The Grand Pursuit Of Scent

EVERY CITY OF REFINED TASTE once had its Grand Hotel. Yet few realize that this very concept took shape in the Principality of Monaco in 1881. It was then that Alexandrine Yungbluth, owner of the Grand Hôtel de Monte-Carlo, spotted a visionary named César Ritz at Lucerne's Grand Hôtel National and entrusted him with a singular mission: to modernize the establishment from top to bottom.

The Principality was undergoing a dramatic metamorphosis. Driven by Prince Charles III and the Société des Bains de Mer, Monte-Carlo was fast establishing itself as the winter sanctuary of choice for the European elite.

For Ritz, grand hospitality was far more than exceptional lodging. It was a seamless harmony of unparalleled comfort, an understated cuisine that elevated ingredients in their purest form, and rigorous craftsmanship designed to anticipate every unexpressed desire.

To realize this vision, Ritz assembled the finest masters of every trade. Among them were a young, unknown chef named Auguste Escoffier, a florist, a tailor, a bootmaker, and a perfumer, Nestor Moëhr, tasked with composing subtle, refined scents for a distinguished clientele.

When Ritz and Escoffier left for Paris in 1898, Moëhr chose to remain in the Principality. As the keeper of a rare savoir-faire born at the origins of grand hospitality, he established la Parfumerie de Monte-Carlo. Before long, he became an official warrant holder to H.S.H. Prince Albert I, President of the Chamber of Commerce, Knight of the Order of Saint-Charles, and Officer of the Academy of Fine Arts.

Yet, the turbulent mid-20th century eventually swept away the Grand Hôtel de Monte-Carlo, known today as the Palais de la Scala, taking with it the Grand Hôtel's resident perfumer. It is this forgotten heritage that we set out to restore today.

We grew up in one of these grand hotels, much like other children grow up in a family business. This pursuit of excellence was ingrained in us long before we knew what to do with it. To resurrect Moëhr, we set out on his trail and what we uncovered felt less like a commercial product launch and more like a manifesto.

Nicolas, who leads our creative direction, spent years with an obsessive dedication studying period travel cases, medical boxes, tableware, silverware, and vintage fragrance bottles. His search spanned public archives and private collections in pursuit of a distinct design logic. Where many contemporary fragrance houses let production constraints prioritize the label over the bottle, we envisioned a collectible object where form would truly follow function. The bottle cap is the hallmark of Moëhr. Originally designed in 1891 by Nestor Moëhr as a gift for his wife, Jeanne-Marie, we revived it in zinc, the very metal of the original bar counter at the Grand Hôtel de Monte-Carlo.

Guided by the belief that master craftsmanship is the ultimate bridge between past and present, we worked in close collaboration with master artisans and historic workshops. Together, we restored production protocols true to Moëhr's original philosophy: simple, readable formulas composed of a select few exceptional ingredients.

Vincent spent years in the kitchens of chef Mauro Colagreco at Mirazur. From that world, he drew a core conviction: haute gastronomy lies in the discipline of sublimating extraordinary ingredients without ever masking their character. It is a chef's argument now dressed as a perfumer's philosophy, a direct echo of Escoffier's original vision at the Grand Hôtel.

Moëhr stands at the intersection of our childhood memories and the golden age of grand hospitality, reviving the artisanal excellence of the Grand Hôtel perfumer.

Our debut collection features six eaux de parfum created alongside Mane, a 150-year-old family-owned company, established near Grasse. Each scent centers on a few exceptional ingredients sourced ethically, and bears the name of an imaginary hotel guest who is presented online through a theatrical table setting, where the colors and flavors of the Grand Hôtel's signature dishes mirror the olfactory notes of each.

We are well aware of what it means to revive a heritage fragrance house in a Principality now defined by glass towers and superyachts. But restoring Moëhr, the Grand Hôtel's perfumer since 1881, is not about empty nostalgia. It is the conviction that the golden age of luxury hospitality was built on an artisanal excellence deeply rooted in Monaco.

It is about knowing exactly what is worth bringing forward.

Moëhr's collection of six Eaux de Parfum was launched on June 1, 2026 in Milan, and is now available online and through a limited circle of retailers.

By Vincent and Nicolas Poylo