A FRENCH NOTE

One of the most fundamental keys to the luxury perfume industry in France is time. A FRENCH NOTE KARINE SCENT SCIENCE AND FRAGRANCE DESIGN VICE PRESIDENT HOW IS A PERFUME BORN? It really has to do with the inspiration you get from the ingredients, the discovery of raw materials. I’ll always remember this warm room that we visited in Lozère, in France. Not only, of course, was there a scented element, but I really felt like there was this texture of powdered iris that was going into my nostrils. AN EXAMPLE OF AN EMOTION TRANSLATED THROUGH PERFUME? We are used to understanding optimism, comfort, coziness, caring, this feeling of well-being, of being reassured from very comforting olfactory tones, from musky, light, or soft effects. Orange flower, for example, often contributes to this well-being and reassurance. FRANCE, THE BIRTHPLACE OF PERFUMERY? Grasse in France was initially a city dedicated to tannery with master glovemakers whose stretched their leather-making skins all throughout the countryside. This gave off such a bad smell that people harvesting flowery plants immediately offered to create mixtures to cover up the strong leathery smells. THE FRENCH NOTE PAR EXCELLENCE? I am particularly sensitive to lavender from the Mediterranean region. Lavender, or lavandin, is a natural raw material that is so complex and versatile. This material can be used at the same time to bring life to or reinforce all compositions regardless of whether they are masculine or feminine. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF PERFUME? What we bring to customers, through our scents, is the opportunity to create their own identities, to connect with themselves, and to connect with others as well. The way we relate to others through perfume, obviously, depends on different cultures. A WORD TO DESCRIBE FRENCH LUXURY? Time, I think, is very important. The time of the very long learning process for the experts, for the perfumers: the time to let the flowers grow. Of course, one has to respect the seasons as well. So we wait for the flowers to be ready for harvest time, for picking, and then there is time for creativity time for adjustment, time for exchange with all of our great noses which is a time we should never rush. This is something that really conditions success, brand identity, excellence. When it comes to perfumery, it is this time that we take.