TRIBUTE
Monique Rémy

Monique Rémy, a grande dame of French perfumery, known and recognized by perfumers all over the world for the exceptional qualities of the raw materials she developed and marketed for them and for the world's leading fragrance companies, passed away on the night of January 4, 2024 in her 87th year.

"La Parisienne", as she was known in Grasse, began her career in the analytical laboratories of an old Grasse company founded in 1830, which became Camilli, Albert & Laloue in 1918. It was bought by Coty in 1930, then by the Pfizer pharmaceutical group in 1963, before passing into the hands of the Finnish Cultor group in 1997. It was during her time at CAL/Pfizer that Monique Rémy was able to explore the technique of vacuum molecular distillation to avoid the coloring problems of certain absolutes, a technique she later exploited in her LMR laboratory under the name DM.

In 1983, Monique Rémy and her husband Christian boldly decided to create a natural raw materials company in Grasse, bearing her name but associating it with the name "laboratory". And so began the adventure of "Laboratoire Monique Rémy" or LMR.

The Grasse companies of the time didn't believe she would succeed, especially as no woman before her had attempted such an adventure in this typically masculine environment. But it would be an understatement to think that Monique would have backed down in the face of such obstacles.

When she set up her own chromatography laboratory, she used her skills as an analytical chemist and her rigorous extraction methods to develop a whole range of pure products she called "quality A". She was also able to present them to the perfumers of the major perfume houses with such natural honesty that they were quick to adopt her products. This is where the success of this "pioneer of natural ingredients" began.

Since then, her success has never wavered, and Monique Rémy's reputation has continued to grow, even internationally. Her charm, kindness, skills, strict ethics and integrity, not to mention her humility, have made her an endearing and much-loved figure in the profession.

In March 2000, IFF was looking for a natural ingredients company to expand its range of synthetic products, and LMR's reputation at the time prompted IFF to buy the LMR laboratory and name it IFF-LMR Naturals. This division has retained the LMR quality ethos to this day.

In her later years, Monique pursued other, more cultural activities with the Musée de la Parfumerie in Grasse, before passing away peacefully in her Grasse home.

The Société Française des Parfumeurs pays tribute to him and sends its sincere condolences to his family.