San Marino

There is a certain elegance to Southern California that belongs to another era. An elegance born of grand gardens, extraordinary architecture, cultural ambition, and the pioneering spirit of those who helped transform Los Angeles into one of the world's great cities.

For me, few places embody that heritage more beautifully than San Marino.

It is here that Henry E. Huntington, the great railroad magnate and visionary, established what would become one of California's most treasured cultural landmarks: The Huntington Library, Art Museum, and Botanical Gardens.

Just beyond the gardens stands our Laykin et Cie San Marino salon, our first freestanding salon in many years. Walking through the Huntington's magnificent grounds, particularly its celebrated Rose Garden, I found myself captivated by the richness of the flowers, the beauty of their fragrances, and the extraordinary sense of permanence that surrounds them.

I wanted to capture something of that experience in a perfume.

But San Marino also represents another important chapter in my family's history.

For generations, Laykin's presence in Southern California was closely associated with I. Magnin & Company, the legendary department store whose extraordinary sense of sophistication helped define California luxury. I have always admired the understated elegance of I. Magnin, particularly its signature use of pink and gold — colors that became synonymous with its beautiful packaging and distinctive identity.

That same spirit of refined elegance helped inspire San Marino, from the fragrance itself to its presentation.

The fragrance opens with the brightness of bergamot, tarragon, and red fruits, unfolding into a beautiful floral heart of rose, ylang-ylang, and white flowers, gently balanced by dry woods. White musk, vanilla, and amber provide a warm, sensual foundation.

At its heart, San Marino is a celebration of the rose — but it is also something more.

It is my tribute to a California that valued beauty, craftsmanship, graciousness, and enduring style. A California whose legacy lives on in its gardens, its architecture, its great institutions, and the memories of those who have experienced them.

San Marino brings together these inspirations in a fragrance that is romantic, sophisticated, and timeless.

It is a perfume I am particularly proud to bear the Laykin et Cie name.

Erik Laykin