Caswell-Massey: America's Original Perfumer

Long before American fragrance became an industry, there was Caswell-Massey.

From Colonial Apothecary to American Perfumer

Founded in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1752 by Scottish-born physician Dr. William Hunter, the company began as an apothecary serving the prosperous merchants and travelers who passed through one of colonial America’s busiest ports. Hunter sold medicines, soaps, grooming preparations and imported European fragrances, while also blending scents of his own.

Today, Caswell-Massey describes itself as America’s original apothecary and perfumery.

Number Six, Jockey Club and the Historic Fragrances

Its most famous early fragrance, Number Six, became associated with George Washington, who reportedly wore it and gave a bottle to the Marquis de Lafayette. The modern interpretation retains the aromatic character of the original, built around bergamot, rosemary, neroli, rose, amber, clove, lavender and musk.

Other historic signature scents followed. Jockey Club, introduced in the 19th century, became one of the house’s enduring gentlemen’s fragrances; Newport arrived later as another distinctly American classic, while Tricorn, introduced in 1941, found devotees among sophisticated New Yorkers, including composer Cole Porter.

Caswell-Massey has also long been known for its triple-milled soaps and bath products, and these remain an important part of the brand today. Its Almond collection is especially recognizable, with a warm, softly sweet fragrance that has become something of a modern staple. The company now offers fragrance, soaps, hand creams, shaving products and body care alongside updated versions of its historic scents.

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Why Caswell-Massey Still Matters

What makes Caswell-Massey worth another look is the balance between heritage and revival.

Rather than treating its 18th- and 19th-century formulas as museum pieces, the company has been steadily reworking its archive for contemporary tastes. The packaging is cleaner, the fragrance presentations more sophisticated, yet the underlying appeal remains distinctly old-school American: polished, understated and reassuringly civilized.

Now privately owned and operated, Caswell-Massey has undergone a thoughtful modern revival, with notably fine triple-milled soaps and professionally reformulated fragrances drawn from its remarkable archive.

In a fragrance world increasingly crowded with invented backstories, Caswell-Massey can point to something far more valuable—a real one. What other American brand can sell you a bottle of cologne whose lineage predates the United States itself?