# Parfums Montana Paris ## Facts | | | |---|---| | Founded | 1986 | | Origin | France | | Owner | Empire of Scents | | Status | Active | | Website | https://www.parfums-montana.com/en | Parfums Montana Paris is a French fragrance brand named after the fashion designer Claude Montana, the Paris couturier whose broad-shouldered silhouettes defined the "power-dressing" look of the 1980s. The perfume line was created in 1986 and launched with Parfum de Peau, a dense, spicy chypre that is still sold today [9]. Over the following four decades the brand changed hands several times, passing from the licensee Parfac to the cosmetics group Clarins in the mid-1990s, then to Diana de Silva Cosmétiques in 2000. Today the official website names Empire of Scents as the rights holder, and the brand continues to operate an online shop. It presents itself almost entirely through the legacy of its namesake designer, who died in 2024, and through a catalogue of scents built around the glamour of the 1980s. ## Origin & founders The brand's story begins with the designer rather than with a perfumer. Claude Montana, born Claude Montamat in Paris in 1947, started out making jewellery in London before returning to France to work in leather and knitwear. He founded his own fashion house, The House of Montana, in 1979, and became one of the defining names of 1980s Paris fashion. Wikipedia describes him as the "King of the Shoulder Pad", known for sharp tailoring, theatrical shows and strong, solid colours. By 1986 his clothes were sold in high-end department stores outside France, and that same year a fragrance line carrying his name was created. According to Wikipedia, Parfums Montana was launched with Montana Parfum de Peau, with its scents composed by "a long line of master perfumers". No published source names the individuals who set up the perfume company itself. By the time of the 1990s sale to Clarins, Wikipedia identifies a company called Parfac as the Montana licensee. The brand's own site gives Claude Montana's couture career a central place. It credits him with two consecutive Dé d'or awards for his collections at Lanvin, dating them to 1991 and 1992 and calling the double win a first in haute couture history [2]. Wikipedia's account of the same honours differs slightly: its awards list gives the Golden Thimble as 1990 and 1991, while its main text places him at Lanvin from 1990 to 1992 [9]. The detail concerns the designer's fashion work rather than the perfume company, but it is the most prominent claim on the brand's history pages. ## History & milestones The first fragrance was released simply as "Montana". It was composed in 1986 by Jean Guichard and later took the name Parfum de Peau. The perfume blog Now Smell This notes that the exact date of the renaming is unclear, but that by 1991 the press was already calling it Parfum de Peau [10]. A steady run of launches followed. Wikipedia lists Montana Pour Femme (1986), Parfum d'Homme (1989), Parfum d'Elle (1990), and two scents from 1994, Eau d'Or and Suggestion Eau d'Argent. Just Me arrived in 1997. According to the trade journal The Rose Sheet, Just Me was the only Montana scent distributed in the United States at the time, and it launched alongside the opening of Sephora's Rockefeller Center store in New York. The mid-1990s brought the first major change of ownership, when Clarins bought the brand (see Ownership). Clarins held it for only a few years. In early 2000 it sold the Montana fragrance business to Diana de Silva Cosmétiques, describing the deal as part of a "rationalization" of both companies' portfolios [11]. Clarins said at the time that the transaction would allow "renewed emphasis" on developing the brand, and that a new fragrance, Montana Blu, was about to launch in all of its markets except the US. Under Diana de Silva the brand looked to new regions. In 2003 the company presented two new Montana fragrances, Parfum d'Elle and Eau Transparente, to the Americas at the Duty Free Show of the Americas, a travel-retail trade fair [12]. The trade publication The Moodie Davitt Report, which datelined its story from Italy, described Parfum d'Elle as drawing on the theme of the ocean, with a pearl-white, shell-shaped bottle. Eau Transparente reused the outline of the Parfum de Peau bottle in light pink. In 2010 Parfums Montana became an official partner of