The Italian family finally gained total control over the Houbigant name in 2005 and is now working hard to restore Houbigant to its former glory.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know: Houbigant

Legend has it that when Marie Antoinette was caught at Varennes trying to escape the French Revolution, rebels recognized the queen because of her Houbigant perfume, which only royalty could afford.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know: Houbigant

But when the last descendant of the Houbigant family fell ill in the 1980s and began selling off the perfume brands, Michele Perris and his relatives, longtime devotees of the French brand, decided they had better start buying them.

FORBES: Names You Need to Know: Houbigant