The in-house nose is enjoying renewed prominence as fragrance brands look to the talents of the perfumery world for wxclusive inspiration. Emma Reinhold talks to some of the noses at the forefront of their industry
JACQUES POLGE, EXCLUSIVE PERFUMER, CHANEL
Jacques Polge, Chanel’s Fifi winning perfumer, entered the perfume world by chance. He did not grow up with a burning passion for perfumery, instead opting to study literature and English instead. Poetry could have easily taken the place of perfumery.
A chance encounter with a company looking for noses for its office in New York led him across the Atlantic, and then back again to Paris where he worked for Roure-Bertrand-Dupont. “I learnt why a fragrance suited one brand and not another. It’s a very specific approach to creation, a reflection on style,” he explains. “Brands have a sex.”
Polge has worked at Chanel since 1978 and has created some the brand’s most successful modern scents such as Coco Mademoiselle, Chance and Allure. His latest project is a modern interpretation of Chanel’s iconic No5 fragrance, created by Ernest Beaux in 1921. Eau Première is a lighter take on Beaux’s masterpiece, offering softness and freshness. “No5 is an act of creation that remains true to the original, while offering a new vision of the fragrance,” says Polge.
JEAN-CLAUDE ELLENA, EXCLUSIVE PERFUMER, HERMÈS
Described in his own words as a “writer of odours”, Jean Claude Ellena has worked as Hermès’ exclusive in-house perfumer since 2004, where he has been instrumental in creating some of the house’s most popular fragrances including Terre d’Hermès, Kelly Calèche and the Garden collection, comprising Un Jardin en Méditerranée, Un Jardin sur le Nil and Un Jardin après la Mousson.
Born in Grasse, Ellena followed in his perfumer father’s footsteps, entering the perfumery industry aged just 17, before moving to Switzerland to take up the first ever place at Givaudan’s Perfumery School in 1968. His lifetime’s experience in perfumery has made him one of the most accomplished perfumers in the industry, with best sellers including Bulgari’s Eau Parfumée, Cologne Bigarade for Editions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, Eau de Campagne by Sisley and Van Cleef & Arpel’s First.
“Above all, I believe that fragrances should have form, distinction, imagination, generosity, sensuality, surprise, so that no perfume is simply reduced to the status of a product, an object, a commodity,” says Ellena.
“I have a lot of freedom in my role, I am not restricted in any way – it’s a very personal direction,” he adds. “I am realising a great dream: living my passion with both creative rigour and complete freedom. I decide on the price, the ingredients used, the theme. I have responsibility for the creation of the perfume, and I am lucky I am not restricted by marketing.”
But with such freedom comes a great responsibility. Creating a fragrance with no marketing directives is not for every perfumer but Ellena is more than willing to take on the challenge.
“You need to have a lot of conviction in this role,” he tells SPC. “I don’t have to be reassured by market tests, in fact there are no market tests. But we want to remain very Hermès.”
He talks of fragrance creation in the same way a poet would compose a poem. This ‘fragrance writing’ is inspired by the world around him, from the Hermès’ leather workshops, which spawned the fragrance Kelly Calèche to the watery islands around Kerala, which became the inspiration of Un Jardin après la Mousson.
“Every time I write a perfume it’s a blank page,” he continues. “I want to bring something new and different to life and I’m ready to take a risk. Of course I am little bit afraid but we are not like the other actors of the industry – the only thing we can do is be unique. It is all to do with the scent.”
And in order to do this, Ellena will explore every opportunity. “Sometimes I am not happy with the raw materials I am using so I have something specially made.” This was the case for the scent Brin de Réglisse, part of the exclusive Hermessence collection, for which Ellena had a unique lavender odour created.
The risk has so far paid off, with Ellena’s masculine creation Terre d’Hermes a particularly great success. Economically the brand has doubled its sales in just four years.
Ellena is currently working on a sequel to Kelly Calèche, an eau de parfum variant. “I am taking the Kelly Calèche theme in a different direction. It will be more flowery, still with the leather but more rounded and feminine,” he says.
