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We are in Orphin
one of the two production sites belonging to the Maison Guerlain
in the heart of Cosmetic Valley.
Here, we produce Guerlain fragrances
while our cosmetics -- makeup and skincare -- are manufactured in Chartres.
At Guerlain, 450 employees produce 12 million fragrances
and 22 million cosmetic products every year here in France.
My role as Chief Operating Officer is to oversee
the development, production
and distribution of Guerlain products.
Expressed in less prosaic terms,
that means starting with the creative inspiration of
Thierry Wasser for fragrance
and Olivier Echaudemaison for makeup
and respecting that inspiration as we industrialize it
and increase its scale.
Guerlain produces everything in its workshops in France.
This enables us to be
as close as we possibly can be
to the creative heart of the House, to its traditional know-how,
and to have absolute control over the quality of our products.
Today, in our registers, we have 600 raw materials,
and a fragrance concentrate, such as Shalimar,
Vol de Nuit or Mitsouko,
can contain up to 130 different ingredients.
The vocation of Guerlain,
and our philosophy since 1828,
has been to try to create exceptional
objects and formulas.
We must not disappoint a customer
who buys a Guerlain fragrance.
Our so-called 'dames de table' are responsible
for finishing our rare and precious fragrance bottles,
which contain Guerlain perfume extracts
or exceptional creations.
They are perpetuating a tradition
of luxury fragrance craftsmanship.
Guerlain has been doing things this way since 1828,
and that gives our products
a very special spirit and respects their heritage.
Our new production facility,
which we have called 'La Ruche' (The Beehive),
will open in Chartres
in a few months' time.
It reflects Guerlain's change of scale.
We will be doubling our production capacity,
and we will be in line
with the latest quality standards
and best manufacturing practice.
We are going to install beehives
on landscaped patios.
The bee has been
the emblem of Guerlain
since the creation of Eau de Cologne Impériale
in 1853.