What Did George Washington Smell Like? This New Jersey Fragrance House Knows.

The original formula for George Washington’s and John F. Kennedy’s colognes are still in production at Caswell-Massey, America’s oldest operating consumer brand.

The list of customers who have purchased colognes, perfumes and soaps from fragrance house Caswell-Massey reads like a who’s who of American history. Presidents, first-ladies, musicians, actors and the elite of high society have enjoyed the soaps and scents of what is America’s oldest operating consumer brand.

America will be celebrating its 250^th birthday this coming July 4 but Caswell-Massey has already passed that milestone. Founded in Newport, R.I., in 1752, the company is now 274 years old. It is regarded as our nation’s fourth-oldest operating company and proudly flaunts its motto “America’s Original.”

Yes, Caswell-Massey is older than the United States itself, and its products have always been made in the America.

The company was established in Newport by Scottish doctor William Hunter and was known as Dr. Hunter’s Dispensary. It was the beginning of the Caswell-Massey brand often sold to the social elite looking to buy European-style luxuries.

Try to imagine America 274 years ago when living conditions were often less than sanitary. Dr. Hunter quickly added personal care, cosmetic and hygiene products to his inventory of medicinal items, eventually blending twenty of his own different fragrances.

Before becoming president, General George Washington visited Hunter’s apothecary in 1781 while on a military trip to meet French allies. He purchased Dr. Hunter’s Number Six cologne for himself and as a gift for ally Marquis de Lafayette.

That same Number Six cologne is still available today from Caswell-Massey and remains a best seller.

Harry Kang is the CEO of Caswell-Massey and a stalwart steward of the company’s dynamic history.

“Our mission is to ensure that when a customer holds a bar of our triple-milled soap or sprays our historic cologne, they are experiencing the exact same uncompromising quality that George Washington insisted upon centuries ago,” said Kang.

Caswell-Massey still uses the original formulas for its products except for a few minor changes necessary to meet the required government regulations that came into effect over the past 274 years.

Other U.S. Presidents have fancied Caswell-Massey products so much so that they are still sold at the White House Gift Shop. John F. Kennedy was well known for wearing the company’s Jockey Club cologne, and Dwight Eisenhower had a penchant for its triple-milled almond soap.

“We are America’s oldest fragrance house. We have a men’s line and a women’s line,” said Kang. “Eisenhower loved the triple-milled almond soap. He would buy it and stock the White House and Blair House.

“For women’s perfumes, Caswell-Massey has a partnership with the New York Botanical Gardens, so we have a line of florals, and that’s been pretty successful.”

Caswell-Massey’s White Rose perfume was introduced for women in the late 1700s and became a favorite of First Lady Dolly Madison, who was rumored to have bathed in the perfume. First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy used the company’s avocado oil.

Notable New Yorkers from elite families like the Astors and Vanderbilts favored the perfumes as well as actors Katherine Hepburn, Judy Garland and Greta Garbo. Musicians including Joni Mitchell, Debbie Harry, John Denver and even the Rolling Stones made purchases of the Caswell-Massey scents at the company’s flagship store in the Barclay Hotel in midtown Manhattan.

“We are coming out with a fragrance for the Barclay-Intercontinental which is celebrating its 100^th anniversary,” said Kang. “We were its first tenant.”

The Barclay Hotel underwent extensive renovation in recent years, and, during its closing, the Caswell-Massey store had to cease operations. The company has also moved away from owning retail locations in favor of online e-commerce and sales in specialty stores across America. The soaps and fragrances are available at approximately 500 specialty stores and gift shops.

The company has been owned by a long series of different families, often passed down from a retiring owner to an apprentice. At one time a Caswell and a Massey owned the business creating the moniker that has remained. By 2007, institutional investors were guiding the company. Today the Caswell-Massey headquarters is located in Edison, N.J.

The company has extensive agreements with contract manufacturers, most of which are on the East Coast. They have many partnerships but continue to make all their products in America. All packaging boxes are manufactured in New Jersey.

“We basically work with different manufacturers,” said Kang. “There are some bigger ones that we work with just because or the volume we need. A lot of our manufacturers are family-owned businesses.”

Caswell-Massey products are plant-based and ethically produced. The triple-milled bar soaps last much longer than ordinary bar soaps and they retain their scent from start to finish. It is this type of quality manufacturing that has kept Caswell-Massey thriving for most of its 274-year history.

“I grew up in the days when people always talked about the American dream,” said Kang. “I am sort of from that era. The story of Caswell-Massey has been terrific, and we are also evolving and working and providing these scents and coming up with things that are not necessarily just what past generations would like but we are focusing on products that appeal to new generations and last for another 274 years.

“We’re a celebration of American craftsmanship. As long as we have manufacturing in the U.S., we are going to proudly use it. We’ve been part of the American evolution, history experiment or whatever you want to call it from the very beginning. That’s a huge connection.”

To celebrate America 250, Caswell-Massey has just released gift box sets commemorating America’s independence.

Looking for more USA-made products to celebrate our nation’s 250th anniversary? Explore our American-Made 250 State Showcase to find a company that captures your state’s unique history and supports local jobs.

The Alliance for American Manufacturing does not receive a commission from purchases made through the above links, nor was the organization or author paid for favorable coverage.

Labeling Note: This story is intended to highlight companies that support American jobs and that make great products in the United States. We rely on the companies listed to provide accurate information regarding their domestic operations and their products. Each company featured is individually responsible for labeling and advertising their products according to applicable standards, such as the Federal Trade Commission’s “Made in USA” standard or California’s “Made in USA” labeling law. We do not review individual products for compliance or claim that because a company is listed in the guide that their products comply with specific labeling or advertising standards. Our focus is on supporting companies that create American jobs.

For more on the Federal Trade Commission’s standards for “Made in USA” claims and California’s “Made in USA” labeling law, please also read this guest post by Dustin Painter and Kristi Wolff of Kelly Drye & Warren, LLP.