Tag: nose

Perfumer Profile: Vanina Muracciole

The immensely talented Vanina Muracciole was born of Italian and Corsican heritage, growing up amid the wild tangle of the maquis, with garrigue herbs, heated pines and sunbaked earth steeping themselves into her memory as naturally as breath. From an early age, scent was not some mere fragrant frippery, but a calling: the trail of Hermès Bel Ami, smelled when she was just eight, struck her so powerfully that she decided there and then to become a perfumer, to one day craft perfumes capable of stirring the same profound emotions in others.

You can read her answers to an exclusive interview with The Perfume Society, here. But let’s take a deeper dive into this fascinating nose’s inspirations and working techniques, shall we?

Studying chemistry first, then refining her knowledge at the renowned perfumery school ISIPCA in Versailles, Vanina combined scientific rigour with a deeply intuitive, emotional response to raw materials, a balance that still defines her creations today. From there, her path took her to Milan and then Grasse, working with MANE, where she honed both her technical palette and her sensorial style, expanding her olfactory vocabulary from the scrubland of Corsica to the classicism of French perfumery, and the precise demands of global clients.

 

 

 

 

Later collaborating with master perfumer Thomas Fontaine at Jean Patou, Vanina immersed herself in the heritage of one of perfumery’s most storied houses, absorbing a sense of structure and elegance that threads through her work. In 2012, she stepped away from the corporate world to become an independent perfumer, a move that opened the doors to niche and confidential houses and gave her the freedom to follow more daring olfactory paths while staying true to her own sensibilities.

Her portfolio since then reads like a who’s who of contemporary artistic perfumery: Jovoy, Jeroboam, Le Galion, Comptoir Sud Pacifique, Fragonard, Lubin and Masque Milano, among others, have all turned to Vanina to distil their stories into scent. Whether creating the leathered elegance of a classical chypre or the gourmand warmth of vanilla and coffee, she listens closely to the narratives brands bring her, translating even the smallest detail of a brief into nuanced accords that feel both modern and timeless.

Perhaps nowhere is her vision more clearly expressed than in her work with François Hénin, founder of Jovoy and the boutiques that helped shape niche perfumery as we know it. Fascinated by musk yet often anosmic to it, François wanted a collection that explored this elusive note from every angle, and turned to Vanina to make the idea tangible. The result was Jeroboam, launched in 2015, a line of extrait de parfums in (originally) compact bottles that belie the power within, each composition an elegant overdose of musks, woods and florals that bloom with remarkable tenacity on skin, like an intimate secret that somehow fills the room.

 

 

 

 

For Vanina, inspiration begins with life itself – the colours of a place, the energy of a crowd, the taste of pesto pounded in a mortar, the cool damp of autumn undergrowth when picking mushrooms, the sunburnt aromatic haze of the Corsican maquis. A mood board or visual brief is not just a box to tick, but a vital bridge between image and odour: she thinks in colours when she reads a brief, imagining the fragrance as a chromatic atmosphere long before the first formula is written. Everyday moments become sparks for olfactory worlds, whether that is the neck of a sleeping baby, the salty breeze stepping off a plane into Corsica, or the soft warmth of Ambroxan, one of her most beloved materials, with its woody amber smoothness and whisper of vetiver.

Chypre structures, too, sit at the heart of Vanina’s olfactory soul: bergamot, cistus, lavender, jasmine, patchouli and oakmoss, arranged in endlessly nuanced variations, form for her the architecture of a perfect perfume. She dreams of the great chypres of perfume history – Miss Dior 1947, Scherrer N°1, those original constructions that combined strict structure with audacious character – and seeks to channel that same originality, harmony, vibrancy and intensity into her own compositions.

When she talks about perfumery today, Vanina is clear eyed, nostalgic yet optimistic. The 1980s and 90s, she feels, were a golden age of creativity, when launches such as Anaïs Anaïs, Giorgio, Paris, Samsara, Opium, Cool Water, Zino and Kenzo Homme pushed boundaries and expanded consumers’ expectations. That level of avant garde daring may have dimmed for a time, yet she sees niche perfumery as the engine now driving innovation, and hopes that the major mainstream players will once again find the courage to be bold, to take risks not just with marketing but with the juice itself.

 

 

 

 

In her own day-to-day work, Vanina often juggles around ten projects at once, a testament both to her demand and to the way her mind moves, switching between ideas yet keeping each thread distinct. Creating a fragrance can happen with lightning speed or unfold slowly over months – there is, she insists, no rule – though illness can force her to rely on memory and brain when her nose briefly ‘switches off’. She emphasises the importance of training the sense of smell, of consciously connecting brain and nose with each evaluation, building a personal library of reference by smelling as often as possible, thoughtfully rather than passively.

Among her own creations, she looks back fondly on L’Art de la Guerre for Jovoy as her first fragrance, the start of her independent chapter, yet when asked about her most beautiful creation, she answers without hesitation: her daughters. Their presence is woven through so many of her scented memories – the smell of a baby’s skin, the tenderness of a kiss on a child’s neck – reminding us that for all the chemistry, all the technical language and market strategy, perfumery at its heart remains a profoundly human art.

Through Vanina Muracciole’s work, that humanity is made fragrant, lingering like the most exquisite sillage long after the wearer has left the room…

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Perfumer Profile: Jordi Fernández

Jordi Fernández is a name reshaping the landscape of modern perfumery. Senior perfumer at Givaudan and often nicknamed “Master of Oudh”, he’s credited for a wave of fragrances that feel at once daring, innovative and deeply rooted in tradition.

Our multi award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter, featured Jordi in an in-depth interview by editor Jo Fairley, earlier this year, uncovering just how inspiration strikes – sometimes in his Mediterranean hometown, in bustling Paris or Dubai, or in the quiet, creative spaces of Givaudan’s labs.

Jordi’s approach is of course technically incredible (the way he transforms what we think we know about a ‘fruity’ fragrance has to be smelled to be believed!), but also profoundly personal and collaborative. “A fragrance is never finished – there’s always another layer to explore,” Jordi confided in his conversation with Jo. He sketches ideas on paper, refines them across hundreds of tweaks, and believes the character of a perfume emerges only through trial, teamwork, and moments of inspiration. ‘Nature inspires me – sometimes I’m trying to capture the exact sensation of a sea breeze’ he revealed, ‘other times, the sunset over Middle Eastern dunes.’

 

 

 

 

For Jordi, it transpires, perfumery is a way of seeing the world – whether it’s through raw materials like patchouli, which he describes as ‘the power of the earth’, or the complexity of oudh, which he says ‘unfolds a rich, animalic depth’ with just a tiny addition.

