Ricqlès

Ricqlès is a French brand built around peppermint and the sensory idea of freshness. Its origins date to 1838, when Heyman de Ricqlès, a silk merchant from Lyon with an interest in botany, developed a method for distilling peppermint leaves and extracting their essential oil. He combined the oil with alcohol and purified water to create a concentrated peppermint preparation that became known as the Ricqlès peppermint cure. Initially prepared for family use, it was valued for its cooling and refreshing character and was also associated with traditional household uses for digestive discomfort, nausea, headaches, breath freshening, and antiseptic purposes. The preparation gradually moved from domestic use into commercial distribution through pharmacies in Lyon, where it was sold in small sealed glass bottles. The brand's early development was supported by successive patent filings in 1844 and 1849 and by registration of the Ricqlès trademark in 1857. These steps helped turn a local peppermint preparation into a structured commercial identity at a time when pharmaceutical and hygienic products were increasingly marketed under recognizable names. During the second half of the nineteenth century, production and distribution expanded beyond Lyon. The company established major production facilities in Saint-Ouen, in the Paris region, toward the end of the century. This location supported increased manufacturing capacity and helped Ricqlès reach customers throughout France and abroad. The brand therefore developed at the intersection of traditional pharmacy, botanical extraction, confectionery, and everyday personal-refreshment products. In the early twentieth century, Ricqlès invested in visual advertising and used illustrated commercial art to make peppermint and freshness more immediately recognizable. Artists associated with the brand included Leonetto Cappiello, O'Galop, and Adrien Barrère. Their posters and other promotional materials contributed to a distinctive public image, linking the brand with energetic mint, cleanliness, and relief. The slogan introduced during the 1930s, “la menthe forte qui réconforte,” reinforced this positioning by presenting strong mint as both invigorating and comforting. Ricqlès also used public events and partnerships to broaden its visibility. The brand was associated with sporting activities and participated several times in the Tour de France during the 1950s. After the Second World War, the company modernized its facilities and adapted its assortment to changing consumption patterns. From the 1950s and 1960s, the portfolio expanded beyond the original liquid preparation to include mint lozenges and refreshing sprays. Across its history, Ricqlès has remained principally associated with peppermint, mint intensity, and freshness. Its development illustrates how a nineteenth-century botanical preparation could evolve into a broader consumer brand through patents, trademark protection, industrial production, poster advertising, sports visibility, and product-format diversification. The available reference material does not establish the brand's current owner, corporate structure, headquarters, website, executive leadership, or present operating status.

Ricqlès originated in Lyon in 1838 through the work of Heyman de Ricqlès, a silk merchant whose interest in botany led him to develop a peppermint-leaf distillation process. The process extracted an essential oil that could be combined with alcohol and purified water. The resulting preparation was first used within the family and became associated with refreshing the breath, easing digestive discomfort and nausea, relieving headaches, and providing antiseptic benefits in the context of nineteenth-century household and pharmacy practices. Commercialization developed gradually. The preparation was sold through pharmacies in Lyon in small sealed glass bottles, giving the product a controlled and recognizable format. Patent filings in 1844 and 1849 documented important stages in the product's technical and commercial development, while registration of the Ricqlès trademark in 1857 strengthened the brand's identity. These developments helped distinguish the preparation from generic peppermint remedies and supported its expansion beyond its original local market. By the late nineteenth century, Ricqlès had grown sufficiently to establish principal manufacturing facilities in Saint-Ouen, in the Paris region. Industrial production increased, and distribution expanded throughout France and internationally. The move toward the Paris area reflected the brand's transition from a Lyon pharmacy product into a larger manufacturing and distribution business. Advertising became especially important during the early twentieth century. Ricqlès worked with prominent poster and commercial artists, including Leonetto Cappiello, O'Galop, and Adrien Barrère. Their work helped convert peppermint's sensory qualities into a recognizable visual language. Rather than presenting the product solely as a medicinal preparation, the advertising connected it with vitality, cleanliness, relief, and refreshment. In the 1930s, the slogan “la menthe forte qui réconforte” further emphasized the brand's association with powerful mint and comforting freshness. The company also promoted the brand through public events and sporting associations. Ricqlès was linked with sporting events and appeared several times in connection with the Tour de France during the 1950s, extending its visibility beyond pharmacies and traditional retail settings. Such activity helped frame mint as a product suitable for travel, exertion, and daily public life. Following the Second World War, Ricqlès modernized its facilities and responded to changing consumer expectations. During the 1950s and 1960s, it broadened its product range with mint lozenges and refreshing sprays. These formats made the brand more portable and convenient and moved it further toward the modern confectionery and personal-refreshment categories while retaining the core peppermint identity. Through the twentieth century, Ricqlès remained linked to mint and freshness in the French market and in international distribution. The supplied reference material does not provide reliable information about later ownership changes, current management, current headquarters, present product availability, or the precise legal status of the brand. Those aspects therefore remain unspecified.

