There are stories told through words. Others are built through scent. Caroline’s Four Hundred, the fragrance created by Mexican perfumer Carlos Huber for St. Regis, belongs to the latter. A story that revives, petal by petal, the elegance of another time.

In an exclusive conversation with Topics That Transform, Huber shares the process behind this perfume —a tribute that blends history, memory, and architecture— and reflects on what it means to build beauty through authenticity.

Author: aNDREA BAU

The story behind Caroline’s Four Hundred

It all began with a party. A night that defined the elegance of an era: the legendary ball hosted by Caroline Astor in 19th-century New York. Surrounded by guests, music, and floral arrangements, that evening became a living chapter of luxury in its time.

More than a century later, Carlos Huber, Mexican architect and perfumer, brings it back to life through the most subtle and enduring language there is: perfume. That’s how Caroline’s Four Hundred was born —one of the most emblematic creations of Arquiste, his fragrance house devoted to capturing history through scent.

“As they told me about the party —who attended, what flowers adorned each room— everything was so tangible. Like a list of ingredients,” he recalls. Red roses in the main hall, violets on the tables, lilies in the ballroom, and branches of cherry blossom and palms along the corridors. “I didn’t have to invent anything. Everything was so objective, so beautiful, that all I needed was to translate it into the language of scent.”

The result is a perfume that, more than a decade later, remains synonymous with the St. Regis spirit. Timeless, sophisticated, and deeply emotional. “It was a huge challenge —to create an aroma that worked as well in a tropical resort like Punta Mita as in an urban hotel in New York, Mexico City, or Rome,” he explains. “But the most beautiful part was that, in the end, it became part of the brand’s DNA. And that’s what it means to build something that lasts.”

The architect of scent

Before dedicating himself to perfumery, Carlos Huber studied how to preserve buildings. His background in architecture and historic preservation taught him to understand time as a raw material. Years later, he carried that same perspective into the world of fragrance, where invisible structures, materials, and foundations also exist.

“In a fragrance, as in a building, there are layers that hold everything together: the base notes are the foundations, the heart notes the structure, and the top notes the decoration,” he explains. That architectural logic has become the signature of Arquiste, the house he founded to tell real stories through scent —and to construct beauty with the same precision required to raise a building.

Permanence and luxury

In a world where luxury is often mistaken for the ephemeral, Huber stands for permanence. His purpose is to create fragrances with structure and meaning —pieces that seek not trend, but continuity. “This project is my life. I do it because I’m passionate about it, because I believe in building something that endures,” he says.

For him, luxury is not measured by ostentation, but by authenticity, coherence, and respect for origin. His vision distances itself from the noise and aligns with a new sensitivity: that of a more intimate, emotional beauty. 

“We live surrounded by stimuli, and people are looking for things that make sense. They want products that make them feel good, that are well made, ethically sourced. After all, no one wants to add more waste or problems to the world,” he notes.

In his creations, that philosophy translates into transparency: real stories, noble materials, and a deep respect for those who cultivate them. Each Arquiste perfume becomes a gesture of memory. “That duality between the intellectual and the sensory is what makes this art so special,” he says. Perhaps that’s why his scents don’t just evoke places; they build spaces of calm and permanence amid contemporary chaos.

the legacy

More than a decade after its debut, the house is preparing its return to Mexico in 2025, in partnership with Archibrands and Palacio de Hierro. A homecoming that not only celebrates its origins, but also the maturity of a brand determined to establish itself as a Mexican voice within international perfumery.

“I want people to remember that both Rodrigo Flores-Roux and I are Mexican. That Arquiste is a house built with quality, coherence, and a clear vision behind it.”
Because, in the end, in Arquiste’s work, luxury is not about appearance, but about permanence. Scent becomes an architecture of time. And legacy, a fragrance that never stops being told.