History

Some info from wikipedia:

Lentheric is an old company which was established in 1795 as a millinery. In the 19th century, fashion accessories were added to the store. From 1873, perfumes were being informally blended in the store for sale. Guillaume Louis Lentheric, a hairdresser, established the perfume-cosmetics company La Parfumerie des Orchidees in 1885.

Guillaume Lentheric exclusively distilled and dispensed the rarest perfumes in France for the loveliest ladies of the courts and aristocracy in Europe.

He was one of the first to venture into foreign fields and eventually his firm passed into English hands. A large building at 245 rue du Faubourg-Saint Honore in Paris was acquired in 1885 and turned into a salon for millinery, perfumes, cosmetics and important beauty-hairdressing. Lentheric was made a Chevalier de la Legion d'honneur in gratitude for his contributions to one of France's greatest industries.

By 1900, branches were opened in Deauville, Monte Carlo, Nice, Biarritz, Ostend, Baden-Baden, and London. In 1910, the company was acquired by Velsch & Holtz.

Guillaume Lentheric died in 1912.

Lentheric began marketing perfumes in the United States in the 1920s, opening a very lavish salon at the Savoy Plaza in New York. Their distributor was John J. Murphy.

The firm incorporated in 1924. Lenthéric became a subsidiary of Squibb, and was 90% controlled by the parent company in January 1942.

In 1947 Lenthéric, Inc., experienced a decline in earnings due to higher wages, advertising expenses, and vast returns of merchandise from retail stores, which trimmed inventories. In 1951 the company hoped to increase sales by introducing a new line of makeup called Sheer Beauty. It sold for less than $5. The firm also reduced the price of Debo deodorant from $1.35 to $1.00. This was accomplished by making the product in a plastic squeeze bottle rather than a glass bottle with atomizer.

Squibb had manufacturing plants in Brooklyn, New York and New Brunswick, New Jersey in July 1952. It controlled the Squibb Building at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street in New York City. Squibb was acquired by the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation in the late summer of 1952. Helene Curtis Industries, Inc., of Chicago, Illinois acquired the Lentheric, Inc., division of the Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation in October 1956.

In 1990, Old Bond Street, 88.5% owned by Wasserstein Perella & Co., purchased Lenthéric and Yardley from SmithKline Beecham. In 1998, Old Bond Street collapsed and Lenthéric was sold to Shaneel Enterprises Ltd.

La Grande revue, Paris et Saint-Petersbourg, 1889 :

"Paris est en ce moment un vaste atelier de peinture. Paris fait sa toilette pour recevoir les nombreux visiteurs de l'Exposition; on ne peut faire un pas sans tomber sur une échelle ou un pot à couleur. Je savais que M. Lenthéric, l'artiste accompli, ne resterait pas en arrière pour offrir à ses élégantes clientes des salons dignes d'elles.
Je me suis rendue aujourd'hui rue Saint Honoré, 245, et comme je le prévoyais, j'y ai trouvé tout bouleversé. M. Lenthéric a doublé ses salons et rien n'y est épargné, ni le luxe, ni le confort. Outre les salons de vente et de coiffure, M. Lenthéric fait aménager deux salons de shampooing, avec tous les accessoires que comporte cette délicate opération.
D'ici peu de jours tout sera prêt, et je ne saurais trop engager mes lectrices à visiter cet établissement, certainement le plus comme il faut et le plus élégant de Paris.
M. Lenthéric qui n'a jusqu'ici offert a ses clientes que la coiffure, c'est-à-dire les postiches, vient d'y joindre une spécialité de parfumerie. Toujours consciencieux et désireux de ne présenter à nos élégantes que des produits parfaitement hygiéniques, cet artiste n'a voulu dans ses magasins, aucune eau, aucune pommade, aucun savon, dont il n'ait étudié la composition parfaite, au point de vue de l'usage journalier et de la conservation de la beauté. Pour arriver sûrement à ce résultat, il s'est adjoint de savants chimistes, et les produits vendus chez lui sont le résultat d'études et d'expériences longues et sérieuses.
Aussi ne saurais-je trop recommander sa Rosée Orkilia; c'est une composition claire comme de l'eau de roche, qui a la propriété de donner au tissu la souplesse, la fraîcheur, et au teint l'éclat, de la jeunesse c'est l'eau de Jouvence, par excellence.
Combien son emploi est préférable à toutes les crèmes qui fanent et rident la peau, La Rosée Orkilia s'emploie en lotion après s'être lavé; puis un nuage de poudre Orkidée, et vous pouvez, madame, braver les rigueurs du froid en hiver, ou les ardeurs du soleil en été, voire même les brises de mer qui halent si vite le teint.  Ces nouveaux produits, ainsi que le savon Orkidée, sont les meilleurs, les plus hygiéniques gardiens de la beauté.
L'emploi, de bons cosmétiques, est bien plus important qu'on ne le croit généralement, pour éviter les rides, la couperose et toutes les taches qui souillent le teint, font d'une jolie femme un horrible palette.
M. Lenthéric, dans son désir de bien faire, a été jusqu'à consulter la Faculté et il s'est inspiré des conseils, je puis dire intéressés, de docteurs maris de ses clientes: or, ces messieurs avaient tout intérêt à vouloir conserver la fraîcheur et la beauté de leurs femmes.
J'ai questionné aussi M. Lenthéric sur la mode des coiffures. N'est-ce pas lui qui crée les modèles, et n'est-ce pas lui qui décrète la forme du chapeau que confectionnera la modiste? Eh bien! Malgré les petites assiettes qu'on nous plante sur la téte, le nœud élevé sur le sommet continue a régner en maître, il est impossible de le détrôner, il se modifie un peu, mais si peu et il s'accompagne d'un huit en torsade descendant sur la nuque et maintenu de manière à suivre le contour de la téte en lui laissant toute sa grâce.
 Cette coiffure, en somme fort simple, est rehaussée par de jolies épingles de toutes formes, par de gracieux peignes d'écaille, dont on trouve un choix complet chez. M. Lenthéric.
Mais ce qui domine, c'est l'or mêlé à profusion dans ces mille riens, qui sont cependant le cachet de la femme élégante.
M. Lenthéric est toujours à la disposition de ses clientes, soit pour des conseils d'hygiène, soit pour les guider dans le choix de la coiffure qui sied le mieux a leur âge, a leur visage, et loin de les engager à abuser du postiche, il enseigne à toutes l'art de se coiffure avec ses propres cheveux. Quand je vous dis que c'est un véritable artiste, amoureux de son art." 