• 1950

  Tour de France visibility

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  Ricqlès was associated with the Tour de France on several occasions during the 1950s as part of its sporting-event visibility.

• 1950

  Expansion into additional mint formats

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  During the postwar period, the range expanded to include mint lozenges and refreshing sprays.

• 1930

  Mint-focused slogan introduced

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  The slogan “la menthe forte qui réconforte” strengthened Ricqlès's association with powerful mint and refreshment.

• 1890

  Expansion to Saint-Ouen

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  By the end of the nineteenth century, major production facilities had been established in Saint-Ouen in the Paris region.

• 1857

  Ricqlès trademark registered

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  The Ricqlès name was registered as a trademark, formalizing the brand identity.

• 1849

  Second nineteenth-century patent filing

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  A further patent filing supported the continuing development and protection of the peppermint product.

• 1844

  Early patent filing

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  A patent filing documented an early stage in the technical and commercial development of the Ricqlès peppermint preparation.

• 1838

  Origin of the peppermint preparation

  [1]Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org

  Heyman de Ricqlès developed a peppermint-leaf distillation process in Lyon and created the preparation that became known as the Ricqlès peppermint cure.

A French mint and peppermint brand positioned around strong freshness, breath renewal, traditional botanical preparation, and everyday refreshment.

• Peppermint preparation · 1838

  Ricqlès peppermint cure

  The original Ricqlès product was a concentrated peppermint preparation made by combining peppermint essential oil with alcohol and purified water. First commercialized through pharmacies in small sealed glass bottles, it was associated with breath freshening, a cooling sensation, digestive comfort, and other traditional household or pharmacy uses. Its botanical origin and strong mint character formed the foundation of the brand's identity.

• Confectionery and breath freshener · 1950

  Ricqlès mint lozenges

  Mint lozenges were added during the brand's postwar diversification, particularly from the 1950s and 1960s. The format translated Ricqlès's established peppermint positioning into a portable product intended for ongoing freshness and convenience. The available material does not specify the complete formulation, packaging range, or current availability.

• Breath-freshening product · 1950

  Ricqlès refreshing sprays

  Refreshing sprays were among the mint-based formats introduced as Ricqlès adapted to changing consumer habits after the Second World War. They extended the brand's core promise of immediate mint freshness into a convenient spray format. Detailed launch information, formulation, and current availability are not established by the supplied sources.

• 1950Tour de France associations

  France

  Ricqlès participated in or was associated with the Tour de France several times during the 1950s, using a major sporting event to increase public visibility.

  Outcome. The activity broadened the brand's public exposure beyond pharmacy channels, although the sources do not specify individual sponsorship agreements or campaign results.

  Source
• 1930La menthe forte qui réconforte

  France

  Ricqlès introduced the slogan “la menthe forte qui réconforte,” presenting strong mint as both refreshing and comforting.

  Outcome. The slogan reinforced long-term brand recognition around mint intensity and freshness; no quantitative outcome is provided.

  Source
• 1900Illustrated poster advertising

  France

  During the early twentieth century, Ricqlès used illustrated advertising and worked with artists including Leonetto Cappiello, O'Galop, and Adrien Barrère. The campaign activity gave the brand a memorable visual identity centered on mint, energy, and freshness.

  Outcome. The advertising helped establish Ricqlès as a recognizable mint and freshness brand. The supplied material does not provide measurable campaign results.

  Source

1. 1Ricqlèsen.wikipedia.org