Creed (perfume house)

James Henry Creed supposedly founded the House of Creed in London in 1760 as a tailoring establishment, however, the earliest evidence of Creed's existence hark from the late 1960s or early 1970s.^[2] It claims to have risen to fame in the mid 19th century under Henry Creed as tailors and habit makers for the fashionable dandy Count d'Orsay, Queen Victoria, and Empress Eugénie, who issued the firm of Creed & Cumberland a Royal Warrant for tailoring articles.^[3] Olivier Creed's first eponymously named fragrance was a traditional eau de cologne with matching aftershave. Its release date is unknown, although bottles are still in circulation. Creed also has other high-profile creations in its catalog such as Angelique Encens, which was said to have been originally created in 1933 for the Bishop of Paris.^[4] The history of the Creed brand prior to 1970 comes from Creed itself. No historical evidence (documents, letters, warrants, receipts, vintage bottles or packaging, business licenses, etc.) of the company’s existence before 1970 exists.

In February 2020, the private equity group BlackRock announced that it would become the majority shareholder of Creed.^[5] In June 2023, Creed was acquired by Kering for €3.5 billion.^[6]

Creed has stated that it has created perfumes exclusively for celebrities and well-known political figures. Creed claims that Tabarome "was commissioned by a legendary British statesman who loved fine brandy and highest quality cigars" but this is without historical confirmation.^[7] Also, Creed's Vetiver is marketed to have been created for "one of America's leading families, a political dynasty now known worldwide for its energy, vigor, and impeccable style".^[8] This is also without historical confirmation.

Creed's mainstream breakthrough success came in the mid-1980s with the fresh fougère fragrance Green Irish Tweed (1985). After Cary Grant died in 1986, Creed’s advertising made claims that Grant wore it. Around this time their advertising began to feature many long-dead celebrities, attempting to lend pedigree to the fledgling brand. The first trademark for Creed perfume was registered in 1979 in France.^[9]

Creed's marketing masterpiece, the fragrance Aventus (2010) has seen good commercial success. Erwin Creed stated that the popularity of Aventus enabled Creed to open its New York boutique location.^[10]

Gabe Oppenheim's book, The Ghost Perfumer, interviews numerous perfumers and disputes Creed's claim that all of the fragrances are made in-house by members of the Creed family. Pierre Bourdon claims to be the perfumer behind Green Irish Tweed (an early iteration of Davidoff's Cool Water, also made by Bourdon), Original Santal, Silver Mountain Water, Erolfa, Millesime Imperial among others.^[11]

Creed claims to make fragrances exclusively for their clients and that some of those fragrances are later released to the public. These are some of the Creed fragrances sold to the general public.^{[citation needed]}

• Charles Creed, fashion designer

  Media related to Creed (perfume) at Wikimedia Commons