It’s been three years since Atelier Cologne disappeared from most markets. At first, I thought they had only withdrawn from the US and Canada, but it seems that, aside from old stock at various discounters, their presence is now limited to online sales in Europe and about ten brick-and-mortar stores in Asia. So while some of us still have bottles to enjoy, for many perfumistas, it’s become just another name in perfume history – and for the next generation of perfume enthusiasts, it probably won’t even be that. Atelier Cologne’s fresh yet long-lasting citrus compositions were fun, but they weren’t groundbreaking, aside from introducing eau de parfum concentrations while still calling them colognes (or cologne absolue).
Saturday Question #256:
Do You Miss Atelier Cologne?
Were you a fan of the brand while it was around? Do you have any of their perfumes in your collection? Will you miss any of them when they are gone completely?
My Answer
Atelier Cologne was one of my favorite brands. I can’t believe that I published my Brand Appreciation post about them almost 10 years ago! I still have some perfumes left, and I’m not sure I’ll use them up before they spoil. The only perfume that I will actually miss when I don’t have it any more is my most favorite perfume from the brand – Clementine California. Not only I enjoy how it smells on my skin, but also because of the “photo shoot” for that post, it reminds me of Rusty (he had such an angelic look on those photos!). Now I need to negotiate with myself that I do not need a backup bottle. Or do I?
Still, I’m sad about the brand’s fate. I still don’t understand why large companies do what they do buying good brands and destroying them. There were some talks about Atelier Cologne coming back “rebranded” – whatever it means and for whatever reason the parent company thinks it might be better/easier to do that than keeping the brand present on the market without a 3-year hiatus. If it happens, I will try them. I saw that Atelier Cologne released this year Mandarine Fauve, a fruity chypre with the notes citrus, green mandarin, fir and patchouli. Notes sound like something that I might like, but so far I liked just a single creation of Maurice Roucel, who is a nose behind this composition. But I will try it if I ever get a chance.
How about you?
Undina's Looking Glass 
I had the chance to sample nearly half of what Atelier Cologne had to offer up until they vanished from the U.S. marketplace. I posted an announcement of the brand closing operations in the U.S. and Canada in early 2022 myself. There was mentions of Atelier Cologne coming back with a “completely new line.” It’s funny that there is still talk of such a strategy today. I enjoyed many of their offerings, and owned three, and sold one many years back. Now I’m kicking myself for selling it, Orange Sanguine. I still have my two favorites though, Grand Néroli and Trèfle Pur. Out of these two, Trèfle Pur is the one I will miss the most when it’s gone.
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I think I tried most of their creations before they left the U.S. I could easily think of a dozen I wouldn’t mind wearing myself or smelling on my vSO. And without thinking much, I could name a dozen of brands i would have rather seen gone instead of AC.
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Yes, I still miss Atelier Cologne. Every time I see Atelier Cologne anywhere my heart skips a beat and then suffer a skipped beat when there’s no news of it coming back to the U.S.
I went to the Atelier Cologne boutique before a dinner with a friend and it may have been the first time I bought 3 (+3 free) perfumes in one quick sniff session. This was going to way back in 2011 or 2012.
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Good times! :)
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Clementine California was my favorite of theirs, too, although I never bought a bottle. Even though I didn’t own any bottles, I always appreciated their visual display of colors and the personalized leather covers. It’s too bad that their presence has shrunk so much.
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Your hobby started later than their prime time, so I’m not surprised you weren’t enticed to “commit.”
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I have never owned a bottle but do still have the samples from the fabulous sample set. The set that came with an illustrated postcard & a sample in a labelled envelope. I’m sure the cards are somewhere, probably in DH’s postcard collection.
I did a single spritz of most of them but cannot remember any of them standing out.
I can see why the brand had to downsize.
The range was enormous!
The presentations were obviously expensive to produce.
The sample set was exquisite but sold very cheaply.
The cost of global supply lines must have been costly.
The line was fairly reasonably price.
The style was the opposite of the Beastmode Ouds & Gourmands that were (are) fashionable.
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I enjoyed their presentation. I also had a set with postcards. I’m sure I still have them somewhere.
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Don’t miss Atelier. I thought the fragrances were well done, but none of them resonated with me.
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Well, in this hobby we have enough reasons for regrets. So, it’s good not to have this one.
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I have some bottles still. Orange Sanguine is still one of my favourite citruses. The one that got away from me was Café Tuberosa. I had a decant but dithered too long and it was no longer included in the line. Then they all disappeared. But I’ve recently spotted them in a bottle redesign. There are a few new additions and some of the old stock hasn’t made a reappearance.
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My biggest memory of the brand…many years ago I attended my one and only Sniffapalooza in NYC. It must have been around 2009 or so. Two of the youngish creators of the brand were there introducing it, and this was when new brands were more of a novelty. I liked all their initial offerings, but towards the end, I didn’t care for what they were doing. I felt like novelty was overtaking likable scents. So no, I don’t really miss them. I did buy a couple, but the only one I can think of at the moment is the rose/patchouli one.
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I definitely miss this brand. They disappeared from South Africa a few years ago. They brought something different and memorable to the fragrance scene.
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Hey Undina,
We have still been seeing Atelier Cologne in airports. they even have their own stands. Jin fell hard for their Bohemian Orange Blossom and I’m waiting for it to hit the discounters to grab him one.
Sad to read that they’ve left the USA. It’s such a lovely brand.
There are a few here. Trefle Pur, Bois Blond, a patchouli one, Cedre Atlas, Cafe Tuberose, Rose Anonyme, Iris Rebelle, Encens JinHae, Tobacco Nuit, Bergamot Soleil, and I have Ollong Infini on the wish list.
Some are decants or travel sizes, some 30ml, 100ml and 200ml.
GOSH! It looks like a lot when I write it all down.
Maybe I REALLY like them.
Portia xx
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I do miss them. They have discontinued some of their beautiful classics. My favourite was Jasmin Angelique and it’s gone. Also Rendez-Vous which was discontinued long ago. They have redesigned the bottles and added some new perfumes to the collection. I’ve bought Bohemian Orange Blossom because my Mother loves orange flower perfumes but I’m not familiar with the recent releases. I’m not really tempted to try them.
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I wouldn’t say I miss them, but I did love their orange-scented perfumes, including Orange Sanguine. I did get them muddled with L’Artisan Parfumeur though, so perhaps it is for the best!
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