the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo, according to the events page of its own website [4]. The festival was created in 1961 by Prince Rainier III of Monaco. Meanwhile, the designer's fashion business followed a separate path. The House of Montana went bankrupt in 1997, and in 1999 the company and the rights to Claude Montana's name were sold to an investment group led by the French businessman Jean-Jacques Layani. These events concern the fashion house rather than the fragrance company, which by then was already under different ownership. Releases continued into the 2020s. Wikipedia counts 39 perfumes and colognes released under the Montana name, the most recent in 2024 [9]. Claude Montana died in February of that year. ## Ownership The fragrance brand has had at least three corporate homes. The first documented sale took place in the mid-1990s, and its date differs by source. Wikipedia states that Clarins acquired Parfums Montana in 1996, in a deal with the Montana licensee Parfac that also included Azzaro Fragrances, for the equivalent of US$154 million [9]. The Rose Sheet, writing in March 2000, says Clarins acquired the Claude Montana designer fragrance brand in 1995 [11]. Both sources agree on the buyer and the broad period; they differ only on the year. In 2000 Clarins sold the brand to Diana de Silva Cosmétiques, a company that also held an exclusive fragrance licence for the jewellery brand Mauboussin in the early 2000s. The current owner of record is less clearly described. The footer of the official website reads "Parfums Montana Paris - Empire of Scents" and reserves all rights to that name [1]. Whether Empire of Scents owns the brand outright or operates it under a licence, and when it took over from Diana de Silva, is not stated in any public source. ## Philosophy & positioning Parfums Montana Paris builds its identity around its namesake. The official site opens with pages on Claude Montana as "the avant-gardiste" and on what it calls the "couture spirit" of his fashion shows, quoting figures such as Inès de la Fressange and the Financial Times on his influence. The company highlights his use of bold cuts, structured shoulders and colours such as Klein blue, red and metallic tones, and presents the perfumes as an extension of that aesthetic. The 1980s are the brand's main reference point. The company says Parfum de Peau "represents everything the 80's stands for in the popular imagination", describing it as loud and daring. Montana 80, a more recent addition, is billed as a modern reinterpretation of the fragrances of that decade, with marketing copy that evokes the nightlife of the Palace in Paris and Studio 54 in New York. Independent writers have placed the brand in the same era. Reviewing Parfum de Peau in 2014, Now Smell This set it alongside the big fragrances of the Reagan years, such as Yves Saint Laurent Opium, Christian Dior Poison and Chanel Coco, and suggested it would overpower every one of them [10]. ## Products & innovation The range consists entirely of fragrance. The official site lists a collection that includes Parfum de Peau, Peau Intense, Parfum de Femme, Montana Blu, Montana 80, Black Edition, Montana Initial and Montana Collection, along with a "Suggestion" series made up of Eau d'Or, Eau d'Argent, Eau Cuivrée and Pour Elle et Lui. Parfum de Peau remains the house's signature scent. According to the company, it was composed in 1986 by Jean Guichard and later reformulated by Edouard Fléchier; Now Smell This places the reformulation in the later 1990s. The brand describes it as a floral chypre, a classic fragrance family built on a mossy, woody base. It opens with pepper, cardamom, blackcurrant, marigold and ginger, moves to a heart of rose, tuberose, narcissus and carnation, and settles on patchouli, musk, castoreum and amber. Now Smell This lists a wider set of notes, including civet, sandalwood, vetiver and frankincense, and calls it a fruity chypre with a strongly animal-like base. The scent comes in a helix-shaped bottle designed by Serge Mansau, which the company describes as award-winning without naming the award. The brand's own page goes further. It calls Parfum de Peau "a legend, a cult perfume" and states that it is the perfume Sharon Stone wears in the film Basic Instinct [7]. Neither claim is supported by an independent source. Montana 80 shows how the house has tried to update