La Grande revue, Paris et Saint-Petersbourg, 1889:

"Paris is currently a large paint shop. Paris grooms to receive many visitors to the exhibition; can not take a step without bumping into a ladder or color pot . I knew that Mr. Lentheric, accomplished artist, do not stay behind to offer its clients elegant lounges worthy of them. 

I went today to 245 rue Saint Honoré,  and as I predicted, I found all upset. Mr. Lentheric doubled the size of his showroom and nothing is spared, neither luxury nor comfort. In addition to the showroom and sales salon, Mr. Lentheric had installed two  shampoo salons complete with all the accessories involved in this delicate operation.  

Not until a few more days will everything be ready, and I can not too strongly urge my readers to visit this establishment, certainly the most proper and most elegant in Paris.  

Mr. Lentheric which has so far has only offered his customers the salon, that is to say, hairpieces, just recently attached a specialty perfumery there. Always conscientious and willing to do, to present his elegant and perfectly hygienic products, this artist has not wanted in his stores, no water, no cream, no soap, of which he has not studied the perfect composition, in terms of everyday use and conservation of beauty. To arrive at this result, surely he enlisted scientists chemists, and the products sold at home, are the result of studies and long and serious experience.  

I also do not recommend enough the Dew Orkilia; it is a clear composition, water as clear as rock crystal, that has the ability to give the tissues flexibility, freshness and radiance to the complexion, youth is the elixir of youth, par excellence. 

How his job is better than all the creams that fade and wrinkle the skin, Dew Orkilia works like a lotion after washing; then a cloud of powder orkidee, and you can, ma'am, brave the harsh winter cold, or the heat of the sun in summer, and even sea breezes that ruin so fast a complexion. These new products, as well as soap orkidee are the best, the most hygienic custodians of beauty.  

The use of good cosmetics, is far more important than is generally believed, to avoid wrinkles, rosacea and any stains that mark the skin, and make a pretty woman a horrible palette.  

Mr. Lentheric in his desire to do, was to refer to the Faculty, and he with this inspired advice, I can tell interested husbands, doctors of his clients: yet these gentlemen had any interest in wanting to keep the freshness and beauty of their women.  

I also asked Mr. Lentheric about his fashionable hairstyles. Is it not he who created the models, and is it not he who decreed the shape of the hat that will make up the milliner? Well! Despite the small plates that we plant on the head, the highest node on the summit continues to reign supreme, it is impossible to dethrone him, it changes a little, but so little and it is accompanied by eight twists down on the neck and maintained so as to follow the contour of the head, leaving him all her grace.  

  This hairstyle, in simple fact, is enhanced by pretty pins of all shapes, graceful tortoiseshell combs, which are found in a full choice at Mr. Lentheric's shop. 
But what dominates, is mixed gold aplenty, in those thousands of nothings which however, are the hallmark of the elegant woman. 