To read the full and truly fascinating interview, treat yourself to the gloriously glossy print copy of The Scented Letter: renowned for the most in-depth profiles, facts, industry news and interviews with both master perfumers and up-and-coming names – always the best for your nose. THIS ITEM IS NOW OUT OF STOCK

 

 

 

Jordi’s fragrances brim with his signature multifaceted style – sometimes opulent, sometimes minimalist, always full of texture and unexpected delight. Here are just a few highlights from his prolific portfolio…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maison Crivelli Oud Maracujá

Oud Maracujá is a jungle-bright collision where luminous passionfruit and Turkish rose fizz over the smoky, animalic richness of oud and patchouli. Saffron sprinkles golden spice through the heart, while labdanum, leather and vanilla soften the base, adding glowing comfort. Jordi’s touch is to balance tropical exhilaration with deep, addictive woods – a daring journey from orchard sunlight to incense-shadowed forest.

£220 for 50ml extrait de parfum harveynichols.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nishane Oudous Lux Solis

Oudous Lux Solis beams with a sunlit opening of tropical fruits and juicy Italian mandarin, chilled by the sparkle of pomelo and ginger. Layers of honeyed cistus and aquatic calone shimmer in the heart, leading into a smoky, resinous fusion of oud, Indonesian patchouli and Akigalawood. The result is like radiant warmth and depth mingling together – Jordi’s vision of sunlight over rich, mysterious woods.

£310 for 100ml extrait de parfum harrods.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

Michael Kors Pour Femme

Pour Femme glows with a vibrant rush of mandarin orange and blackcurrant, tingled by pink pepper. The heart unfolds soft jasmine, lily of the valley and romantic Bulgarian rose, while the base smooths into sensual vanilla, earthy patchouli and delicate musk. Jordi brings lightness and clarity to classic florals, wrapping each petal in warmth, creamy sophistication and modern, long-lasting beauty.

£48.75 for 30ml eau de parfum boots.com

 

 

 

 

BDK Impadia

Impadia begins like the perfect Paris morning – juicy pear, zesty bergamot and mandarin, all uplifting and fresh. The floral heart mingles Turkish and Bulgarian rose with radiant orange flower, their petals whispering of elegance and modernity. Vanilla absolute and sensual sandalwood form the lingering, plush base, each note layered with superfine detail – a fragrance that’s effortless, chic and wholly embracing, like a memory of sunlight on skin.

£190 for 100ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

 

 

 

 

Moncler Sunrise pour Homme

Sunrise pour Homme is clean mountain air captured in scent form. Bergamot, lemon and a dash of spicy pink pepper open the composition with sparkling clarity. Suede and aromatic clary sage create smooth texture, while Haitian vetiver, frankincense and patchouli form a magnetic, woody base. Sunrise feels both invigorating and grounding – the essence of confidence and effortless style, Jordi’s skill at bringing the outdoors directly to you.

£76 for 60ml eau de parfum harveynichols.com

 

If you crave more from Jordi Fernández – his creative rituals, how he blends Mediterranean roots with global visions, and the inside story behind his latest launches – don’t miss our full feature in the print issue, A World of Ingredients! Our exclusive Working Nose series of interviews is where every fragrance lover can discover true (and rare) insight into the way their favourite perfumer’s mind works. And perhaps find their next olfactory obsession. We’re sure if you delve into Jordi Fernandez’s extensive back-catalogue of compositions, you’ll fall for many (as we, and countless others of fragrance lovers, have).

So now you only have to decide which of his works you’ll explore first. Dive in – nose deep! There’s much to adore as you explore…

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Perfumer Profile: Nathalie Lorson

Nathalie Lorson’s fragrant world begins in the fields of mimosa on the hills of Tanneron, bathed in the honeyed light of Grasse. ‘My first scent memory is the field of mimosa when I was walking with my parents,’ she shares, a beginning that seems to set the tone for a career shaped by nature’s poetry and the meticulous science all true perfumers learn to wield.

Her path was forked-lightning bold – ‘In 1980, very few women entered the perfumery field,’ she remembers, speaking with the quiet steel of a pioneer. The daughter of a Roure chemist, Nathalie found herself drawn instinctively to scent, where ‘smelling, for me, was literally child’s play.’ After passing exams, she entered Roure’s school to immerse herself in the arcane language of molecules, accords and raw materials. For her, mastery flows from constant learning: ‘Designing fragrances is constantly a work in progress. Even today I feel like I am still learning,’ she observes.

Her style, she says, is ‘harmonious and generous…’, evident in the smooth, rounded sensuality knit into her blends. She’s one of modern perfumery’s quiet pulse-points, as vital to its rhythm as rose, vanilla or vetiver are to hers. ‘I like to work musky notes, vetiver and rose – but newness is also important and it is exciting to discover new materials.’

 

 

 

 

Nathalie Lorson’s perfumed portfolio, as myriad and shifting as a kaleidoscope, contains classics and cult favourites – Lalique Amethyst, Encre Noire (‘the beautiful story… was written with the purest vetiver, one of my favourite raw materials’), Flora by Gucci, Bentley for Men, Dita Von Teese EDP and the modern icon YSL Black Opium. Indeed, she is part of the quartet that gave Black Opium its velvet swagger, working for Firmenich, where she is Senior Perfumer.

Recent years have seen her hand in scents The Perfume Society loves to write about: Givenchy Gentleman (the contemporary 2017 version, co-authored with Olivier Cresp), Mugler Angel Nova, Boucheron Patchouli d’Angkor and Boucheron Santal de Kandy, Chopard Magnolia au Vétiver d’Haïti, and the enduring addiction of Le Labo Poivre 23. She seems to delight in the challenge of brand storytelling: ‘Always behind the scenes, I translate the brand history into an olfactory tale… I like to work with many different types of ingredients and explore them beyond their limits.’

Nathalie’s creative fragrant energy hums frenetically – ‘I am currently working on about 10 fragrances at the same time.’ Her travels, especially in Japan, spark inspiration for new olfactive territories, yet she stays grounded in the day-to-day texture of her craft: ‘Discussions with inspiring people are critical – they bring to life the ideas behind the scent.’ In interviews she adds, ‘We find lots of dust, but very few nuggets…’, alluding to the laborious search for newness and excellence each time she starts anew.

 

 

 

 

When Nathalie Lorson reminisces about her favourite smells, they speak to her breadth of memory: ‘Rose, vanilla, the smell of sand, freshly-cut grass and Christmas trees.’ And how incredible to think that her favourite first purchase – the original YSL Opium – set the course for a career mapping the DNA of French luxury. Asked how to fully appreciate fragrance, her advice returns to experience: ‘The best thing is to wear fragrance, to live with it, to smell it, to experience it.’

Pushed to choose the one fragrance she wishes she’d created, Lorson allows herself to pick two. ‘FlowerbyKenzo: a beautiful re-interpretation of a classic floral-powdery theme with a very identifiable trail. And Dior Hypnotic Poison: a product of pure pleasure, sensual, enveloping, very recognisable and with just the kind of “signature” I like.’

