The Eight & Bob story: Albert Fouquet and the Kennedy letter
According to the house, Albert Fouquet, the son of a Parisian aristocrat, composed scents for his personal use in an upstairs room of the family château, helped by his butler, Philippe. In the summer of 1937, on vacation on the French Riviera, he met John F. Kennedy and had a bottle left for him at his hotel with a note. Back in the United States, Kennedy wrote to ask for eight samples, "and, if production allows, one more for Bob," and that's where the name comes from.
In the spring of 1939, Fouquet died in a car accident near Biarritz. Philippe kept up the shipments for a few months, until the war forced him to leave the family, and according to the house he hid the bottles inside hand-carved books in the last packages. Decades later, the formula was reconstructed along with its production process. The brand attributes its soul to "Andrea," the name Fouquet gave to an aromatic plant he gathered in the Andes during a trip to Chile.
Eight & Bob collections in our selection
Fouquet Collection: Cap d'Antibes
The Fouquet Collection bears Albert's name and gathers perfumes named after places. Cap d'Antibes Eau de Parfum evokes the French Riviera village where Fouquet spent his summers in the 1930s, from spring until the end of the season. The house places it among its fresh, amber scents.
Annicke: the numbered eaux de parfum
Annicke is a series of eaux de parfum identified by a number. The first, Annicke 1, was launched in 2018 and the product listing describes it as a women's fragrance.
Annicke 1 is a musky woody floral with peony, ivy, lily of the valley, driftwood and white musk. Annicke 3 starts with red berries and opens onto gardenia and jasmine with chypre facets, softened by a meringue accord: white flowers with a gourmand side. Annicke 5 combines bergamot, rum, honey and plum with an amber note, a touch of iris and a pinch of vanilla. Finally, Annicke 6 is a spicy scent with carnation, Sichuan pepper, rose absolute, cinnamon and a creamy sandalwood base.
Les Extraits: Agneta and Guéthary
The Les Extraits collection brings together two extraits de parfum, both unisex. Agneta Extrait is a woody, spicy oriental with oud wood as its star, built on contrasts. Guéthary Extrait is named after a village on the French Atlantic coast, long a retreat for the Parisian elite. It's an aromatic scent dedicated to ambergris washed ashore by the ocean, with salty and floral accents. The house places it among its musky, floral and woody scents.
How to choose an Eight & Bob perfume
The first criterion is concentration, which at Eight & Bob matches the collection. If you want an extrait de parfum, look at Les Extraits, meaning Agneta and Guéthary, both unisex, while Cap d'Antibes and the Annicke scents are eaux de parfum. The second criterion is the fragrance family listed for each perfume.
Among the florals there's Annicke 1, a musky woody floral with peony and lily of the valley, and Annicke 3, with gardenia and jasmine over an opening of red berries. If you love ambers, you can choose Annicke 5, with rum, honey and plum, or Cap d'Antibes, which the house places among its fresh, amber scents. For spicy scents there's Annicke 6, with Sichuan pepper and cinnamon, and Agneta, which the house describes as woody, amber and spicy, with oud wood as the star. Finally, if you're after ambergris and salty accents, there's Guéthary, an aromatic scent the house places among its musky, floral and woody fragrances.
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Eight & Bob mean?
According to the house, the name Eight & Bob comes from a letter John F. Kennedy wrote to Albert Fouquet. After receiving a sample of his fragrance in 1937, Kennedy asked him for eight bottles "and, if production allows, one more for Bob," and so eight plus one for Bob became the brand's name.
Who was Albert Fouquet?
In the story told by the house, Albert Fouquet was the son of a Parisian aristocrat with a passion for perfume, who composed scents for himself at the family château with the help of his butler, Philippe. He died in a car accident near Biarritz in the spring of 1939, and Eight & Bob was created as a tribute to his legacy.
Which Eight & Bob perfume has white floral notes?
The Eight & Bob perfume built on white flowers is Annicke 3, a floral eau de parfum with gardenia and jasmine and chypre facets. It opens with a citrusy red berry accord and has a sweet side from a meringue note. Annicke 1 is also floral, but with peony, cyclamen and lily of the valley.
What does Eight & Bob Cap d'Antibes smell like?
Cap d'Antibes is an eau de parfum from the Fouquet Collection that the house describes as fresh and amber. It's dedicated to the French Riviera village where, according to the house, Albert Fouquet spent long summer vacations in the 1930s, in the company of European aristocracy.
What's the difference between Annicke 1, 3, 5 and 6?
The Annicke scents differ by fragrance family. Annicke 1 is a musky woody floral with peony and lily of the valley; Annicke 3 pairs gardenia and jasmine with red berries and meringue; Annicke 5 is amber, with rum, honey, plum and vanilla; Annicke 6 is spicy, with carnation, Sichuan pepper, rose and cinnamon.
What's the difference between Eight & Bob eau de parfum and extrait?
Extrait de parfum is the concentration of Les Extraits, while eau de parfum is that of Cap d'Antibes and the Annicke series. At Eight & Bob, concentration also separates the collections. Agneta, built on oud wood, and Guéthary, dedicated to ambergris, are unisex extraits, and the Annicke scents range from floral to spicy.
Which Eight & Bob perfume contains oud?
The Eight & Bob perfume built on oud is Agneta Extrait, a unisex oriental in which oud wood is the star, accompanied by amber and spicy accents. The house presents it as a composition of strong contrasts, designed to bring out this rare wood.
Are Eight & Bob perfumes unisex?
Not all of them. The Agneta and Guéthary extraits de parfum are explicitly unisex, while Annicke 1, a musky woody floral launched in 2018, is described as a women's fragrance. For Cap d'Antibes, a fresh, amber eau de parfum from the Fouquet Collection, and for the other Annicke scents, the listings don't specify a gender.