With such an extended fragrance creation portfolio, which scent does Ellena favour?
“Like a good father I love them all. Terre d’Hermès is the best seller, while Eau d’Hermès has a much smaller following. If Eau d’Hermès [created by Edmond Roudnistka] would only sell 1,000 bottles, I am pleased because there are 1,000 people who think it’s as good as I do. We are one of the only brands to keep all its fragrances on the market and that makes us truly unique.”
THIERRY WASSER, EXCLUSIVE PERFUMER, GUERLAIN
Thierry Wasser’s arrival at Guerlain this year was an historic occasion for the French fragrance house as it marked the first time in its 180-year history that an in-house nose has been appointed outside the Guerlain family.
“It’s a very prestigious position but I still work with Jean Paul Guerlain – he is the gate keeper at Guerlain,” he tells SPC. “He has created magnificent fragrances for the last 50 years so it’s an esteemed position to take up.”
Wasser confesses that he took up his position at Guerlain with some trepidation. “My main concern was the loneliness, not being in touch with the supplier houses and not being able to enrich my own palette by discovering new molecules and raw materials,” he says.
But his fears have been allayed and he believes he has found the right mix of creative independence and team participation.
“In the fragrance industry it’s important to work as a team. I am the nose but I cannot be the eyes and ears as well,” he explains. “We are very involved as a team. Monsieur Guerlain is a very romantic person – he created fragrances with his heart and the story was then built around it, which is the opposite way to how marketing works today. Ideally I want to continue this.”
Wasser is keen to follow in the Guerlain tradition and feels duty bound to continue to promote its heritage. “I feel responsible to stay true to the brand, not to betray its past. Guerlain’s roots go back more than a century.”
One route Wasser is looking at taking is to build more global awareness. “I want to put the brand on the map but you have to be careful how this is done. With Guerlain Homme (which Wasser created with Jean Paul Guerlain) we think we have created a strong franchise that is conveying a different message – we know that it is doing very well but we are not going to look too much at the next thing. We will take our time in building the brand.”
A sister fragrance to Guerlain Homme is also being mooted but Wasser reiterates that he will not be rushed into launching fragrances just for the sake of it. “The market is very crowded with a lot of fragrances being launched every year. Many of them are linked to fashion and trends. This is something that we at Guerlain are not. For 180 years fragrance has been our business, and I hope this along with the skin care and colour will continue.”
And with a history steeped in nature and botany, Wasser seems confident he can continue the Guerlain story.
“My interest in nature and agriculture is totally fulfilled at Guerlain – everything I have done in the past makes sense in my job today.”
LYN HARRIS, FOUNDER AND PERFUMER, MILLER HARRIS
Inspired by the aromas of her grandparent’s walled flower garden, Lyn Harris embarked on a career in perfumery. After studying in Paris, she founded Miller Harris, an independent perfumery brand with a cult following.
Like so many perfumers who are unrestricted by marketing and budgets, Harris’ approach to perfumery is artisanal. “I love the simple power of raw materials, how a tiny flower can make a crucial difference in my creations,” she tells SPC. “And I love the whole process of getting that magical essence, that tiny droplet of life that is so important in the finished product.”
Working without any confines has enabled Harris to set her own creative course. “As an in-house perfumer I have complete control over the quality and continuity of the fragrance and taking care of the detail is a full time job. If a brand has an in-house perfumer it enables the customer to follow their work and see how it evolves over time as you do with any artist,” she explains.
Miller Harris’ best selling scents are Noix de Tubéreuse, a blend of tuberose, mimosa, wild green clover, and violet, and Fleur Oriental, combining fresh orange flower, spicy carnation, Turkish rose, musk amber and vanilla. “Orientals are today a must have in any woman’s wardrobe,” says Harris.
Harris would like to see the fragrance industry interact more with the consumer, to create better understanding of the sector. “The consumer needs to be more educated,” she says. “They should be entitled to learn more about raw materials and the origins of these materials just like they do with food. But all of this is shrouded by marketing. For me, marketing stifles luxury and creativity so I would like there to be less emphasis on the marketing of a product and more on the truth about the product.”