DORIN Paris

Steeped in history, and above all mystery, the exact origins of the Maison Dorin have long been the subject of uncertainty. In the second half of the eighteenth century, a Parisian brand called Fards Rouges & Blancs earned a reputation for the outstanding quality of its beauty products.
In 1780, Queen Marie-Antoinette and King Louis XVI appointed the Maison as a Supplier to the Royal Court of Versailles, in recognition of the quality of its powders, makeup and perfumes.
The Maison would go on to supply the Court of Versailles all the way up until the French Revolution, which marked the end of the road for the country’s monarchy. Yet La Montansier was not to be deterred by what was a delicate period for Versailles and the wider nobility. The brand continued on its upward trajectory, and in doing so served to mirror the career of its owner, who would go on to manage a number of different establishments including the Théâtre des Beaujolais, the Théâtre du Palais Royal and the Théâtre des Variétés.
To further develop her business, Marguerite Montansier went into partnership with Jean-Marie Dorin, who would go on to acquire the Maison and rename it after himself in 1819. Blessed with a tireless work ethic and an unquenchable thirst for research, Dorin embraced La Montansier’s penchant for innovation and devoted himself to the manufacture of makeup products that were easy to use and risk-free.
In 1884, the then-mayor of the first arrondissement of Paris, Hector Monin, became Dorin’s new director. He instilled the Maison with a more European – and even global – vision and dimension, going as far as to export its products to destinations throughout the American continent. The company set up shop in a room at 27 Rue Grenier-Saint-Lazare before spilling over into the rest of the building and eventually taking over the neighbouring property at number 25, too.
Already boasting a signature rice powder – Un Air de Paris Montansier – that had quickly become the capital’s must-have makeup product, Dorin launched an eponymous perfume that would quickly earn legendary status of its own. A unique scent created by an exquisite blend of iris, mandarin and white peach, with a powdery note, it would soon become the Maison’s most iconic fragrance.
Dorin has a long history in serving the theatre industry and its actors. And with good reason! Louis-Arsène Delaunay, an acclaimed actor for the Comédie Française and lecturer at the Conservatoire de Paris college of arts, gave Dorin the permission to use his name on the products that had served him so well down the years. Those renamed products would carry the slogan: “Artists, help yourself to Dorin’s French makeup.”
The jury at the 1889 World Fair in Paris had the following to say about Dorin: “This Maison owes its reputation to the superiority of its products, which cause absolutely no harm.” The Maison, equipped with the latest technology, was one of the first in its industry to offer innovative products that posed no risk to the health of their users.
A rice powder named La Dorine was born, marking a revolution in the global history of makeup. For practical reasons associated with Dorin’s increasingly mobile clientele, the Maison innovated once more, producing compact powder cases that would contribute to La Dorine’s success all around the world.
A rice powder named La Dorine was born, marking a revolution in the global history of makeup. For practical reasons associated with Dorin’s increasingly mobile clientele, the Maison innovated once more, producing compact powder cases that would contribute to La Dorine’s success all around the world.
A rice powder named La Dorine was born, marking a revolution in the global history of makeup. For practical reasons associated with Dorin’s increasingly mobile clientele, the Maison innovated once more, producing compact powder cases that would contribute to La Dorine’s success all around the world.