Mr. Lentheric is always available to his clients, whether for health advice, or to guide them in choosing the hairstyle that suits best to their age, to their face, and away from the commitment to abuse hairpieces, he taught at all, the art of hairdressing with his own hair. When I tell you that this is a true artist in love with his art."

Bridal hairstyle by M. Lentheric c1887

La Nouvelle Revue, Volume 57, 1889:

"J'en citerais maints exemples: mais tout spécialement une maison. 1 vraiment unique en son genre, dans laquelle on trouve tout ce qui a rapport à l'élégance raffinée de la femme. Son succès, toujours grandissant, oblige en ce moment M. Lenthéric à doubler l'importance de ses magasins. J'ai donc cru être agréable à mes lectrices en complétant de la sorte le choix des adresses que leur donne la Nouvelle Revue. Elles trouveront, rue Saint Honoré, outre un accueil d'une parfaite urbanité, tout ce qui concerne le soin et la conservation de la chevelure; du visage que, sans être coquette, on doit avoir à cœur de ne pas trop laisser vieillir; des mains auxquelles il est si aisé de reconnaître une véritable femme du monde; puis toute la parfumerie fine, tous les fards, ceux de théâtre comme ceux de la ville, car il est bon de savoir que ce qui s'emploie le soir, sous les feux de la rampe, n'est pas de même composition que ce qui est appelé à résister à l'action de l'air et du soleil. Le postiche est, là d'une perfection inouïe, d'un art véritable, de même que le travesti qu'on trouve rarement aussi soigné que chez M. Lenthéric. On y fait également bien la coiffure simple de ville et celle plus compliquée de soirée; en passant, je dirai qu'on est décidément aux coiffures demi longues, peu élevées sur le sommet de la tète et très agrémentées de bouclettes ou de légères frisures. Il ya chez M. Lenthéric un salon spécial pour la teinture et un autre pour les leçons de coiffure. Enfin, les peignes, les épingles. toutes les fantaisies en écaille ou en bijouterie appelées à orner la chevelure, de même que les fleurs, les plumes et les éventails ont un comptoir spécial et des plus complets comme choix et comme élégance." 

La Nouvelle Revue, Volume 57, 1889:

"I cite many examples: but especially a house. One truly unique, in which we find all that relates to the refined elegance of women. Its success, still growing, now requires Mr. Lentheric to double the size of his stores. So I thought to please my readers by completing this way, the selection of addresses assigned to them by the New Journal. They will find, rue Saint Honoré, besides a host of perfect urbanity, everything about the care and conservation of the hair; face, without being flirtatious, we must have at heart not to let too old; hands which it is so easy to recognize a true woman of the world; then all the fine fragrances, cosmetics all those theater like the city, because it's good to know that what works in the evening, under the spotlight, is not the same composition as that who is called to resist the action of the air and sun. The hairpiece is, is an incredible perfection of an art, as well as the transvestite found rarely as neat as M. Lentheric. It is also well simple city hairstyle and the most complicated of the evening; By the way, I would say that is definitely the half long hairstyles, low on top of the head and adorned with very slight curls or ringlets. There is at Lentheric, a special lounge for dyeing and another for hairdressing lessons. Finally, combs, hairpins, every whimsy or tortoiseshell jewelry called to adorn the hair, as well as flowers, feathers and fans have a special counter and most complete choice and as such elegance."

Soap, Cosmetics, Chemical Specialties - Volume 32, 1956:

"Lentheric, over 70 years old. was introduced into the United Stales by E. R. Squibb & Sons, Brooklyn, N. Y., which was purchased by Clin Mathieson in 1952."

 Financial Survey of Selected Companies, Volume 2, 1966:

"In July 1965, the Lentheric Division, including trademark rights, was sold for $3, 000, 000. This division which was bought in 1956.."

 

Eve's Glossary, 1897:

"A charming way of perfuming apartments is to procure what the French call batons aromatiques, - a recent invention of Lentheric, the great Parisian par and chemist. These flexible sticks are not unlike a piece of yellow whalebone twisted into a true lover's knot. You light one end of it and as it slowly smolders away, a delightful penetrating scent of vanilla floats through the air. Vanilla is one of those perfumes which are enjoyed by almost everybody."

Drug Markets, 1928:

"Lentheric, Inc., has been formed in this country to market the line of perfumes and toilet goods manufactured by Lentheric, S. A., of Paris, one of the oldest perfume houses of France, being founded by Guillaume Lentheric in Paris in 1852."

 Lentheric, Morny, Germaine Monteil, Scandia and ... in Eric Morgan . . . satisfying customers "exotic-type perfumes" (one of its brand names is Jungle Gardenia). Yardley ..