Race row heir is ‘man of generation’, says lawyer

Published on Friday 10 February 2012 00:53

An HEIR to the Guerlain perfume empire went on trial yesterday in Paris on charges he made racist insults on television.

Jean-Paul Guerlain, 74, faces up to six months in prison and €22,500 (£19,000) in fines if convicted.

Anti-racism groups filed a legal complaint after Guerlain made the comments on France-2 television in 2010.

Asked how he created Guerlain’s most popular fragrance Samsara, he said he invented it to seduce a woman.

He went on: “One day I asked her, what would seduce you if I had to make a perfume for you?

“She answered that she loved jasmine, rose and sandalwood, and for once I set myself to work like a n***er.”

He then heaped on even more offence by adding: “I don’t know if n***ers have ever worked that much, but anyway …”

Guerlain’s lawyer, Basile Ader, told BFM television that Guerlain “never wanted to offend anyone … he is not a racist”.

His client, he said, is a man of “a certain generation”.

Guerlain, the great-great-grandson of the founder of the cosmetics company now owned by LVMH, apologised for the remarks.