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New York Botanical Garden

Caswell-Massey’s collaboration with The New York Botanical Garden brings together centuries of fragrance expertise and the remarkable beauty of the natural world.

One of the most fascinating aspects of the process is the way certain flowers are studied and their natural aromas captured without harming the plant. A specialized glass enclosure, or “scent orb,” is gently placed around an individual flower, allowing its natural fragrance molecules to accumulate inside the chamber.

This delicate approach allows Caswell-Massey to explore the true scent of living botanicals while respecting the plants themselves. The result is a collection that connects botanical science, traditional perfumery, and the extraordinary living landscape of The New York Botanical Garden.

The New York Botanical Garden Floral and Bouquet Collection is a celebration of nature in its most beautiful form, bringing the true character of living flowers into fragrance without harvesting or harming them. In collaboration with NYBG horticulturalists, botanical scientists, and master perfumers, Caswell-Massey captured the scent signatures of flowers growing at the Garden and transformed them into six distinctive fragrances.

Each scent captures a different moment in the garden, from the first blooms of spring to the lushness of summer.

The soaps in the New York Botanical Garden collection are made using Caswell-Massey’s signature original soap mould from the 1700's, giving each bar its distinctive, timeless shape.

No. 6 Scent

Perhaps the most famous Caswell-Massey fragrance, Number Six dates back to 1772, making it one of the earliest fragrances created in America. Originally developed by Dr. William Hunter, the Scottish-born physician who founded the apothecary that would eventually become Caswell-Massey, Number Six was part of a collection of numbered colognes he created from botanical ingredients.

Its most celebrated admirer was George Washington, who purchased the fragrance and was known to wear it. Washington even purchased Number Six as a gift for the Marquis de Lafayette, helping establish its reputation among America's political and social elite.

The fragrance has evolved over the centuries, but its character remains rooted in its historic origins: bright citrus and aromatic botanicals balanced by warm spice, amber, rose, and musk. Today, Number Six remains one of Caswell-Massey's signature fragrances, a remarkable piece of American fragrance history that is still worn today.

Jockey Club

Introduced in 1840, Jockey Club is another of Caswell-Massey's most enduring fragrances. Its name reflects the fashionable world of 19th-century horse racing, when jockey clubs and race meetings were important fixtures of American social life.

The fragrance became associated with sophistication, confidence, and American high society. Decades later, it found a famous admirer in President John F. Kennedy, who was known to wear Jockey Club. The original bottle is even part of the collection of the Smithsonian Institution.

With its bright citrus, bergamot, herbs, florals, and warm musk, Jockey Club has a distinctly tailored character; classic and polished.

Marem

One of Caswell-Massey's most fascinating stories belongs to Marem, a fragrance originally created around 1914 for the legendary silent film actress Alla Nazimova (real name is Marem).

Nazimova was a celebrated Broadway actress and later a pioneering figure in early Hollywood, known for her unconventional style and fiercely independent personality. Unlike fragrances created for the general public, Marem was made specifically for her and was never originally sold commercially.

The formula remained hidden in one of Caswell-Massey's leather-bound formulation books for more than a century. In 2016, while reviewing the company's archives, the recipe was rediscovered alongside photographs and memorabilia from Nazimova's time in New York.

That discovery allowed Caswell-Massey to bring Marem back to life. Its dramatic combination of red currant, Crimean rose, eucalyptus, amber, and cedarwood reflects the bold and mysterious personality of the woman it was originally created for.

More Than Just a Fragrance

What makes Caswell-Massey different is that these scents aren't simply inspired by history, they are part of it. Their archives contain generations of handwritten formulas, personal fragrances created for individual clients, and stories connected to some of America's most recognizable figures.

From George Washington's Number Six, to John F. Kennedy's Jockey Club, to Alla Nazimova's rediscovered Marem, each fragrance offers a small piece of history that can still be experienced today.

Caswell-Massey doesn't just preserve old fragrances. It preserves the stories, personalities, and moments that gave those fragrances meaning.

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