First created by Jacques Guerlain in 1912, Guerlain L’Heure Bleue was inspired by the evening light over the Seine as he crossed Paris’s Pont-Neuf. Composed for his wife, Andrée, the fragrance used contrast to evoke the brief interval between fading daylight and nightfall. For its 2026 interpretation, Guerlain’s Director of Perfume Creation, Delphine Jelk, returned to that inspiration with a focus on the iris rhizome. Over three years, she developed an exclusive tincture from dried Italian iris rhizomes, the underground stems where the flower’s scent is concentrated.

L’Heure Bleue, courtesy of Guerlain

The connection carried through into the campaign film, shot at the Pont-Neuf and starring Abby Champion. Directed by Camille Summers-Valli, the film blended live action with illustration, set to a new version of Murray Head’s “Say It Ain’t So, Joe,” reorchestrated by Sebastian, a major figure in the world of contemporary electro.

At Guerlain’s Orphin site, Jelk and the manufacturing team refined the tincture’s preparation, timing, and concentration through maceration, resting dried rhizomes in alcohol to extract their scent. The technique, also used for Guerlain’s Madagascan vanilla, gave iris a fresher, less traditionally powdery quality.

“We wanted to emphasize the extremely rare know-how that Guerlain possesses: the ability to develop its own raw materials by reinventing the tincture based on iris, an iconic flower for the house,” said Jelk. For this version of the fragrance, iris takes on a fresher, cleaner character, framed by pear, neroli, and jasmine, with a warm base of vanilla, ambroxan, and musk.

L’Heure Bleue, courtesy of Guerlain

The Guerlain L’Heure Bleue bottle retains the inverted-heart design created by Georges Chevalier for Baccarat in 1912. The silhouette takes its name from the hollow stopper, whose curves echo the shoulders of the glass. Designed to be refilled rather than replaced, the bottle is finished in blue lacquer that deepens toward the base, complemented by gold lettering, a textured collar, and beveled edges.

The design extends into makeup through three limited-edition Rouge G lipstick cases, each translating the same palette into a different material. Bleu Iconique renders the collection’s gradient blues in enamel, Bleu Rêverie pairs printed fabric with gold detailing, and Bleu Astral covers the case in a gradient of blue rhinestones.

L’Heure Bleue Eau de Parfum is now available to shop.

L’Heure Bleue, courtesy of Guerlain