Clive Christian Perfume

The Story Behind the Crown: Who Is Clive Christian?

When you hold a bottle of Clive Christian perfume, you are holding more than a fragrance — you are holding over 150 years of British perfumery history. The story begins in 1872, when entrepreneur William Sparks Thomson founded the Crown Perfumery Company in London. Thomson’s client list included the who’s who of Victorian high society, and his most celebrated customer — Queen Victoria herself — was so impressed by the quality of his creations that she granted the company the royal privilege of placing her crown atop every bottle. That golden crown still adorns each Clive Christian flacon to this day.

In 1999, British interior designer and luxury connoisseur Clive Christian OBE discovered a forgotten perfume bottle from the 1800s beneath the floorboards of his home in Cheshire. That chance encounter ignited a passion. He acquired the Crown Perfumery Company and set out on a single, uncompromising mission: to create the world’s finest perfumes. No shortcuts. No compromises. No equals.

In 2012, Clive Christian was awarded an OBE — Order of the British Empire — for his outstanding contribution to British design and luxury. It was a recognition not just of his craft, but of his vision: that true perfumery is a timeless art form.

Craftsmanship Without Compromise

What sets Clive Christian apart from every other fragrance house on the planet? The answer lies in the extraordinary detail of what goes inside every bottle.

Each Clive Christian perfume contains between 150 and 250 individual ingredients, sourced from the rarest corners of the world. The concentration of fragrance oil starts at a minimum of 20% perfume oil — the hallmark of a true parfum — ensuring unrivalled depth, longevity, and sillage. Where others offer eau de parfum, Clive Christian delivers pure, concentrated luxury.

The raw materials are as extraordinary as the finished compositions. Ingredients like Rose de Mai — one of the rarest flowers in nature — Indian sandalwood, orris root, and hand-harvested jasmine form the foundation of these masterpieces. Every formula is developed by some of the world’s most celebrated noses, including collaborations with master perfumers such as Beverley Bayne, Julien Rasquinet, and Ilias Ermenidis.

The result is perfumes that do not simply smell beautiful — they last. Clive Christian’s daughter Victoria, who serves as Brand Ambassador for the house, shares her father’s belief that the true measure of a great perfume is its longevity on the skin.

Iconic Collections: A Guide to Clive Christian Fragrances

The Original Collection (1999)

The founding collection that launched Clive Christian as a perfume house, the Original Collection celebrates the very essence of British perfumery tradition. Inspired by formulas and ingredients drawn from the Crown Perfumery’s Victorian archives, this collection features three iconic masculine/feminine pairs:

• 1872 — Named for the year Queen Victoria bestowed the royal crown upon the original company. The feminine edition is a luminous floral-citrus with Rose de Mai at its heart; the masculine is an aromatic, herbaceous statement of timeless sophistication.
• X — An homage to the legendary love story of Cleopatra and Marc Antony. The feminine edition weaves Egyptian jasmine into a seductive chypre; the masculine is a boldly spiced, woody elixir that speaks of adventure along the ancient silk road.
• No. 1 — Considered by Clive Christian himself as “the perfume of his heart.” Crafted from the rarest ingredients on earth, No. 1 is an opulent floral oriental for women, and a refined, spiced woody composition for men. Each bottle is presented in a hand-cut crystal flacon inside a hand-crafted walnut burr box.

The Private Collection

A more intimate evolution of the house’s DNA, the Private Collection introduced three legendary single-name fragrances: C (2010), V (2012) — named in honour of Queen Victoria — and L (2014). These are perfumes for those who know exactly who they are: quiet, confident, and effortlessly distinguished.

The Addictive Arts Collection

A daring departure into hedonistic luxury, the Addictive Arts Collection explores the more indulgent, narcotic side of perfumery. Ingredients and inspirations that most houses would never dare touch are here transformed into intoxicating, deeply personal works of olfactory art.

The Noble Collection

From Noble VIII to Noble XXI, the Noble series represents Clive Christian’s ongoing exploration of luxury perfumery’s outer limits. Each chapter introduces rare accords and unprecedented ingredient combinations, pushing the boundaries of what a perfume can be and feel.

The Crown Collection & Anniversary Editions

Paying tribute to the 150-year heritage shared between Clive Christian and the Crown Perfumery, these limited-edition collections are dressed in the signature emerald green of the original Victorian flacons. For collectors and connoisseurs, these are some of the most sought-after releases the house has ever produced.

The World’s Most Expensive Perfume: No. 1 Imperial Majesty

No story of Clive Christian is complete without its most legendary creation: the No. 1 Imperial Majesty.

In 2006, Clive Christian set out to create something truly extraordinary — not just a perfume, but a monument to the art of luxury. Working with the master glass blowers at Baccarat, the world-renowned French crystal house, he designed a 500ml flacon of polished Baccarat crystal, finished with an 18-carat gold collar and a 5-carat white diamond at its centre. Only ten bottles were ever produced. Seven were immediately acquired by private collectors. The remaining three travel the world as part of Clive Christian’s permanent collection.

Recognised by the Guinness World Records as the most expensive perfume on the planet, the No. 1 Imperial Majesty is priced at approximately $215,000 per bottle. The scent itself — a masterpiece of rare spices, precious woods, and extraordinary florals — reportedly takes six months to reach its perfect stage of development.

While the Imperial Majesty is a collector’s artifact, Clive Christian’s No. 1 is available in more accessible — though still exquisitely luxurious — formats. It remains one of the most admired and complimented fragrances in the world of niche perfumery.

Why Clive Christian Perfume Belongs in Every Serious Fragrance Collection

Clive Christian is not a brand for those who choose their perfume off a department store shelf. It is a brand for those who understand that fragrance is among the most intimate expressions of identity — that what we wear on our skin should be held to the same standard as the finest art, the finest wine, the finest tailoring.

Here is what makes Clive Christian irreplaceable:

Royal Heritage. The crown on every bottle is not branding — it is a centuries-old mark of royal approval, granted by Queen Victoria and carried forward to this day.

Unmatched Concentration. With a minimum of 20% perfume oil in every creation, Clive Christian fragrances are true parfums — not diluted interpretations, but full-bodied, lasting works of art.

Rare Ingredients. Only the rarest natural materials from around the world make it into a Clive Christian formula. Every ingredient is chosen for its quality, not its cost.

Uncompromising Bottles. Each flacon is a work of art in its own right — hand-cut crystal, gold detailing, and the iconic crown stopper that connects every bottle to 150 years of British excellence.

Longevity. Clive Christian perfumes do not fade. They evolve on the skin throughout the day, revealing new facets and depth with each passing hour.

Buy Clive Christian Perfumes in Vienna, Austria

At Galop Store, we are proud to bring the world’s most prestigious perfume house to Vienna. Whether you are a long-time devotee of the Original Collection or discovering Clive Christian for the very first time, our team is here to guide you through these extraordinary fragrances.

We offer the full range of Clive Christian perfumes with expert consultation, helping you find the scent that speaks to who you are — and who you aspire to be. Whether you visit us in person in Vienna or shop online, we ensure every Clive Christian purchase is handled with the care and attention this exceptional brand deserves.

Explore all Clive Christian fragrances at Galop Store

Galop Store — Your destination for the world’s finest niche and luxury perfumes in Vienna, Austria.

Clive Christian perfumes are available at Galop Store, Vienna. We ship across Austria and Europe.