I know right?
In the early 20th Century, the House of DeLaire created a magnificent perfume base for legendary perfume firm Parfums Caron. A masterpiece in its own right, the base, known as “Mousse de Saxe” (Saxon Moss) made use of a brand new aromatic chemical called isobutyl quinoline, an incredibly bitter, dark, leathery substance of incredible potency and versatility. Marie DeLaire, head of the House, built the base around this strange new substance, weaving anise, iodine, oak moss, and various other compounds into a seamlessly beautiful, velvety tapestry that was to form the basis of many of Caron’s greatest masterpieces. DeLaire continued to manufacture its legendary base for Caron until 1969, when the House went bankrupt and the formula was lost. Today, everyone who ever knew the original Mousse de Saxe formula is long dead, the base itself a mere memory.

That’s where we come in.

Some time ago, Barrister & Mann had the extraordinary fortune to obtain a sample of the original base. Armed with only this small sample and a basic knowledge of what had gone into the original, we set out to recreate the famous base by smell alone. After four months of research, formulation, reformulation, and constant refinement, we successfully rebuilt Mousse de Saxe into its original glory. It seemed only fitting that such an achievement should be used to create a soap inspired by one of Caron’s most famous fragrances: Pour un Homme de Caron. We have not copied the original; instead, we have taken the Mousse de Saxe and blended it with lavender, vanilla, cedar wood, and the elegant musk Exaltolide to create a dark, leathery, elegant soap unlike anything seen for nearly a half century.

Barrister & Mann proudly presents Lavanille.