irritant. In hair preparations of the 18th and 19th centuries, it was widely believed that such stimulation of the scalp would increase circulation, invigorate the hair follicles, and thereby prevent baldness. This belief persisted despite the fact that its actual benefits were dubious and its potential dangers well-known. Applied in too strong a concentration, cantharides could cause blistering, irritation, and long-term skin damage.
Its inclusion in products like Eau Lustrale reflects both the medical thinking of the time and the public’s willingness to tolerate a degree of risk for the promise of hair preservation. Baldness was often stigmatized, and countless preparations promised to halt or reverse it. Cantharides powder became a common ingredient in “restoratives” or “hair tonics” sold throughout Europe and America, even if the results were inconsistent at best. Guerlain, like other high-end houses, carefully balanced it with emollient ingredients such as castor oil, which softened hair and added shine, and perfumed oils like bergamot and rose otto, which masked the sharp medicinal odor of the base formula.
By the mid-20th century, as scientific understanding of dermatology advanced, such irritant substances fell out of favor, but in the 19th century and early 20th century, they were considered both fashionable and effective. Thus, Eau Lustrale stood at the intersection of tradition and luxury—incorporating a long-established ingredient reputed to stimulate hair growth, but presenting it in a refined form that aligned with Guerlain’s reputation for elegance and sensory pleasure.
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One of the earliest known bottles for Eau Lustrale appeared around 1845, giving us a glimpse into Guerlain’s earliest packaging aesthetics and the craftsmanship of French glassmakers of the period. The bottle was rectangular in form, a practical yet elegant shape that made it both easy to handle and visually distinguished from round or cylindrical apothecary bottles. Its arched shoulders softened the geometry of the body, lending it a graceful profile that elevated it from simple utility to refined presentation. The bottle stood at 6 ¼ inches tall, a moderate size for a grooming preparation that would have been used regularly, suggesting it was designed to sit comfortably on a gentleman’s dressing table or within a lady’s toilette.
The top was described as graduated, an indication of a tapered neck that could accommodate a secure cork or stopper, ensuring the liquid within—delicate yet potent—was protected from evaporation and contamination. The surface was plain, without panels, leaving the smooth glass uninterrupted except for the embossing. The glass itself was a deep olive green, a color frequently used in the mid-19th century for utilitarian bottles, which not only lent an air of sturdiness and richness but also helped protect the contents from light exposure.
Embossed lettering added both branding and function to the design. One side was boldly marked “GUERLAIN”, while the opposite side read “EAU LUSTRALE.” This dual embossing served as a guarantee of authenticity at a time when perfumed waters and hair tonics were widely imitated. The embossed text ensured that even if the original paper label were to wear away, the house of Guerlain’s name and the product’s identity remained permanently etched into the glass.
The bottle was manufactured by Pochet et du Courval, one of France’s most important glassmakers of the 19th century, renowned for their collaborations with leading perfumers. Their involvement underscores Guerlain’s commitment to quality presentation from the very beginning, ensuring that even a grooming product like Eau Lustrale was housed in glass that combined durability with aesthetic refinement.
c1931 emerald green bottle, black bakelite cap, manufactured by Pochet et du Courval.
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