Crème Simon

Crème Simon is a French heritage skincare brand established in 1860 by Joseph Simon, a pharmacist who operated an apothecary near the Rhône River. The brand’s origin story is closely connected with the women who washed clothes along the riverbanks. Their hands were regularly exposed to cold water, sunlight, wind, abrupt temperature changes and irritating soaps, conditions that could contribute to dryness, eczema-like irritation and psoriasis. Simon developed a multipurpose preparation intended to soothe and protect affected skin. The resulting product became associated with glycerine, a plant-derived moisturising ingredient, and was promoted for use on the face, hands and body as well as for minor abrasions, insect bites, rashes and other everyday irritations. The brand’s importance lies not only in the popularity of its cream but also in the way it helped move personal skincare away from small-batch pharmacy ointments and unstable cold creams toward more hygienic, stable and commercially distributed preparations. Nineteenth-century cold creams were often greasy, difficult to preserve and dependent on pharmacists for production. Crème Simon presented a more convenient alternative based on plant and flower extracts and was marketed simply as a cream, a category that became increasingly central to modern cosmetology during the twentieth century. By the early twentieth century, Crème Simon had become one of the better-known French skincare names. Its products were distributed through pharmacies, perfumeries and hair salons, reaching markets outside France. Historical references describe sales or distribution extending from France to the United States, London, Istanbul, Russia and China. Around the turn of the century, the business maintained an address in Paris at 59 St Martin, Faubourg, in addition to addresses connected with its Lyon origins, including 66 Rue de l'Université. Advertising positioned it as a leading French preparation at a time when French cosmetics and toiletries were increasingly associated with quality and sophistication. Crème Simon also developed an unusually strong relationship with visual culture. From the 1920s onward, it commissioned illustrations from prominent commercial artists, including Emilio Vilà, Chéri Herouard, Léon Benigni, Charles Martin and Jean-Gabriel Domergue. Advertising in the 1930s and 1940s continued to use artists such as William Pera, René Vincent, Henri Sjoberg, Jean Adrien Mercier, Bret Koch Ray, Libis and Montebello. In the 1950s, the brand adopted more modern and semi-surrealist imagery, including work associated with Philippe Noyer, while also using photographs by Lucien Lorelle and Sam Levin. The brand’s promotional history included celebrity endorsements and film advertising. Opera singer Adelina Patti was quoted in a 1902 newspaper endorsement, while Pauline Po, Geneviève Félix and later film performers were associated with the brand’s publicity. During the 1950s and 1960s, advertising increasingly drew on the visibility of French cinema personalities, including Dominique Wilms, Christine Carère and Irène Tunc. Crème Simon also commissioned animated commercials from Alexandre Alexeieff and his wife, including films made in 1935 and 1936. Its cultural visibility extended into the later period through an appearance in the French film Paris 36, set in the 1920s. Although historical sources document substantial international recognition and a major position before the Second World War, reliable current information about ownership, headquarters, product availability and operating status is not established here.

Crème Simon emerged from the nineteenth-century French pharmacy tradition. In 1860, pharmacist Joseph Simon established an apothecary near the Rhône River. His contact with women who washed clothing at the riverbanks reportedly led him to investigate recurring hand irritation caused by cold water, weather exposure and household soaps. He formulated a multipurpose cream intended to moisturise and protect damaged skin. The preparation became associated with glycerine and botanical ingredients and was promoted for a broad range of everyday skin complaints, including dryness, chapping, rashes, minor abrasions and insect bites. The product was significant in the context of nineteenth-century skincare. Many earlier cold creams and salves were greasy, unstable or difficult to preserve, and were generally compounded in small quantities by pharmacists. Crème Simon was presented as a more stable and hygienic preparation that could be manufactured and distributed commercially. Its use of plant and flower extracts, together with its multipurpose claims, helped it occupy a position between pharmacy treatment and personal cosmetics. The brand’s naming and marketing also contributed to the wider twentieth-century understanding of the cream as a standard category of cosmetic preparation. Crème Simon expanded beyond its Lyon origins during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Historical accounts place the business at a Paris address around the turn of the century while retaining connections to Lyon. Its products were sold through pharmacies, perfumeries and hair salons. Distribution reached the United States, London, Istanbul, Russia and China, making Crème Simon an early example of a French skincare name with international circulation. At its height before the Second World War, it was described as one of the largest French skincare brands and a familiar household name in Europe and the United States. Advertising became a major part of the brand’s identity. From the 1920s, Crème Simon commissioned artists including Emilio Vilà and Chéri Herouard, followed by illustrators such as Léon Benigni, Charles Martin and Jean-Gabriel Domergue. During the 1930s and 1940s, its publicity drew on the work of William Pera, René Vincent, Henri Sjoberg, Jean Adrien Mercier, Bret Koch Ray, Libis and Montebello. In the 1950s, Philippe Noyer contributed more modern imagery, while photographers Lucien Lorelle and Sam Levin supplied photographic campaigns. This sustained involvement with professional artists made the brand part of the history of French commercial illustration and beauty advertising. The company also experimented with moving-image promotion. Alexandre Alexeieff and his wife, associated with the pinscreen animation technique, created three commercial animations for Crème Simon: The Two Armies in 1935, Game of Cards in 1936 and The Birth of Venus. Celebrity endorsement was another recurring device. Opera singer Adelina Patti was quoted in a 1902 advertisement, and later publicity associated the brand with Pauline Po, Geneviève Félix and a succession of film performers. In the postwar era, figures including Dominique Wilms, Christine Carère and Irène Tunc appeared in the brand’s promotional orbit. Brigitte Bardot was also reported to have mentioned or credited Crème Simon in an autobiographical publication. The brand’s historical cultural footprint continued through its inclusion in Paris 36, a French film set in the 1920s. Available reference material establishes Crème Simon’s origins, international historical reach and advertising heritage, but does not reliably document its current owner, corporate structure, headquarters, website, product range or active trading status. Those elements therefore remain unconfirmed.