Today, pressed between luxury’s demands and niche creativity, Nathalie’s spirit remains keen: ‘Yes, with the arrival of all niche brands… the luxury brands are also asking perfumers to create fragrances with unique “signatures” that are new and different from others – so that’s very stimulating, too.’

Nathalie Lorson is – and ever was – quietly at the heart of things, dreaming ‘of everything that has not yet been discovered…’ For perfume lovers and practitioners, and for we fragrance-lovers alike, her work is a living invitation to scent, skill, and wonder, carried by a nose that grew up among the mimosas and never once switched off. And we thank goodness for that!

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Improve Your Sense of Smell: extraordinary noses share their knowledge

In the world of fragrance, there exists a group of individuals whose talents are as extraordinary as they are elusive. These are the ‘noses’ – the perfumers whose olfactory artistry shapes the very essence of our most beloved scents.

For the past decade, The Perfume Society has been at the forefront of unveiling the mysteries behind these master craftspeople through our multi award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter.

Our regular feature, ‘A Working Nose‘, offers readers an unparalleled glimpse into the lives and minds of these olfactory virtuosos. This world-exclusive series of in-depth interviews delves into the personal working styles, composition techniques, and daily routines of both established master perfumers and rising stars in the industry.

 

 

 

 

 

We’re rather proud that it’s a feature unmatched by any other publication, offering fragrance enthusiasts a rare opportunity to understand the intricate process behind the creation of their favourite scents and iconic fragrances.

So, if you’d like to learn more about the lives of the ‘noses’, and perhaps even gain some olfactory insight into the way they imbue their creations with their own unique characters, or styles of composition; do sign up for your FREE e-subscription to The Scented Letter Magazine. And don’t forget to browse the always fascinating shorter interviews with noses on the website.

 

But the world of perfumery isn’t just for the professionals. At The Perfume Society, we have always believed that everyone can benefit from a deeper understanding and appreciation of scent.

That’s why we’re excited to share with you a collection of aromatic wisdom from these remarkable noses; with practical tips and insights that you can incorporate into your daily life to enhance your sense of smell and deepen your relationship with your most cherished fragrances.

 

These ‘noses’ possess a talent that goes beyond mere chemistry and technique. They are time travellers and emotion weavers, capable of transporting us to cherished memories and evoking powerful feelings with just a single whiff. Their creations have the power to make us feel more confident, more alluring, more creative – transforming not just how we smell, but how we feel about ourselves.

 

 

noses advise how to improve your sense of smell

 

 

For too long, these artists of scent worked very much behind the scenes, their noses in anonymity, and their contributions to our sensory experiences unacknowledged. But now, like great chefs emerging from their kitchens or painters stepping out from behind their canvases, perfumers are beginning to take centre stage in even greater numbers. They’re sharing their stories, their inspirations, and the intricate processes behind their olfactory masterpieces.

Join us as we celebrate these extraordinary individuals and hear their advice on how to improve our own sense of smell. Whether you’re a fragrance aficionado or simply curious about the world of scent, prepare to be captivated by the wisdom, creativity, and passion of the world’s most remarkable noses…

 

We asked:

 

What can each of us do to enhance our appreciation of fragrance? What is your best tip for improving a person’s sense of smell?

The Noses Said…

 

 

 

Leading noses advise how to improve sense of smell

Alberto Morillas: 

‘‘If you train your nose, you’ll be able to make the difference between the main olfactive families. In fact, everyone has his own olfactive memory like a “library of scents”, made of smells you associate to people, places, travels, objects, food, moments of your life, etc. You can enrich this library by smelling fragrances in store or trying them on skin to live with them.

Some are fresher, some are more sensual, try to put words on what you smell to define the different sensations. Then repeat, repeat ceaselessly. Practice by smelling blind. Be spontaneous, say everything, feel free to write everything which comes to mind.

Time after time, you’ll have your own references and you’ll be able to classify fragrances by main themes, like woody, aromatic, citrus and ambrée. Memory. That’s the most important thing. You need to smell again and again and again the same thing and then mix it with other things and see how it changes.

Like cooking – you need to taste all the time to improve your palette and it’s the same with smell. I cannot say enough how important memory is, that act of memorising how something smells, what it means to you.’

 

 

 

Cécile Zarokian:

‘It’s often just a matter of paying attention, be focused by the smells around you. And another thing is usually you notice the smell but it’s difficult to express about it, you need to know the words.’

 

 

 

Olivier Cresp:

‘The best thing to do to enhance our appreciation of fragrance is to smell it! The more you smell more you develop your sense of smell. Smelling raw materials is also a good way to improve your abilities. The key is to focus and concentrate on what you smell all the time: a fragrance, a smell in the street, food, etc.’

 

 

 

Kevin Mathys, CPL Aromas:

‘Smelling, smelling and smelling again. There is no secret, I think it is a matter of passion and patience. Perfumery involves a huge amount of knowledge – like learning the raw materials, the big accords, the historical fragrances… 

To me it is like learning a language, it is not only learning words that allows you to speak, you have to understand the culture behind it and the history of the nation to become fully fluent.’

 

 

 

Marie Salamange:

‘Curiosity is a good thing to explore and develop a person’s sense of smell. You have to not be afraid of smelling things you think you don’t like at first sight.’

 

 

Mathieu Nardin: 

‘The most important thing is that people become more aware of what a great sense smell actually is. Taste and sight always seem to come first and people aren’t so focused on their nose. What perfumers do is to close their eyes and focus on that one sense a lot – I mean all the time, not just at work. There are so many studies that say the nose is so closely linked to memories and images, it’s incredibly intense. But you have to explore it deeply.

When you smell something – lavender, a particular perfume, a cooking ingredient – you have to forget what it literally is and instead link it a personal feeling, whatever it makes you feel. The more you analyse those emotions and link that to personal feelings, the better you become at smelling more and memorising those smells. This is how we learn at perfumery school. It has to be personal or it has no meaning.’

 

 

 

Caterina Catalani:

‘To truly appreciate fragrance, embrace smelling. Take in the everyday scents, from morning coffee to your favourite dish. Give importance to your sense of smell; it’s a powerful memory trigger! Don’t underestimate its impact, it holds the key to unlocking vivid recollections and enhancing your overall sensory experience…’

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Are perfumers born with a special gift? How do they ‘train’ their noses ?

Are perfumers born with an innate sense of smell, or is their skill honed through diligent training? While some perfumers may possess a natural sensitivity to scents, the art and science of perfumery often require extensive education and practice. We asked some of the world’s best noses for their top tips on training our own…

 

Traditionally, aspiring perfumers trained in esteemed institutions, particularly in France. However, the world of perfumery has expanded, welcoming self-taught individuals and those who pursue part-time courses online or in person, guided by experienced perfumers.

