The noses behind the world’s most iconic perfumes
ONE of my earliest memories of perfume is that of my mom’s classic Anais Anais by Cacharel.
This is a perfume she still keeps in her collection and one that will always transport me back to my childhood.
Which reminded me that behind every unforgettable perfume is a perfumer. Like an artist uses a brush to create an exquisite painting, perfumers use their noses to create memorable scents.
The perfumer, or fragrance chemist, is the person who spends hours, days and even months experimenting with different types of scents to produce a perfume as per their client’s request.
This is someone gifted with a heightened sense of smell and the ability to identify scents and know how to blend them to perfection.
We all know just how overwhelming it can be when you walk into a perfume store to buy a new scent.
The vast range of scents, from woody and masculine to fruity and feminine, is testimony to the work of perfumers.
Now you’re probably wondering who the perfumer is that created the scent you’re wearing today.
There are iconic perfumes that have been on the market for decades, which are iconic not only because they are luxury brands, but because of the perfumers who created them.
Here’s a look at the world’s most famous and loved perfumes and the perfumers behind them.
Chanel No 5
Whether you are an expert on perfumes or not, if there’s one perfume that everybody knows by name, it’s Chanel No 5. This perfume, with its minimalistic design, but the most recognisable bottle, was the first perfume launched by French couturier Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel in 1921.
The successful marriage of top notes of aldehydes, ylang-ylang, neroli, bergamot and lemon, with middle notes of iris, jasmine, rose, orris root and lily-of-the-valley and base notes of civet, sandalwood, amber, musk, moss, vetiver, vanilla and patchouli, is what has captured the heart of millions of women over the years.
This is all thanks to a Russian-born French chemist and perfumer Ernest Beaux.
According to the Paris American Academy, Beaux had talent and audacity.
“He was also a charismatic, stylish, fiery man who enjoyed life and its pleasure. He was one of the first to exploit new molecules coming from chemical synthesis.”
Chanel No 5 remains a worldwide best-seller almost a century after its creation.
While No 5 is his most famous perfume, he is also the creator of Soir de Paris by Bourjois which was launched
in 1928 and is still on the market.
Van Cleef & Arpels First
The Van Cleef & Arpels First bottle is as recognisable as Chanel No 5’s. With its perfect balance of flowery, warm and spicy notes, First has become a landmark, timeless and sublime perfume.
As perfume critic Barbara Herman describes it, “First just smells expensive. It’s the perfume equivalent of those floral arrangements seen in the lobbies of expensive hotels.”
The perfumer who achieved this
expensive smell is Jeanclaude Ellena. The French perfumer is regarded by many in the industry as the world’s finest living perfumer.
Ellena was commissioned to create First for Van Cleef & Arpels in 1976. It was literally the first “jewellery fragrance” in the world. On how to create a scent, he tells Scent Lodge that perfume compositions are all in his head.
“This is the same intellectual process as writing a text. You will read and tell yourself, no, it’s not exactly what I mean. And you rework your sentences. It ends when you think you have said everything,” says Ellena.
“When I compose, I think neither man nor woman. I write for the pleasure of the smell. We need the smell to trigger an emotion, a feeling that is personal,” he adds.
This master perfumer is the creator of Eau Parfumée from Bvlgari and Eau de Champagne from Sisley. Ellena has been appointed exclusive perfumer for Hermès, where he worked for many years.
Le Labo Santal 33
If you’ve never heard of Santal 33 you’ve most likely smelt it.
This perfume might not have been around for decades but it has made an impact on the market since its launch in 2011.
The perfume, which was originally created as a candle, has become the most popular perfume among niche fragrance designers and has now achieved cult status.
The fragrance that is loved by celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Meghan Markle and Sophie Turner is marketed as unisex.
The brand says that Santal 33 is made to “intoxicate a man as much as a woman”, and combines provocative iris, cardamom and violet notes paired with sandalwood, papyrus, and cedarwood, giving it a leathery, musky edge.
The nose behind this popular fragrance is Frank Voelkl, a senior perfumer at Firmenich who is considered to be a contemporary “adventurer”.
Voelkl was born in Germany and raised in France.
According to Firmenich, he is a quiet yet charismatic man, who believes “in creating fragrances that connect with your soul”.
“My goal is to craft scents that will evoke a profound emotional connection – with the power to elicit pure, unadulterated happiness.”
Other popular fragrances to his name include Jason Wu’s Jason Wu Eau de Parfum and Ariana Grande’s Ari Perfume.