• 2008

  Reference in Paris 36

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Crème Simon appears in the French period musical film Paris 36.

• 1950

  Photographic and celebrity-led campaigns

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Crème Simon increases its use of photography, contemporary illustration and cinema personalities in beauty advertising.

• 1936

  Further animated advertising

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Game of Cards and The Birth of Venus are identified among the animated commercial works made for the brand.

• 1935

  First Alexeieff commercial animation

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  The Two Armies, an animated commercial associated with Alexandre Alexeieff and his wife, is produced for Crème Simon.

• 1920

  Expansion of art-led advertising

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Crème Simon begins commissioning recognised illustrators for promotional material, strengthening its association with French commercial art.

• 1902

  Adelina Patti endorsement

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Opera singer Adelina Patti is quoted in a published endorsement describing the cream as useful for reviving the complexion and reducing roughness.

• 1860

  Foundation by Joseph Simon

  [1]Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org

  Pharmacist Joseph Simon establishes the business near the Rhône River and develops the preparation that becomes Crème Simon.

Historically positioned as a French pharmacy-derived skincare brand combining practical skin protection with cosmetic use. Its communications emphasized moisturising relief for dry and irritated skin, while later advertising presented the product as an internationally recognised French beauty preparation supported by artists, photographers, celebrities and cinema.

• Skincare cream · 1860

  Crème Simon multipurpose cream

  The brand’s foundational preparation was developed as a versatile cream for dry, chapped and irritated skin. Historical descriptions associate it with glycerine and natural plant or flower extracts. It was marketed for the face, hands and body and was also promoted for minor abrasions, insect bites, rashes and other everyday skin irritations. Its combination of pharmacy origins, moisturising claims and broad household use helped distinguish it from more narrowly defined medicinal salves or highly greasy nineteenth-century cold creams.

• 1950Postwar photography and cinema-celebrity advertising

  France · Europe

  During the 1950s, Crème Simon used work by photographers including Lucien Lorelle and Sam Levin alongside endorsements or appearances associated with French film performers.

  Outcome. The brand’s image shifted toward modern photographic beauty communication while retaining its established French heritage.

  Source
• 1935Alexeieff animated commercials

  France

  Crème Simon commissioned animated advertising from Alexandre Alexeieff and his wife, including The Two Armies, Game of Cards and The Birth of Venus.

  Outcome. The campaign placed the brand among early advertisers to use experimental animation and helped preserve its connection with French film and visual-art history.

  Source
• 1920Illustrated artist commissions

  France · Europe · United States

  The brand commissioned artists including Emilio Vilà, Chéri Herouard, Léon Benigni, Charles Martin and Jean-Gabriel Domergue for advertising imagery.

  Outcome. Crème Simon became associated with the development of sophisticated French beauty advertising and commercial illustration.

  Source
• 1902Adelina Patti press endorsement

  United Kingdom

  Crème Simon used a published testimonial attributed to opera singer Adelina Patti, linking the product with complexion care and the restoration of skin smoothness.

  Outcome. The endorsement illustrates the brand’s early use of prominent cultural figures in print advertising.

  Source

• 1920

  Adoption of an art-led advertising strategyStrategy

  Background

  As the brand expanded internationally, it competed in a beauty market where packaging, illustration and visual distinction were important commercial tools.

  Action taken

  Crème Simon commissioned recognised illustrators and later photographers to create distinctive advertising campaigns.

  Aftermath

  The strategy gave the brand a documented place in French commercial-art and cosmetics-advertising history.

  Source

• 1860

  Launch of a glycerine-associated multipurpose creamProduct launch

  Background

  Joseph Simon sought a practical remedy for hand irritation experienced by women exposed to river water, weather and household soaps.

  Action taken

  He formulated and commercialised a plant-based skincare preparation associated with glycerine and intended for use on the face, hands and body.

  Aftermath

  The preparation became the foundation of a long-running French skincare brand and contributed to the wider commercialisation of modern cream products.

  Source

1. 1Crème Simonen.wikipedia.org