its 1980s identity. It was created by the perfumer Antoine Lie of the fragrance company Givaudan, who, according to Parfums Montana, built it on a structure of heady white flowers typical of the decade, tuberose and orange blossom, but with a smoother, more modern finish. The brand classes it as a floral-oriental, with mandarin and pink pepper at the top and a base of sandalwood, vanilla, cedarwood and amber. Earlier launches also leaned on shared design cues. When Parfum d'Elle was introduced to the Americas in 2003, it came in a golden box styled like the packaging of Montana Homme and Parfum de Peau, and was offered not only as an eau de toilette but also as body lotion, bath foam and deodorant spray. No ingredient claims, certifications or sustainability commitments are documented for the brand. ## Recognition The brand has received no documented awards of its own; the honours on its website belong to Claude Montana's fashion career. Its press coverage comes mainly from perfume writers and trade journals. The most detailed independent assessment is the 2014 Now Smell This review of Parfum de Peau. The reviewer called it "the ultimate jolie laide fragrance", using the French term for something striking rather than conventionally pretty, and warned readers about its long-lasting, far-reaching trail [10]. The review also cites the perfume historian Nigel Groom, who described Parfum de Peau as an "avant-garde chypre" in his book Perfume. The same article noted that the scent was still in production in several versions. Trade coverage has followed the brand's business moves rather than its scents. The Rose Sheet reported on the 2000 sale to Diana de Silva Cosmétiques, and The Moodie Davitt Report covered the 2003 travel-retail launch in the Americas. ## Current status Parfums Montana Paris is active. The brand runs an official website with an online shop, which ships orders within two to four working days, and its pages carry a 2024 copyright notice under the Empire of Scents name. Wikipedia records the most recent Montana release in 2024. No new launch or company news dated after that year has been published, so the brand's activity rests mainly on its ongoing sales rather than on recent product introductions. The house reached its 40th anniversary in 2026. ## Timeline {#belagg-timeline} | Year | Event | Source | |---|---|---| | 1986 | Parfums Montana created; launched with Montana Parfum de Peau (originally released as 'Montana'), composed by Jean Guichard. Quote: "Parfums Montana was created in 1986, with fragrances created by a long line of master perfumers. The company was launched with Montana Parfum de Peau." | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1986 | Montana Pour Femme released. Quote: "That was followed by Montana Pour Femme (1986), Parfum d'Homme (1989), Parfum d'Elle (1990), Eau d'Or (1994), Suggestion Eau d'Argent (1994) and Just Me (1997)." | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1989 | Parfum d'Homme released (same Wikipedia sentence as above). | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1990 | Parfum d'Elle released (same Wikipedia sentence as above). | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1991 | By 1991 the original 'Montana' perfume was being referred to in the press as Parfum de Peau. Quote: "It's not clear when the name change took place, but by 1991 it was being referred to in the press as Parfum de Peau." | https://nstperfume.com/2014/12/01/parfums-montana-parfum-de-peau-fragrance-review/ | | 1994 | Eau d'Or and Suggestion Eau d'Argent released (same Wikipedia sentence as above). | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1996 | Clarins acquired Parfums Montana in a deal with licensee Parfac that also included Azzaro Fragrances (Wikipedia gives 1996; The Rose Sheet, 2000, gives 1995 - see audit.conflicts). Quote: "In 1996, in a deal with Montana licensee Parfac which included Azzaro Fragrances, Clarins acquired Parfums Montana for the equivalent of $154 million (US)." | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1996 | Acquired by Clarins (deal with Montana licensee Parfac, which also included Azzaro Fragrances), equivalent of US$154 million per Wikipedia. The Rose Sheet (2000) dates the acquisition to 1995 as part of the Parfac Group purchase. