Charles E. Nichols was manufacturing extracts at 285 Westminister St., Providence in 1871. By 1875 he was the head of Charles E. Nichols & Co. Flavoring Extracts with Walter B. Smith as partner. Their extracts were used in the flavoring of ice cream, pastries, cakes, and other food stuffs.

By the 1890's they had also become known as "The Perfumers", manufacturing Queen Anne Perfumes among others, and were then located at 64 West Friendship St. and also in a lab located at 49 Bridgham St. Their Queen Anne Bouquet was a fragrant and lasting perfume for the handkerchief and sold for 25¢ for the small size and 75¢ for the larger.

Some of the other perfumes they manufactured were under the names of Blue Bells, Jockey Club, Frangipanni, White Rose, Lilly of the Valley, Honeysuckle, and White Heliotrope. They also put out a Duchess of Marlborough and English Violets they considered lasting perfumes. Nichols also manufactured a Golden Rod Tincture which was for rheumatism and neuralgia.

The company remained in business through the early part of the 1900's with their lab located at 80 West Friendship St.

Nichols passed away in 1913.