Saphir Médaille d'Or (MDO) is the premium line from French maker Saphir (AVEL, founded 1920); the MDO line launched in 1925 and is regarded by shoe-care experts worldwide as the gold standard. This article covers the history of the AVEL brand, the MDO formula, and Gazano's official partnership with Saphir in Vietnam.
If you have ever held a tin of Saphir Médaille d'Or and admired the lustrous wax inside, you were holding a product with over 100 years of history — made by French artisans using a formula virtually unchanged since the 1920s. This is the story of Saphir and why it became the gold standard of shoe care worldwide.
How did Saphir begin?
Saphir was founded by AVEL — one of Europe's oldest shoe-care manufacturers. The company built its reputation over decades serving French artisan shoemakers, the military, and the Paris fashion world.
The Médaille d'Or line (French for "Gold Medal") was born as the house's most premium collection — named after the honors it won at trade fairs in the early 20th century. The factory is located in Saint-Maixent-l'École, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern France — and remains fully operational to this day.
What makes Saphir Médaille d'Or special?
The answer is the ingredients. While many modern polish makers have switched to silicone and synthetic mineral oils to cut costs, Saphir MDO stays true to a natural formula of plant- and animal-based ingredients:
- Carnauba wax — extracted from Brazilian palm leaves, it delivers a hard, lasting shine and protects against water and scratches
- Natural beeswax — nourishes and softens leather in the most natural way, used by humans to preserve leather for thousands of years
- Mink Oil — penetrates deeply, delivering moisture and keeping leather supple so it never turns stiff and brittle over time
- Jojoba oil — closely resembles leather's natural oils, providing long-lasting moisture without clogging the pores
- Pine and camphor essential oils — help the product apply evenly, evaporate cleanly, and create the signature scent longtime Saphir users recognize instantly
These ingredients do not clog the leather's pores the way silicone does, nor do they alter the original dye — critical for patina shoes with complex, multi-layered coloring.
Main product lines distributed by Gazano
Saphir Renovateur — The foundation of every routine
An all-in-one conditioning cream: gentle cleaning, deep moisturizing, and a natural shine in a single step. The first product Gazano recommends to anyone new to shoe care. Compatible with nearly every type of smooth leather and used as the base step before colored polish.
Saphir Pommadier — Cream polish
A cream polish available in over 50 shades. It delivers precise color, conditions the leather, and produces a light-to-medium shine. This is the "color" step in a full polishing routine — applied after Renovateur and before wax polish if a high shine is desired.
Saphir Pâte de Luxe — High-shine wax polish
A wax polish with carnauba and natural beeswax, producing the highest shine in the Saphir range. Used for the Mirror Shine on the toes and heels of dress shoes, or as a finishing step after cream polish. Shoe enthusiasts worldwide consider it the gold standard for Mirror Shine — outperforming even pricier polishes in real-world results.
Saphir Rénomat Cleaner — Old polish remover
A solution that strips old polish, stains, and built-up grime. Essential after every 4–6 polishing sessions to keep old polish from accumulating, dulling, and thickening the surface. Especially useful for moldy or long-neglected shoes before restoration.
Saphir Canadian — All-purpose polish for larger leather goods
A versatile hard wax suited to leather jackets, bags, belts, and other large leather goods. Available in brown and black. Easy to use, with a light shine and solid protection — the "quick maintenance" product many Gazano customers use daily on their leather jackets.
Saphir Médaille d'Or — The premium line
Saphir's pinnacle collection: MDO Renovateur, MDO Lotion, MDO Reptile Renovateur, and MDO Coated Fabric. Each product is fine-tuned for a specific leather or surface — standard leather, exotic skins (crocodile, python), coated fabric, or white leather/canvas. Gazano imports this line directly from France for customers with premium leather collections.
Gazano and Saphir — what is the relationship?
Since founding in 2017, Gazano has made Saphir the core product line for all of our specialized care services. This decision was made for concrete reasons:
- Saphir delivers results that are consistent and predictable — the single most important factor for a professional service
- Natural ingredients safe for most leather types, with no unexpected reactions on premium leathers or complex dye finishes
- Endorsed by experts and the global shoe enthusiast community, proven over many decades
- Forms a complete, seamless routine: Renomat → Renovateur → Pommadier → Pâte de Luxe
Gazano imports Saphir directly — no intermediary distributors — and can trace the origin of every shipment. Whether you buy at Gazano Shop or through our at-home service, you're guaranteed authentic Saphir products from France.
All Saphir Médaille d'Or products are made at the AVEL factory in Saint-Maixent-l'École, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of France. It is one of the world's oldest shoe polish factories still in operation — and the products are still made with as little change to the original methods as possible.