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1997 | Just Me released (same Wikipedia sentence as above); per The Rose Sheet it was the only Montana scent distributed in the US and launched in conjunction with Sephora's Rockefeller Center opening. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 1999 | Context, not the fragrance company: Claude Montana's fashion company and the rights to his name were sold to an investment group led by Jean-Jacques Layani (new organisation: Montana Trademarks). Quote: "In 1999, his company, and the rights to his name, were sold to an investment group led by the French businessman Jean-Jacques Layani." | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana | | 2000 | Clarins sold the Montana fragrance brand to Diana de Silva Cosmetiques (reported March 6, 2000); a new fragrance, Montana Blu, was to launch in all Clarins markets except the US. Quote: "Montana fragrance brand sold to Diana de Silva Cosmetiques as part of a "rationalization" of both companies'" | https://insights.citeline.com/RS007721/Clarins | | 2000 | Sold by Clarins to Diana de Silva Cosmetiques as part of a 'rationalization' of both companies' portfolios. | https://insights.citeline.com/RS007721/Clarins | | 2003 | Diana de Silva Cosmétiques introduced Montana Parfum d'Elle and Montana Eau Transparente to the Americas at the Duty Free Show of the Americas (launch March 2003). Quote: "Diana de Silva Cosmétiques will be introducing its two new Montana fragrances to the Americas during this year’s Duty Free Show of the Americas from its suite." | https://moodiedavittreport.com/fragrances-montana-parfum-delle-and-eau-transparente-receive-americas-launch | | 2010 | Parfums Montana becomes Official Partner of the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo (brand's own press page). Quote: "Official Partner since 2010" | https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/blank | ## Signature products {#belagg-products} - **Parfum de Peau** — Parfum de Peau was originally composed in 1986 by Jean Guichard and was reformulated by the great Edouard Fléchier. — https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/parfum-de-peau - **Montana 80** — Highly motivated, the perfumer Antoine Lie (Givaudan) based his work on a very 80s structure of heady white flowers – tuberose and orange blossom – but with a smoother and more modern signature. — https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/montana-80 - **Peau Intense** — Peau Intense — https://www.parfums-montana.com/en - **Montana Blu** — A new fragrance, Montana Blu, will bow shortly in all Clarins markets except the U.S. — https://insights.citeline.com/RS007721/Clarins - **Parfum de Femme** — Parfum de Femme — https://www.parfums-montana.com/en ## Mentioned in {#belagg-press} - **Now Smell This (perfume blog)** (2014) — Review of Parfum de Peau by Angela (1 December 2014): calls it a fruity chypre with an animalic base and strong sillage. Quote: "Parfum de Peau may be the ultimate jolie laide fragrance." — https://nstperfume.com/2014/12/01/parfums-montana-parfum-de-peau-fragrance-review/ - **The Rose Sheet (HBW Insight / Citeline, trade press)** (2000) — Report (March 6, 2000) on Clarins selling the Montana fragrance brand to Diana de Silva Cosmetiques and the upcoming Montana Blu launch. — https://insights.citeline.com/RS007721/Clarins - **The Moodie Davitt Report (travel-retail trade press)** (2003) — 18 February 2003: Diana de Silva Cosmétiques to present Montana Parfum d'Elle and Montana Eau Transparente in the Americas; Parfum d'Elle presented in a golden box 'following the same lines as Montana Homme and Parfums de Peau'. — https://moodiedavittreport.com/fragrances-montana-parfum-delle-and-eau-transparente-receive-americas-launch ## Sources 1. (T1) https://www.parfums-montana.com/en 2. (T1) https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/claude-montana-le-createur 4. (T2) https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/blank 7. (T2) https://www.parfums-montana.com/en/parfum-de-peau 9. (T3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claude_Montana 10. (T3) https://nstperfume.com/2014/12/01/parfums-montana-parfum-de-peau-fragrance-review/ 11. (T3) https://insights.citeline.com/RS007721/Clarins 12. (T3) https://moodiedavittreport.com/fragrances-montana-parfum-delle-and-eau-transparente-receive-americas-launch --- Glowpedia · · Published 2026-10-17 Please cite with a link to the article URL.