Coty has unveiled a new documentary celebrating Pierre Bourdon, the perfumer behind popular fragrance Davidoff Cool Water.
The Gentleman Perfumer film offers a behind-the-scenes look at the creative process of making the scent.
Bourdon shares personal archives and ‘olfactive reflections’, as well as advice for perfumers of the future.
Davidoff’s Cool Water launched in 1988 and was part of the “new freshness” fragrance movement.
This saw a move away from heavier oriental and floral scents that were common at the time, bringing a fresh, ‘clean’, and minimalist approach to composition and ingredients.
The demand for Cool Water surged so much that fragrance counters were forced to introduce waiting lists for shoppers, with sales breaking records in Germany, the UK and US, read a statement from Coty.
In the film, Bourdon shares that reading Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time inspired him to become a perfumer, and compares fragrance with Schubert’s serenade, which is “extraordinarily simple”.
“With very few notes, you can create a form, you create an atmosphere, you create a need, it becomes addictive, you want to hear it again. That is a real perfume,” he said.
The film, directed by 180 Global Luxe in collaboration with Coty, explores Bourdon’s influences and previously unheard anecdotes about the creation of the fragrance.
Laurent François, Managing Partner at 180, said: “Bourdon’s legacy is a founding narrative for anyone seeking to understand the history of perfumery.
“This documentary is a valuable resource that will inspire both today and tomorrow’s perfumers.”
The ten-minute film is available to watch on YouTube, from today and clips will also appear on social media.