Jean-Baptiste Guimet (20 July 1795 – 8 April 1871), French industrial chemist, and inventor of synthetic colors,[2] was born at Voiron, Isère.

He studied at the École Polytechnique in Paris, and in 1817 entered the Administration des Poudres et Salpêtres.

[3] As natural lazurite was expensive and inaccessible, different options for its artificial production were explored in Europe.

[5] In 1828 he was awarded the prize offered by the Société d’encouragement pour l’industrie nationale for a process of making artificial ultramarine with all the properties of the substance prepared from expensive natural source lapis lazuli;[6] and six years later he resigned his official position in order to devote himself to the commercial production of that material, a factory for which he established at Fleurieu-sur-Saône.

[3] Lapis lazuli (blue stone) was originally brought to Europe from Afghanistan.