 

 

Mathieu Nardin, a native of Grasse and part of a new generation of perfumers, emphasises the importance of becoming more aware of the sense of smell. He advises focusing on the emotions and personal feelings evoked by scents to enhance olfactory memory. ‘The most important thing is that people become more aware of what a great sense smell actually is. Taste and sight always seem to come first and people aren’t so focused on their nose. What perfumers do is to close their eyes and focus on that one sense a lot – I mean all the time, not just at work. There are so many studies that say the nose is so closely linked to memories and images, it’s incredibly intense. But you have to explore it deeply.’

‘When you smell something – lavender, a particular perfume, a cooking ingredient – you have to forget what it literally is and instead link it to a personal feeling, whatever it makes you feel. The more you analyse those emotions and link that to personal feelings, the better you become at smelling more and memorising those smells. This is how we learn at perfumery school. It has to be personal, or it has no meaning…’

 

 

 

Esteemed perfumer Christine Nagel agrees, emphasising the importance of olfactory exploration every single day: ‘Be olfactively curious. Smell everything you can, everywhere, every day. Have your nose on high alert!’ And she should know. From the first time she met a ‘nose’, that’s what Christine Nagel knew she wanted to be. So she trained as a research chemist and market analyst, and in Paris, in 1997, was launched on a seriously distinguished career that’s included creations like the blockbuster Narciso Rodriguez for Her (with Francis Kurkdjian), Jimmy Choo Flash, and Guerlain’s Les Elixirs Charnels collection.

 

 

 

Alberto Morillas, who has created some of the world’s most iconic perfumes – Calvin Klein CK One, Kenzo Flower, Bvlgari Omnia, Cartier Panthere de Cartier, Giorgio Armani Aqua di Giò for women – suggests that anyone can improve their sense of smell. Born in Sevilla, Spain in 1950, Morillas describes himself as ‘mostly self-trained’ in perfumery, having begun his career at the School of Beaux Arts in Geneva before joining Firmenich in 1970. He advises, ‘If you train your nose, you’ll be able to make the difference between the main olfactive families. In fact, everyone has his own olfactive memory like a “library of scents”, made of smells you associate with people, places, travels, objects, food, moments of your life…’

‘You can enrich this library by smelling fragrances in store or trying them on skin to live with them,’ he coninues. ‘Some are fresher, some are more sensual, try to put words on what you smell to define the different sensations. Then repeat, repeat ceaselessly. Practice by smelling in blind. Be spontaneous, say everything, feel free to write everything which comes to mind. Time after time, you’ll have your own references and you’ll be able to classify fragrances by main themes, like woody, aromatic, citrus and ambrée. Memory. That’s the most important thing. You need to smell again and again and again the same thing and then mix it with other things and see how it changes. Like cooking – you need to taste all the time to improve your palette and it’s the same with smell.’

 

 

 

Sophie Labbé, a perfumer who spent her childhood between Paris and the Charente-Maritime area of France, encountering contrasting smells that proved particularly inspiring, also offers valuable advice. She studied at IPSICA, Paris’s perfumery school, and at the Givaudan Perfumery School in Geneva for six months. In 1992 she joined IFF as a junior perfumer, where Sophie has worked on fragrances including Bulgari Jasmin Noir and Mon Jasmin Noir, Calvin Klein Beauty, Estée Lauder Pure White Linen, and Salvatore Ferragamo Signorina and Signorina Eleganza.

Discussing how an ordinary person might think about smelling things the way a perfumer does, she said, ‘Open your nose – be aware of all the smells around us. Start with all the everyday smells that you take for granted and then move on to perfumes. You can train your nose. Smell as many perfumes as possible, starting with the classic milestone perfumes which every perfumer studies when they start their perfumery degree. Read as much as you can. There are so many books, and some excellent articles about perfumery.’

These insights from renowned perfumers, shared during interviews for our multi-award-winning magazine, The Scented Letter, where we regularly take a deep dive into how perfumers work through our popular Working Nose series, reveal that anyone can improve their relationship with fragrance. Even if you don’t aspire to become a perfumer, these tips can enrich your daily life.

 

 

 

Top Tips from Perfumers:

  • Be Olfactively Curious: Smell everything around you.

  • Focus on Emotions: Link scents to personal feelings and memories.

  • Build a Scent Library: Regularly smell fragrances and categorise them.

  • Start with Classics: Familiarise yourself with milestone perfumes.

  • Practice Blind Smelling: Test your ability to identify scents without visual cues.

 

So, as you can see, while some may have a natural inclination towards scent sensitivity, the journey to becoming a perfumer involves rigorous training and a deep connection to one’s olfactory experiences. Whether you’re an aspiring perfumer or simply wish to enhance your appreciation of fragrance, all these practices can totally transform your sensory world for the better. Now, how will you begin improving your own relationship to your sense of smell? We urge you to start today!

 

 

 

Why not begin your own ‘smell training’, as perfumers do, today? You can quickly and (much more) affordably build your own ‘scent library’ by collecting samples, as found in our curated Discovery Boxes – which include an array of scents from all manner of houses, niche, designer, independent, well known, or ultra new to the scent scene. Alternatively, there are a number of Brand Boxes you could begin with, featuring scents across the collections a house has to offer – perfect for comparing and contrasting the perfumers styles. However you choose to begin your nose training – start today, and get your sense of smell primed to enjoy your perfumes even more…

Written by Suzy Nightingale

Desperately Seeking Sunshine? Try These Orange Blossom Scents!

‘Did you ever sleep in a field of orange-trees in bloom? The air which one inhales deliciously is a quintessence of perfumes. This powerful and sweet smell, as savoury as a sweetmeat, seems to penetrate one, to impregnate, to intoxicate, to induce languor, to bring about a dreamy and somnolent torpor. It is like opium prepared by fairy hands and not by chemists.’

― Guy de Maupassant, 88 Short Stories

Orange blossom is beloved by perfumers in light-filled ‘solar’ scents – a newly emerging category, and a word I’ve found increasingly used for fragrances which aren’t merely fresh, but attempt the alchemy of bottling sunshine. And these fragrances are more welcome than ever when the season’s change means the darkness hits early, the days seem unnaturally shortened, yet somehow endlessly grey. As such, I urge you to seek out these orange blossom scents – SO right for right now!

 

It’s the bitter orange tree we have to thank for these heady white blossoms – one of the most benificent trees in the world, for it also gives us neroli, orange flower water and petitgrain – all utterly unique in smell, from verdant to va-va-voom depending how they are distilled and the quantity used in a fragrance.

Originating from Asia, the bitter orange was introduced to North Africa by crusaders of the VIIth century, and now it’s just six villages in the Nabeul region of Tunisia that provide the majority of the world’s crop. Women do most of the harvesting, the pickers swathed in headscarves climbing treacherously high-looking ladders to reach the very tops of the trees, typically working eight hours a day and gathering around 20,000 (approximately 10kg) of flowers.

