- Jacomo perfumes and colognes:
Country: France
Main activity: Fragrances
Brand website: link
Parent company: Sarbec Cosmetics
Jacomo traces its roots back to the late 1960s, when American James Kaplan and Frenchman Gerard Courtin crossed paths on New York’s 5th Avenue. Bonded by a shared passion for art, music, and design, they joined forces to establish the fashion brand “Jacomo” — a name crafted from “Ja” (short for James), “Co” (from Courtin), and “Mo” (added to infuse a melodic flair). They opened a boutique, where their creations quickly captivated New York’s stylish trendsetters.
The brand’s first fragrance, Eau Cendrée for men, debuted in 1970 (with some sources citing 1974). Housed in a striking geometric package, it became an instant hit. Its female counterpart, Chicane, followed just a year later.
However, it was the 1972 launch of the iconic women’s scent Silences — still in production today, housed in its signature round black bottle — that solidified fragrances as Jacomo’s core offering. The success prompted the company to acquire production facilities in Deauville. With an unwavering focus on design, a string of popular fragrance releases in the 1980s and 1990s ensured Jacomo remained a beloved name among perfume enthusiasts. Notable launches included the classic men’s fragrance Jacomo de Jacomo (1980) and the women’s Parfum Rare (1985), which featured a distinctive trapezoid bottle and was later rebranded as Coeur de Parfum.
The 1990s saw Jacomo introduce a series of “couple” fragrances. Anthracite launched for both men and women in 1991. Paradox for Women arrived in 1998, with Paradox for Men following in 1999 (both were later renamed Paradox Blue when the Paradox Green pair debuted in 2003). The Aura duo, distinguished by their green and yellow bottles, joined the lineup in 2000.
In 1995, Parfums Jacomo was acquired by French firm Sarbec Cosmetics. By the 2010s, Sarbec began steering the brand in a fresh direction: while Jacomo’s classic fragrances from the 1970s to the early 2000s remained in production, a new line of luxury scents — the Art Collection — launched in 2010. Inspired by artworks from the founders’ personal collection and named after the pieces’ inventory numbers, the Art Collection aimed to reintroduce Jacomo to a modern audience. The “couple” concept endured in 2011 with the It’s Me collection, featuring sleek, contemporary packaging and on-trend scents for both men and women.
Today, Jacomo’s fragrance portfolio boasts 37 perfumes, with the earliest dating to 1970 and the latest released in 2024. These scents were crafted in collaboration with renowned perfumers, including Mark Buxton, Henri Bergia, Edouard Flechier, Jean-Claude Astier, Christian Mathieu, Celine Ripert, Bernard Ellena, Marie-Aude Couture, Mathilde Bijaoui, Sébastien Martin, Mane, Daniel Moliere, Christine Nagel, Jean-Claude Niel, and Serge Majoullier.
