Perfumería Gal
Spain Salvador Echeandía Gal was born in Irún in 1867, the oldest of 12 children. His parents owned a hardware store and ran a customs agency. At the age of 20, together with his brothers... Read more
Interesting Facts
Salvador Echeandía Gal was born in Irún in 1867, the oldest of 12 children. His parents owned a hardware store and ran a customs agency. At the age of 20, together with his brothers Eusebio and Tirso, he founded his own business - a drugstore that sold perfumes and soaps.
In 1898, Salvador Echeandía Gal founded Perfumeria Gal in Madrid with his brother Eusebio, with Eusebio taking over the laboratory and becoming Gal's "nose." The first product was a hair restorer for men.
Salvador knew the places where the gentlemen of the capital in particular gathered, so he often went there to present and publicize his products.
In 1899, he produced the matching perfume and soap to the hair restorer, and by 1901, a whole range of products, perfumes, soaps, powders and hair restorers. With the support of his friend from Irún, Lesmes Sáinz de Vicuña, he increased Gal's capital and the company became a joint stock company.
The soap "Heno de Pravia", already developed in 1905, was followed by the Eau de Cologne in 1916. At the same time, Gal moved into a new building, which was expanded by 1918 and eventually provided 4,700 m² of space.
Salvador Echeandía Gal always sought contact with his employees, because he believed that only satisfied employees were good employees and should be valued very highly. He offered far-reaching social benefits for the time, such as 8-hour working days, 10 days of annual vacation, continued payment of wages in the event of illness for up to three months, in the event of the death of an employee all costs were borne by the company, and Gal paid his employees half their salary as a retirement pension. There was also child care and medical service in a company hospital, as well as the opportunity to bathe or shower - for employees who did not have these facilities at home.
The company's capital, which was just 250,000 pesetas in 1901, reached 15 million pesetas by 1927. Since 1925 purveyor to the court of the royal family in Spain, the company also approached the English royal family in 1928 and expanded to America. Two factories were opened in the Americas: the first in Argentina in 1929 and another in Mexico in 1930.
Salvador Echeandía Gal was not a public figure, but rather family, and lived in seclusion. His family's home was located directly in the company's building. With his wife María Marín Sáenz, he had 5 girls and their vacations were always spent in his birthplace, Irún.
In 1927 Salvador Echeandía Gal was awarded one of the first gold medals for work in Spain.
Besides "Heno de Pravia", Gal's most important and famous fragrances were "Flores del Campo", "Flauta", "Jardines de España", "Floralia" and "Colonia Añeja". Gal always stood for a complete series for a fragrance. So there was not only the fragrance as EdT or EdC, but also soaps, powders, creams etc.
In Alcalá de Henares, the Museo Perfumeria Gal was founded, which collected and preserved perfume bottles and containers, metal boxes and fragrance cards by artists such as Federico Ribas or Salvador Bertolozzi.
During the Spanish Civil War, large parts of the company were destroyed, machines and equipment dismantled. Salvador's brother Eusebio Echeandía Gal, the "nose" of Gal, led the company through this difficult period. The buildings were later rebuilt and operations resumed at full capacity.
In the 1960s, the management of the Gal perfume house and later the production were moved to Alcalá de Henares, outside Madrid, from where the Gal company continued its successful activity in Spain.
In 2001, the company was acquired by Puig, including all its buildings, with the Alcalá de Henares building becoming part of a museum project that is still well visited today.
In the rooms of the museum can be admired paintings and cards by illustrators and painters, such as Julio Romero de Torres, Federico Ribas Montenegro, Rafael de Penagos, Salvador Bartolozzi, Baldrich, A. Ehrmann, Pedraza Blanco, Juan Poza Tártalo, Luis Dubon, Juan Jose o Segura, among others, as well as bottles of Baccarat, Leune, Giralt, etc..
As the only product of Gal, only "Heno de Pravia" continues to be produced and sold by Puig.
In 1898, Salvador Echeandía Gal founded Perfumeria Gal in Madrid with his brother Eusebio, with Eusebio taking over the laboratory and becoming Gal's "nose." The first product was a hair restorer for men.
Salvador knew the places where the gentlemen of the capital in particular gathered, so he often went there to present and publicize his products.
In 1899, he produced the matching perfume and soap to the hair restorer, and by 1901, a whole range of products, perfumes, soaps, powders and hair restorers. With the support of his friend from Irún, Lesmes Sáinz de Vicuña, he increased Gal's capital and the company became a joint stock company.
The soap "Heno de Pravia", already developed in 1905, was followed by the Eau de Cologne in 1916. At the same time, Gal moved into a new building, which was expanded by 1918 and eventually provided 4,700 m² of space.
Salvador Echeandía Gal always sought contact with his employees, because he believed that only satisfied employees were good employees and should be valued very highly. He offered far-reaching social benefits for the time, such as 8-hour working days, 10 days of annual vacation, continued payment of wages in the event of illness for up to three months, in the event of the death of an employee all costs were borne by the company, and Gal paid his employees half their salary as a retirement pension. There was also child care and medical service in a company hospital, as well as the opportunity to bathe or shower - for employees who did not have these facilities at home.
The company's capital, which was just 250,000 pesetas in 1901, reached 15 million pesetas by 1927. Since 1925 purveyor to the court of the royal family in Spain, the company also approached the English royal family in 1928 and expanded to America. Two factories were opened in the Americas: the first in Argentina in 1929 and another in Mexico in 1930.
Salvador Echeandía Gal was not a public figure, but rather family, and lived in seclusion. His family's home was located directly in the company's building. With his wife María Marín Sáenz, he had 5 girls and their vacations were always spent in his birthplace, Irún.
In 1927 Salvador Echeandía Gal was awarded one of the first gold medals for work in Spain.
Besides "Heno de Pravia", Gal's most important and famous fragrances were "Flores del Campo", "Flauta", "Jardines de España", "Floralia" and "Colonia Añeja". Gal always stood for a complete series for a fragrance. So there was not only the fragrance as EdT or EdC, but also soaps, powders, creams etc.
In Alcalá de Henares, the Museo Perfumeria Gal was founded, which collected and preserved perfume bottles and containers, metal boxes and fragrance cards by artists such as Federico Ribas or Salvador Bertolozzi.
During the Spanish Civil War, large parts of the company were destroyed, machines and equipment dismantled. Salvador's brother Eusebio Echeandía Gal, the "nose" of Gal, led the company through this difficult period. The buildings were later rebuilt and operations resumed at full capacity.
In the 1960s, the management of the Gal perfume house and later the production were moved to Alcalá de Henares, outside Madrid, from where the Gal company continued its successful activity in Spain.
In 2001, the company was acquired by Puig, including all its buildings, with the Alcalá de Henares building becoming part of a museum project that is still well visited today.
In the rooms of the museum can be admired paintings and cards by illustrators and painters, such as Julio Romero de Torres, Federico Ribas Montenegro, Rafael de Penagos, Salvador Bartolozzi, Baldrich, A. Ehrmann, Pedraza Blanco, Juan Poza Tártalo, Luis Dubon, Juan Jose o Segura, among others, as well as bottles of Baccarat, Leune, Giralt, etc..
As the only product of Gal, only "Heno de Pravia" continues to be produced and sold by Puig.
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