 

 

When the blossoms are hydro-distilled – soaked in water before being heated, with volatile materials carried away in the steam to condense and separate – the extracted oil is neroli, the by-product being orange flower water, while petitgrain is the essential oil steam distilled from the leaves and green twigs.

Long steeped in bridal mythology, when Queen Victoria married Prince Albert in 1840, she chose orange blossom to decorate her dress, carried sprigs in her bouquet and even wore a circlet of the blossoms fashioned from gold leaves, white porcelain flowers and green enamelled oranges in her hair. It firmly planted the fashion for ‘blushing brides’ being associated with orange blossom – but this pretty flower can hide a naughty secret beneath its pristine petals…

 

 

While the primly perfect buds might visually convey a sign of innocence, their heady scent can, conversely, bring a lover to their knees with longing. In his novel The Leopard, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa chronicles crossing an orange grove in full flower, describing ‘…the nuptial scent of the blossoms absorbed the rest as a full moon does a landscape… that Islamic perfume evoking houris [beautiful young women] and fleshly joys beyond the grave.’

 

It’s the kind of floral that might signify sunshine and gauzy gowns or veritably snarl with sensuality. Similar to the narcotic addictiveness of jasmine, with something of tuberose’s potency; orange blossom possessses none of that cold, grandiose standoffishness of some white florals: it pulsates, warmly, all the way.

 

Perfumer Alberto Morillas associates the scent of orange blossom with his birthplace: ‘I’m from Seville, when I’m creating a fragrance, all my emotion goes back to my home,’ Alberto told me, talking about his inspiration for his Mizensir Solar Blossom fragrance. ‘You have the sun, the light and water – always a fountain in the middle of the square – and “solar” means your soul is being lifted upwards.’

Oh, how we need that bottled sunshine when summer fades; an almost imperceptible shifting of the light that harkens misty mornings, bejewelled spiderwebs and sudden shivers…

Why not swathe yourself in these light-filled fragrances to huddle against the Stygian gloom? I love wearing them year-round, to remind me sunny days will return, that things will be brighter, presently. I promise.

 

 

Packed full of the brightest orange blossom, swathed in a cloak of earthy moss, soft musk and smooth sandalwood – the creaminess is an addictive layer of warmth. One to swish through leaves while wearing, grinning joyously.

EAU.MG Flor Funk £95 for 50ml eau de parfum

 

 

 

 

A shimmering haze of Moroccan magic, the orange blossom diffused by dusk, a languid sigh of inner contentment that resonates for hours – soothing, weaving its way around your soul and making for a blissful beam of happiness with every spritz..

Sana Jardin Berber Blonde £95 for 100ml

 

 

 

 

 

Waves of orange blossom-infused warmth giving way to fig tea sipped beneath the shade of whispering trees, the memory of laughter, and of bare feet on sun-warmed flagstones, fingers entwined, forever dancing, giddy on sunshine.

Stories No.1 £75 for 30ml eau de parfum

 

 

 

Perfumer Chris Maurice swirls delectable butterscotch and a ripple of dark chocolate through this orange blossom soaked scent. Vibrating with an amber-oudh glow in the base, it’s a scent that will surprise and delight you throughout the dullest of days.

Sarah Baker Gold Spot £145 for 50ml extrait de parfum

 

 

 

Suffused with a stillness that tingles expectantly, there’s a silvered gleam of a wooden boat gliding over a lake – the orange blossom darker here, sweetened a touch with candied peel, mellow greengage segueing to a seaweed-tinged purr of myrrh.

Prosody London Whistle Moon £57 for 30ml eau de Cologne

 

Written by Suzy Nightingale

An in-depth, exclusive interview with Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp…

One of the perfumery world’s most distinguished figures, Master Perfumer Olivier Cresp has composed hundreds of your favourite creations, including Christian Dior’s Midnight Poison, Penhaligon’s Juniper Sling, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, Givenchy Gentleman and, of course, the utterly legendary Thierry Mugler Angel – a perfume which became all the more poignant this year with the passing of Manfred Thierry Mugler on 23 January.

Named a master perfumer in 2006, Cresp joined the Firmenich team in 1992 and was honoured with the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture in 2012. In 2018 he was announced as the Fragrance Foundation’s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award recipient, and far from slowing down, he’s now launched his own fragrance house of AKRO with his daughter, Anais.

Suzy Nightingale recently had the privilege of sitting down with this paragon of perfumery and in an exclusive interview originally for our magazine, The Scented Letter (which you can also buy a gorgeous print copy of) and discovering exactly how he works…

 

When does your day start?

Olivier Cresp: I like to play tennis in the morning, then go to the beach in the afternoon… [laughs] No, seriously, I never really feel like I’m working because it’s my passion, that’s why I’m still working within Firmenich, and then my own projects with AKRO – that’s pure pleasure because we have no limits, we can dare. On a normal day, I get to the office around 9:30. I love that you’re interested in this! The other day I had someone filming me all day long, for a short video that will be edited down to three minutes. It’s interesting that people want to know how perfumers spend their days, now. The first thing I always do is talk to the other perfumers – ask how their evening was, have a coffee. Around 9:45 or 10am I open my laptop and then start working.

Where do you work?

I have a double job, in fact: working for them as Master Perfumer, based in Paris, and working for my own house, AKRO. I have assistants, FDMs (Fragrance Development Managers), sales teams, managers, any number of colleagues depending on the project.

How does your day break down? 

My office is open, so I have the FDMs come to see me, followed by the evaluators and the salespeople. After that some customers call me. A new thing is the number of Zoom and Teams online meetings we do throughout the day – a few years ago this just didn’t happen, but since lockdowns, it can be three hours a day of talking to colleagues through this connection. When I’m working on my laptop, I try to concentrate myself on the projects I have open at that time.

How many fragrances might you be working on at any one time?

In the past, when everything was done by hand, I could only work on eight or ten fragrances a day. Now, with computer technology, I can send fifty formulas a day, sending them all over the world. There are perhaps twenty projects I’m working on at once, sometimes more. I prioritise the fragrances by dates and even hours for deadlines. I can be fast. You have to be! Depending on how quick you are, you can win or lose a project. To work fast you must have the experience and use your time well. Instead of doing hundreds of experiments, like I did at the beginning of my career, I now only need to do four or five – then I know exactly what to move in my fragrance formulas and it just works.

Do you compose fragrances mostly in your head? Do you write by hand or use a computer?

It’s a good question – perfumers are like writers, some prefer handwriting or dictating, others like writing straight on a computer. Twenty-five, what, even thirty years ago now, I used to do everything by hand and my calculator. I’d handwrite the ingredients and work out the percentages and the price for them, because you have to know that. Those days are long gone. Now we have special programmes that work those bits out for you. When I’ve written my formula on my laptop I send it straight to the robot, the robot compounds about 80% of the formula. Then I have my assistants who weigh and compound the missing 20%. As soon as I get the idea for my fragrances, I know exactly what ingredients I want to use.

