Madagascar, a land of innovation for Symrise
A hundred years after the first botanical trials were run there, Madagascar remains an extraordinary open-air laboratory.
Perfume
Olfactive Vision by Firmenich: a tool to create the next decade’s perfumery
What will the fragrances of tomorrow be made of? Sustainable beets, feminine fougères or safely toxic fragrances? Firmenich’s perfumers and creative team give us a glimpse into the future.
Saskia Wilson Brown: ”Only diversity can allow for a living culture”
Director and founder of the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, Saskia Wilson Brown is deeply engaged in open access and transmedia practices. The Institute for Art and Olfaction, founded in 2012, is a non-profit arts organization devoted to experimentation and education in perfumery.
Alessandra Tucci: “If the perfume industry wants to see more diversity in its teams, it can only happen through education”
Alessandra Tucci founded the Paralela Escola Olfativa in São Paulo in 2012 and became an expert in perfumery, strategy and innovation.
Chantal Artignan: “Our school should not be reserved for a social elite”
Chantal Artignan is the director of the École Supérieure du Parfum (ESP) which has been training students in Paris and Grasse since 2011
Shyamala Maisondieu: “I had to make my own voice heard”
Shyamala Maisondieu is a truly international perfumer. Born in Malaysia, she studied in London, lived in Hong Kong and followed the courses of the Givaudan perfumery school, in Grasse.
Shabnam Tavakol: “There is a problem of diversity, equity, and inclusion in perfumery “
Shabnam Tavakol is an independent perfumer who draws her strength from an atypical background. As her first fragrance, Nostalgia, is revealed, we exchanged about the issues of diversity, equality and inclusivity in perfumery today.
“All-inclusive”: Perfumery confronts inequalities
Nez met with perfumery professionals and brings you a series of interviews on diversity, equality and inclusiveness in the perfume industry.
Science of Wellness: emotions in a bottle
Composition house IFF launches its Science of Wellness platform: a tool for understanding the emotions linked to olfactory stimuli based on 40 years of consumer research and development, and designed to boost creativity.
Natural perfumes: conclusion and a few thoughts
We would like to share a few thoughts and ideas to conclude this special report on natural perfumery and say goodbye after two weeks spent together exploring the subject!
The many facets of natural perfumery: some useful definitions
My perfume is 100% natural. Yes, but what does that mean? What exactly does it contain? Well, it depends!
Natural perfumes: the Nez selection
After reading the perfumers’ opinions on the subject, let’s get down to business: here for your delectation is a selection (not exhaustive, of course) of brands and a few creations that have caught our attention.
Mandy Aftel: “Mixing a bunch of natural ingredients in a bottle does not produce a perfume”
American perfumer Mandy Aftel has been creating natural fragrances for 30 years and has founded her own brand, Aftelier Perfumes. This passionate pioneer tells us how she discovered natural fragrances, how she works, and what she thinks about the current natural craze.
Irène Farmachidi : “In 100% natural perfumery, we formulate by using paraphrases, it’s like a game”
A graduate of ISIPCA, Irène Farmachidi learned the perfume business alongside Dominique Ropion and Maurice Roucel, and then Charabot. In 2011, she moved to Technicoflor. She has recently created natural perfumes for the brand Ormaie.
Serge de Oliveira : “Most clients want natural perfumes that are just like conventional fragrances”
When he first began working at Robertet in Grasse eight years ago, Serge De Oliveira quickly began to compose natural perfumes. Today he creates fragrances for 100Bon, Ormaie and Nolença as well as Ultra Doux shampoos.
Isabelle Doyen and Camille Goutal: “For us, 100% natural is a perfumer’s challenge rather than a marketing position”
The two perfumers and creators of the brand Voyages imaginaires, who stay true to an unfailingly bold and unpretentious creativity, an intentionally poetic feel, and a shared taste for natural ingredients.
Delphine Thierry: “To formulate 100% natural perfumes, I set aside almost everything I’ve learned so far”
Independent perfumer since 2007, Delphine Thierry has a real love for natural ingredients, and did not wait for them to be in vogue to become interested in this perfumery. She has collaborated with the brands Eve and Daphnée, Floratropia, and Richard Lüscher Britos.
Caroline Dumur: “Without synthetics, you have to learn to formulate differently”
When they work for several brands, perfumers have to deal with different accepted definitions of what is natural as well as various specifications. How do they cope? And how does the formulating process differ between natural and traditional perfumes? We asked Caroline Dumur, a perfumer at IFF.
Hiram Green: “If people want to buy my perfumes, it should be because they like their smell”
Hiram Green is alone at the head of his own brand since 2013. He dedicates his 100% natural palette to making artisanal perfumery and his perfumes, astounding with creativity and skill, belie many clichés associated with natural perfumery.
Natural perfumers
Natural perfumes: everyone talks about them, but nobody really knows what they are made of. Nez offers you a special report that gives the floor to the perfumers who compose them, in order to get a real sense of their practices, their experiences and their opinions on the question.
