- Новая Заря (The New Dawn) perfumes and colognes:
Country:Russia
Main activity:Fragrances
Brand website:link
Novaya Zarya (The New Dawn): A Legacy of Russian Perfumery and Cosmetics
Novaya Zarya (The New Dawn) is a Moscow-based factory specializing in perfume and cosmetics production. Its origins trace back to the pre-1917 Russian Revolution era, when it operated as the Moscow factory of Henri Brocard. Following the Revolution, the facility was nationalized and renamed with the Soviet-style moniker “Novaya Zarya” (literally “The New Dawn”).
Henri Brocard’s journey to Russia was spurred by his father Athanase Brocard’s unsuccessful efforts to expand the family’s cosmetics and soap-making business—first in France, then in the United States. Intense competition in both markets led Henri to seek new opportunities, and Russia emerged as a highly promising destination: its aristocracy and a growing bourgeoisie with a taste for luxury created a vast, appealing market.
In 1861, Henri Brocard established his own factory on Moscow’s Nikolskaya Street. Initially, he focused on mass-market cosmetics and personal care items—such as soap and tooth powder—targeting lower-income consumers. His soap became an immediate success, largely due to its affordably low price: prior to this, even factory-produced soap remained relatively expensive for most people.
Brocard’s products were further boosted by witty, lighthearted advertising campaigns. Posters featured ordinary citizens or peasants, often in comical scenarios, and Russian-language slogans emphasized accessibility—for example, promoting products like “The National Soap.”
The Russian cosmetics market was not new when Brocard entered it. A major French-owned enterprise, A. Rallet & Co., had already thrived in Moscow since its founding by Alfonse Rallet in 1843. Unlike Brocard’s early focus on affordable goods, Rallet’s factory specialized in high-end pomades and fragrances. Following the 1917 Revolution, A. Rallet & Co. was also nationalized and renamed “Svoboda” (meaning “Freedom”)—a name it retains to this day, as the facility remains operational.
Buoyed by his initial success in Russia, Brocard expanded into high-quality cosmetics, incorporating essential oils and glycerin to appeal to a more affluent clientele. To source premium aromatic ingredients, he partnered with suppliers like Roure Bertrand Fils, a renowned fragrance house based in Grasse, France.
Brocard’s luxury offerings soon caught the attention of Russia’s royal family. Before long, his factory was appointed the official supplier to Her Royal Highness Alexandra Fiodorovna, the wife of Tsar Nicholas II—the last reigning monarch of Russia. The luxurious soap he produced stood out not only for its quality but also its design: crafted in oval or round shapes, each bar featured engraved lettering, and it was even gentle enough for young children. His wife, Charlotte Ravey, likely played a pivotal role in this success. Of Belgian descent but raised and educated in Russia, she possessed deep insights into Russian life and the psychology of local consumers, which proved invaluable to the business.
In Russia, the company was registered as “The Brocard Assotiation”—a naming convention common at the time. Notably, the owner’s last name was spelled with the intentional omission of the silent final “d,” and the Russian hard sign (“ъ”) was added at the end, adhering to linguistic norms of the era. Later, the factory expanded its product line to include fragrances. Its goods went on to win numerous prestigious awards at exhibitions and fairs, including events in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) and even Paris (France). Henri Brocard passed away in Cannes, France, in 1900.
After the 1917 Communist Revolution, the factory was nationalized and temporarily given the generic label “Soap Factory #5.” It was not until 1922 that it received its current name, Novaya Zarya. A notable chapter in its history unfolded between 1930 and 1932, when Polina Zhemchuzhina—wife of prominent Soviet politician Vyacheslav Molotov and a close friend of Joseph Stalin’s wife, Svetlana Alliluyeva—served as the factory’s CEO.
During World War II, like many Soviet industrial facilities, Novaya Zarya was evacuated to Sverdlovsk (now known as Yekaterinburg, as it was both before and after the Soviet era) in the Ural Mountains. While operating there, the factory spawned a new enterprise: a subsidiary named Kalina. This spin-off was renamed “Uralskiye Samotsvety” in 1974 but later reverted to its original “Kalina” moniker.
Today, Novaya Zarya is led by its perfumer and current CEO, who is deeply committed to advancing the future of Russian perfumery as a whole. The company’s most iconic fragrance isKrasnaya Moskva(“Red Moscow”)—a scent familiar to every citizen of the former Soviet Union, its name carrying profound emotional resonance.
Within our fragrance database, Novaya Zarya (The New Dawn) is recognized as an established, historic perfume house, with 400 fragrances cataloged. Its earliest fragrance dates back to 1882, while its most recent offering was released in 2025. Novaya Zarya’s fragrances have been developed in collaboration with a diverse roster of renowned perfumers, including Alla Belfer, Ivan Orlyuk, Victoria Merkulova, Pavel Ivanov, Ekaterina Silverstova, Alexey Pogudkin, Tamara Soboleva, V. Ryzhova, Marina Stepanova, Valentina Gribanova, Auguste Michel, Elena Kaboshina, Nina Kaminskaya, Uliana Shimanskaya, L. N. Danilova, Alla Gribina, and Antonina Vitkovskaya.