The next step for me is to discover the correct type or best quality for that fragrance. In two or three hours it’s fixed in my head. From that point I think about what else it needs to create the atmosphere I want, so I might think about what could create some smokiness or an animalic note, for example. Sometimes the idea is easy, but then it’s not easy to find the right molecules to match that smell in your head. I try to be figurative, to catch the profile of what I want. The other day I had to create the smell of a marshmallow. I’d never done that before really, but in two or three experiments I had it. I knew I wanted orange blossom, I used some violet and some rose-y elements, then some praline and vanilla to make it smell edible. It must be logical. It’s a chronological story, and then I’m never lost that way – it’s kind of a red thread I’m following.

 

 

What kind of other inspirations do you look for, during your day? 

I can be inspired by anything, but conversation is really important to me. I buy loads of magazines on all subjects, I really enjoy reading Figaro, but I get lots of feminine magazines especially. I also love walking, being in the forest, foraging, fishing, smelling the seaweed. I always carry blotters with me, so during the day I tend to jot down ideas on those, just in a few words.

Do you break for lunch – or eat at your desk? 

After meetings and working on those, I like to meet colleagues for lunch around midday to 1pm. We always go out because there’s no canteen or anywhere you can food in the office. Perhaps a few times a year if I’m in a hurry I grab a snack and eat that at my desk, but that’s not funny to me, I hate it. I could also go to my house for lunch, because my house isn’t far away, so that’s always a possibility. I might walk there and stay an hour, make myself some nice food, have a change of scenery, then I come back and feel revived by that.

After lunch, how long do you work for – and what will the afternoon be spent on?

I always feel more energetic in the afternoons than I do in the mornings – probably helped by the lunch, inspirational conversations with colleagues and simply the change of scenery – so I feel I can tackle more difficult things then.

What time do you go home? Is that the end of the day, for you? Do you continue to think about the fragrances when you get home?

In the past I used to stay until 9pm, when I was younger I’d work at least twelve hours a day, but I don’t do that any longer. So, let’s say after lunch, from around 2pm I usually stay in the office until 7:30pm minimum, then I go back to my house and do some sport. I never work at home, not ever, otherwise my head would explode. Well, okay, sometimes when I’m fed up, I take my laptop and work from home instead of the office, but on these occasions I’m with my wife and we stay maybe a week in Paris and a week in the South of France, where we have a nice flat.

Seeing the sea, the luminosity of the area – being in Cannes, visiting the islands, the harbour, watching the boats coming in and out – it gives me such inspiration. My nose doesn’t switch ‘off’ as such, but we’re not going around smelling things all the time as a perfumer, not in the same way as when we work, I think it would be impossible to have a life.

Do you need to be in a particular mood, to create?

Not especially, but I do need to feel energised I suppose, I must feel passionate about what I’m doing because otherwise what’s the point?

How long does it take from concept to finished fragrance, in general?

I mean my initial concept can be done in two or three hours, but how long it then takes to come out as a finished fragrance might be two or three years! Ideally, a year and a half is enough to create a great fragrance. You see you have to wait until the year after that to be on the market. There’s one project, I don’t want to say for whom [he chuckles], but I’ve been working on it for eleven years. And it’s still going on!

Do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what kind – pop, jazz, classical…?

No, I can only concentrate in one thing at a time when I’m working. So I couldn’t even read a book or magazine with the radio on in the background, for example, I don’t do that thing of watching TV while you’re on your phone and half reading something else… I do find most of the perfumers like to have music on the radio or stream it from their smart phone, but for me the key is to focus.

 

 

Is a visual moodboard of inspirational pictures / colours helpful for you to create?

More and more clients send me pictures to look through. Before, I’d be sent a few piles of pictures a year, in hardcopy. Now it’s mainly digital they can easily create a moodboard, it’s a visual language. To see on the screen what they want is useful. But often they can turn out the same. You know: it has to be strong but easy to wear, pleasing to the market, something different, long lasting, another unique fragrance…

When I’m gathering inspiration for myself, I read through all the magazines that I buy, I like to first of all flick through in about ten minutes to get an overview and see the colours, colours really drive me. I like to keep my eye in, see what people are interested in. Sometimes I then see these images again in moodboards clients then send me, because they often use images they’ve found in magazines, so I like to know the context. Sometimes the inspiration they send is really good, it helps give me ideas more quickly.

What is the most number of modifications you’ve ever had to do, on a fragrance? And the least?

Some just happen really quickly. Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, for example, I did in forty experiments, but I have some that are painful – the longer you’re working on something I feel it’s the worst for creativity because you can get lost. I’m lost, the client is lost. The entire concept can change, the name, if it’s feminine or masculine in style, literally everything.

How many materials do you have at your fingertips, to work with? And how many tend to be in your regular palette?

Out of 1500 main ingredients I have access to – though it’s what we call a ‘living palette’ and that can always be added to – I’m usually working with the same 400. This means I don’t have to smell them all the time, which might sound strange to some people, but I know them so well I know all the outcomes and possibilities of them. It takes you ten years to get to know them that well – to see, to feel, to touch, then just to know.

How much of your day (or perhaps week) is spent on your own work – creating new accords, working with materials that may have been offered to you by the ingredients houses, to ‘store up’ and use for future finished creations?

I don’t have that time generally. The only trésor time I have, to do exactly what I want, is with AKRO. The thing is, I don’t get to actually smell materials all day, I don’t need to do that anymore to write a formula, I will only then smell them to create a big step in that formula or change it somehow. When we get new molecules or ingredients and extractions to smell, that is always exciting, because I don’t know them!

 Is there one fragrance you WISH you’d created, and why is it so special?

[Without hesitation] Shalimar. It’s what I’ve smelled in my family for years, I love the richness of the bergamot with the leather and vanilla, the benzoin. It’s magic! I created Champs-Elysés for Guerlain – with musk, mimosa, you know, very different. I loved it but it didn’t go so well. [He laughs] I created for them, anyway, and it was a great time. For a masculine, I’d loved to have created Dior’s Sauvage. Another all-time classic. What more can you ask for?

