AP Exclusive: Guerlain preserves cosmetics history in new ‘warehouse of wonders’

By THOMAS ADAMSON
AP Fashion Writer

PARIS (AP) — The world’s first lipstick. The first modern perfume. The first Nivea cream. These are some of the treasures held in Guerlain’s first archive, which brings stories from the iconic French cosmetic company’s sensational past to life. The “warehouse of wonders” is shrouded in secrecy and hidden from public view by Paris’ Seine River. It’s a gem of documents and mysterious objects spanning three centuries, each with a unique history of its own. Yet what is perhaps most remarkable about the collection is that the company founded in 1828 that invented modern perfumery hadn’t assembled it before. Guerlain’s heritage director Ann Caroline Prazan told The Associated Press that “it’s what we call our little secret.”