laurice rahme

Laurice Rahmé was born and educated in Paris, France. She commenced her professional career as an antiques dealer in Paris, opening her own establishment in Les Halles, situated at the intersection of Rue Saint-Denis and Rue de la Cossonnerie. In 1973, Rahmé transitioned into the beauty industry, joining Lancôme as International Training Director. In this role, she successfully tripled the company’s skincare business within the Middle East region. In 1976, she relocated to New York to assume the position of Director of the Lancôme Institut de Beauté at L’Oréal USA’s (then Cosmair, Inc.) headquarters.

Following her tenure at Lancôme, Rahmé was instrumental in introducing French perfume companies to the American market. From 1989 to 1995, she was responsible for introducing Annick Goutal to the US. Subsequently, in 1995, Ms. Rahmé became the US distributor for Creed fragrances. This period of experience in expanding luxury fragrance brands in the American market provided a foundation for her entrepreneurial endeavors. In 2003, Laurice Rahmé founded her own fragrance company, Bond No. 9, making history as the first woman in New York to head a perfumery.

Under Rahmé’s leadership, Bond No. 9 became recognized for its unique concept of creating fragrances that pay homage to individual New York City neighborhoods. She oversaw the entire product development process, from concept and fragrance creation to bottle and boutique designs. In 2011, she launched the “I LOVE NY” by Bond No. 9 collection, a collaboration with the State of New York featuring designs by Milton Glaser. A significant achievement in 2015 was when her civic-minded perfume, “The Scent of Peace,” earned her the United Nations Women for Peace Award. In 2023, Bond No. 9 celebrated its 20th anniversary with the launch of “New York Forever.” Rahmé continues to operate the company, overseeing its growth and product diversification, including the launch of refillable lipsticks.