Get to know the nose: Alberto Morillas

In this series we are inviting you to ‘get to know the nose’ – those perfumers who create the scents we adore, who bottle lifelong scent memories and span the worlds of Art and Science. In this exclusive interview, you’ll get to know none other than Alberto Morillas… 

‘Legend‘ is a word bandied about so often it can be rendered meaningless, but when applied to the perfumer Alberto Morillas, there can be no doubting the truth of such a statement. Creator of countless iconic fragrances – from Calvin Klein CK One, Kenzo Flower, Bvlgari Omnia, Cartier Panthere de Cartier, Giorgio Armani Aqua di Giò for women (seriously, the list is seemingly endless) – to the more recent scent success of Gucci‘s fragrances, perfumes for Penhaligon’s, and the BVLGARI Goldea scents. And then those more ‘niche’ interpretations of his art, working alongside remarkable brands such as Aedes de Venustas, A Lab On Fire and By Kilian to name but three of his extensive client list. Whatever your taste, wherever you began your quest for the perfect perfume – his scents have doubtless been in your collection and on your skin at one time or another. 

Winning the prestigious Prix François Coty in 2003 and The Fragrance Foundation Lifetime Perfumer in 2013, among numerous other awards for his creations; Morillas then set up his own house of Mizensir, initially selling candles – using the same dedication and attention to detail in hand-making these as he does creating fine fragrances. Now fans rejoice in the fact Morillas has recently expanded Mizensir in to a range of fine fragrances, too.

With so many infamous names on his client list, Alberto can pick and choose who he works with at any time, so those scents he composes are very special indeed. We were honoured, indeed, to catch up with Alberto for our regular ‘get to know the nose’ feature, and hearing him wax lyrical on his favourite (and most-hated) smells, his fragrant inspirations and for a unique insight in to this, yes, legendary perfumer’s behind-the-scenes techniques…

 

 

 

What is your first ‘scent memory’?

‘Traditional Christmas Cakes that smelled like Anis and Vanilla, made by the Carmelite nuns in my town, we would order these cakes from Christmas and pick them up at the convent, this smell is imprinted in my memory.’

When did you decide you wanted to be a perfumer/create your own perfume?

‘I started hearing about the métier of perfumer when I came to Geneva to study; around the same time I discovered that there was a creator behind each fragrance. I had read an article in Vogue Magazine where Jean Paul Guerlain explained how to create a fragrance. That was a revelation for me!’

What are your five favourite smells in the world?

‘More personally, I like everything that would evoke the Mediterranean Sea, with the deep blue water, the sun and the nature which go with it. I am very attached for example to the citruses, sea notes and flowers including jasmine, tuberose, neroli and orange blossom. They are the expression of a certain kind of freshness, a sophisticated freshness and at the same time full of joy. I’m also in love with gardens. They are my second passion. I spend a lot of time in my family garden in Geneva, it gives me a breath, a moment of dream and relaxation, and it always inspires me for my work as a perfumer. The inspiration which feeds my creation is very simple, it is everything I see in nature.’

What’s the worst thing you ever smelled. (Honestly!)

‘The smell of onion is really unpleasant and overwhelming. I can’t smell anything when there’s onion in the room. And it makes you cry!’

Do you feel (like us) that this is one of the most exciting times in fragrance history, because of the creativity being expressed by perfumers? Why do you think that is?

‘A lot of things have changed! Mainly due to an acceleration of time and pressures. In reaction to these constant pressures, people want freedom, to express themselves freely. Perfume is a world of passion, pleasure and emotions which gives a beautiful escape to everyone. The increasing number of new creations each year has not restrained the community of perfume lovers. On the contrary, men and women are becoming more and more experts of fragrances. Brands are now offering a different storytelling around creation, giving a major place to the olfactive creation and to the ingredients. I’m very positive about the future!’

How many perfumes might you be working on, at one time?

‘Oh I can be working on many, many – in over twenty directions at any time! I work on mine and for other people. I like to say yes, but only if I love the people themselves. I made Zara candles and that was an honour to me, that they wanted to have my signature. But when I finish working on something it is no longer mine, it’s not for me when it’s finished – it’s for the customer, it belongs to them. Though the formula is mine!’

Does your nose ever ‘switch off’?

‘No, never, I am working all the time – even just walking down the street I am smelling and sometimes, well quite a lot as it happens, I smell one of the perfumes I created as someone passes me. It still gives me the same pleasure to smell that on someone now as when I first created it… Perfumers never rest, no one is ever in a completely odour-free environment and it is like the brain: the nose never rests. Creating a fragrance is an art, it is very personal and creative exercise.’

How long, roughly, does it take you to create a fragrance?

‘Some are one or two years, others can be five or more. But it’s very difficult you know, because it needs to change only a tiny bit and that takes a lot longer than if it was just brand new. To alter something a little takes a lot more work.’

 

 

 

Is creating a fragrance ‘visual’ for you, as well as something that happens in the nose/brain? If so, in what way…? Is a mood-board helpful?

‘No, I can be inspired by seeing something but it automatically goes to an emotion in my head and I memorise that and that’s what I try to create. As perfumers, we use words, sounds, colours, shapes, textures to talk about smells, and get our memory working. That’s how we build up and maintain our “scent bank”, by associating a smell with another completely different sensory element. Perfume calls on our strongest instincts and our emotions. Spontaneously, we grab hold of something palpable, something we can see to give it meaning. In my daily work, I’m a very visual person, almost all my formulas are written by hand. My handwriting is my emotion. When I write the formula, I can smell the perfume. I also really like to receive images when I create new products; it is always a great source of inspiration.’

What can each of us do to enhance our appreciation of fragrance? What is your best tip for improving a person’s sense of smell?

‘If you train your nose, you’ll be able to make the difference between the main olfactive families. In fact, everyone has his own olfactive memory like a “library of scents”, made of smells you associate to people, places, travels, objects, food, moments of your life, etc. You can enrich this library by smelling fragrances in store or trying them on skin to live with them. Some are fresher, some are more sensual, try to put words on what you smell to define the different sensations. Then repeat, repeat ceaselessly. Practice by smelling in blind. Be spontaneous, say everything, feel free to write everything which comes to mind. Time after time, you’ll have your own references and you’ll be able to classify fragrances by main themes, like woody, aromatic, citrus and ambrée. Memory. That’s the most important thing. You need to smell again and again and again the same thing and then mix it with other things and see how it changes. Like cooking – you need to taste all the time to improve your palette and it’s the same with smell. I cannot say enough how important memory is, that act of memorising how something smells, what it means to you.’

If you had one fragrance note that you love above all others, what would that be?

‘Oh the rose for me, always the rose. But then the musks of course – I guess I am the king of musk! But each one is different – so there’s an Armani musk, a Cartier musk… They each have their own unique character, so you cannot simply talk of “musk” as one thing. And it’s not an obsession, but I like very much orange blossom when I’m back to my homeland in Seville, spring time is the moment for traditional processions. It smells orange blossom and incense, a wonderful smell that could inspire me in the future, who knows?’

Nose – the ‘smell good movie’ revealing the scent secrets of Dior perfumer, François Demachy

Nose is a more than a documentary following Dior perfumer François Demachy, it’s a paean to the raw ingredients of perfumery, and the hardworking people who grow and harvest the ingredients around the world.

Having first premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, the film has just been released – watch the trailer, below, read our review and find out where you can watch…

 

 

Dior describe it as ‘A true “smell good movie” Nose sheds light on one of the most secret jobs in the world.’ And while we mostly remainly quarantined, what a wonderful way to travel by your nose it is.

‘Perfumes are a language everyone understands, but few people can speak’ Demachy explains as he sits in his office, filled with endless bottles and piles of books, later commenting that ‘For me, a perfume is a land of sharing.’ Fascinatingly, when asked what his first ever perfume was, he reveals ‘The first thing I did was a perfume intended to whet the appetites of bovine, so they would eat the fodder.’ Quite a leap to his life, now, and yet in this film we get to see how he works with the growers of the materials he so loves, eventually whetting all our appetites with their distilled passion.

In Sulawesi, Indonesia, Demachy travels for three days to visit the patchouli plantations, and says for him, it was the most rewarding part of filming Nose.

‘We took a small plane, then a four-wheel drive, followed by a hike through a few isolated villages in the middle of nowhere. That in itself was already an enjoyable adventure, but then there was this magnificent reward at the end, and I finally got to see my favorite ingredient in its natural environment, on these steep slopes… It’s quite moving to see this… This is where it all begins for perfumery.’ François Demachy remarks as he watches the freshly picked patchouli being washed (and having covered his arms in the fragrantly oily residue).

Fragrance writer Eddie Bulliqi makes an apperance at several points during the film, discussing the links between music and fragrance, and the creative process; but again, it’s the growers who are most celebrated in Nose, even more than the often romanticised life of a great perfumer.

From the idyllic fields of jasmine and rose in Grasse, we meet the women who own the land and discover exactly how hard it is to work those so-pretty fields. And we hear from Patrick Lillis, a ‘Celtic ambergris broker’ from County Clare, Ireland. As the wind and rain lash the shore, Patrick and his dog walk beside the broiling sea, and this gruff-voiced, sou’wester-wearing man waxes lyrical on the magic of ambergris in perfumery.

‘It’s a personal taste thing, you know?’ he says, while sniffing a white (and therefore older, stronger) lump of the precious material. ‘It’s quite a profound, animatic smell… Some people say it adds another dimension to perfumery, that a normal perfume is 2D and this is 3D. It’s the best natural fixative for perfume, and it’s oleophilic – it grabs hold of the oils. But it also does another thing which is a little bit magical: it transforms other fragrances.’

Simply put, Nose is a feast for the senses, and a much-needed way for us to feed the wanderlust we’re all experiencing. Gorgeous, swooping shots of landscape and sumptuous close-ups of dew-speckled flowers accompany this portrait, that goes beyond the work of Demachy, and invites the viewer to fall as passionately in love with the world of perfumery as he and all the people behind the scenes so obviously are…

Nose is now available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV and Google Play.

By Suzy Nightingale

Les Parfums – charming new French comedy film about a ‘nose’: watch the trailer here!

Les Parfums (‘Perfumes’) is a just-released and utterly charming French film following the life of a feared and reclusive ‘nose’, and her troubled realtionship with her new chauffeur.

The English-subtitled film is a gentle comedy, but takes a serious (and very well presented) look at the life of a perfumer, and it has been released in the U.K. Now showing at selected Curzon cinemas,  it’s also on Curzon Home Cinema (to stream at home, for those of us not near one of the venues or who prefer to watch from the comfort of our homes).

Curzon Home Cinema says: ‘Anne Walberg (Emmanuelle Devos) is a master in fragrance who has fallen from grace amongst the upper echelons of the perfume industry. However, her skills are still in demand from companies looking to mask the smell of their odorous products. Over the years she has become selfish and temperamental. When she hires Guillaume (Grégory Montel) – a down on his luck chauffeur with too many points on his license and a rocky relationship with his young daughter – they strike up an unlikely friendship. Together they look to repair their lives and create a new signature scent to return Anne to her previous fame.’

Our review:

There are so few films about perfumers and our sense of smell, and we were thrilled to discover this new movie more than lives up to expectations. Following the rather hapless chauffeur, at first, Guillaume’s first clue to the trials and tribulations ahead with his new client is when she sniffs him, names the brand of his cigarettes and, when he offers her one, throws the packet out the car window. Other clues to her profession (and her character) come when Ms. Walberg demands that he help her change the sheets in a hotel room, declaring: ‘They use a fabric conditioner full of galaxolides for that “clean” smell. I hate it!’
Asked to recreate the smell of an ancient cave to diffuse at a tourist attraction, Ms. Walberg takes Guillaume along with her, rubbing the walls. ‘Mineral, earthy, camphor, touch of moss… Iris root’ she bids him write down in her notebook. Later, she asks him to smell something she’s created on a blotter. He complains that he doesn’t know what it smells of, but she gently encourages him to say whatever thoughts come to mind. ‘Trust yourself.’ Before we know it, Guillaume is in the supermarket, sniffing various shower gels – under the watchful gaze of a bemused security guard. ‘Something quite mellow…’ he says, as the guard shuffles closer, clearly unused to such behaviour in Aisle 5.
The extent of of Walberg’s’ fame is revealed when she smells Dior J’Adore on a waitress and casually tells Guillaume she created it. (In fact, it was composed by perfumer Calice Becker in 1999, but this is a fictional film, after all). Later we learn that, after she became famous with her photo adorning the cover of magazines, she ‘began to lose (my) nose.’ She thought that ‘with my experience of blending I could do it from memory.’ But after making a mistake, her confidence in composing fine fragrance was truly troubled and Devos lost her contract. Her sense of smell came back, but ‘the perfume world is small,’ and so with her reputation struck down in flames, she stuck to smaller, industrial and functional fragrance jobs while avoiding the public gaze.
Suddenly, Walberg loses her sense of smell again. Terrified, she decides to part ways with her pushy agent and, under the treatment of an anosmia specialist – who describes the condition as when ‘The nose and the brain stop working together,’ she begins her journey back into the fragrance world. But can this chauffeur with ‘a good nose’ actually help her recover her reputation and heal his own life…?
Les Parfums is a wonderful evocation of that joy of sharing a love of fragrance, of watching someone develop and explore their own sense of smell. And it’s also a healthy reminder that anosmia – losing one’s sense of smell – can be a terrifying and life-changing experience, even if you don’t happen to be a perfumer. A gentle film that’s slow in pace but nonetheless completely gripping because of the sensitive character portrayal by the two leading actors, there’s some stunning shots of the French countryside and those Parisian streets we miss so much, too. A paean to the world of perfume and the gift that is our sense of smell, we say this is a must-watch for anyone who loves fragrance.

Now we’ve caught your interest, watch the trailer, below, and allow yourself to fall for Les Parfums’ charms…

Written by Suzy Nightingale