Meet an inspiring and joyful woman!

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Define "2018 Roxo Tonic" in three words.

Energizing, Sparkling, Addictive.

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Your favorite cocktail?

In fact, at my perfume launch party for Les Bains, your bartender made a cocktail inspired by my perfume, and I think it's the best cocktail I've ever had!

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What is your first olfactory memory?

One of the first was my mother's perfume Rive Gauche by Yves Saint Laurent, from which I borrowed a few sprays for every occasion.

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Where does your passion come from?

For as long as I can remember, I've always been curious about scents, but I discovered the perfume business while studying chemistry, and that's when it all started.

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What's your typical day like?

Whenever I can, I like to start my day with a morning run, which gives me energy for the whole day. After a quiet cup of tea, I start by reading my e-mails and organizing my day, even though it's very rare for this plan to go according to plan!

Then, the first thing I smell when I get to the office are the background notes from the tests I did the day before.

From there, I prepare modifications to these notes and send them to my assistant.

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After this element, the next blocks will be on the following column

It's usually at this point that my colleagues start coming to see me to work on our projects, and the day unfolds to the rhythm of team exchanges and evaluations.

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Do you have any "fetish" raw materials?

I particularly like musks, whose soft, sensual patina adds a unique character. I also love cashmeran, found in Alien, and orange blossom.

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Do you use natural, synthetic or combination materials? Why do you do this?

Both of them! One reveals the other, and it's always a game of balance between the different types of ingredients and their characters to achieve a pretty, harmonious composition.

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Where do you go for new olfactory inspiration?

The best ideas often come from discussions with friends, colleagues or Dominique, for example! We're lucky enough to be able to travel with perfumes every day, which is what makes this job so exciting!

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How do you train your nose on a daily basis?

Actually, I used to train it by smelling raw materials by olfactory family, but now that it's my job, I do it without really realizing it while working on projects. However, I always try to put my nose on "real life things", like flowers of course, desserts, an old book, anything that might be inspiring!

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How do you know when a fragrance has reached its apotheosis?

There comes a moment when you feel that the perfume has reached a balance, a signature and a singularity. We could always go on, endlessly, tweaking things, but you have to know when to stop, and when I find these three elements, it's a sign that we're there.

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The song that stimulates your creativity?

I don't have one in particular, but I often have songs of the moment that I like to listen to while I'm creating, and right now it's the latest Milky Chance album.

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Do you wear your own creations?

I wear the projects I'm working on on an almost daily basis. It's essential to experience a fragrance, to feel how it evolves throughout the day, to achieve that famous balance. I also have a few perfumes that I like to wear on certain occasions, even if they're not mine, like Portrait of a Lady by Frederic Malle, which I often wear for a formal evening.

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The future of perfumery. Do you think algorithms will be able to complement your work as a nose?

Artificial intelligence tools and algorithms can be a formidable creative support tool, which perfumers can choose to use, consult and then follow the recommendations or, on the contrary, divert them! It's an additional tool in our palette, and technology opens up some particularly interesting possibilities.

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Which characters inspire you on a daily basis?

It may seem obvious, but Dominique, who has taught me so much about the perfumery profession, remains a great source of inspiration on a daily basis, as much for his technique as for his kindness and simplicity.

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Have you ever created a fragrance for a specific person (child, parents, friends, celebrities, etc.)?

I have a very good friend who is getting married this summer, and she has honored me by asking me to compose the perfume she will wear on the happiest day of her life!

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Are there any major differences (method, approach, spirit) between the houses you've worked for? Which ones?

Each house has its own history, references and signature. When I wrote for Les Bains, for example, Jean-Pierre and I talked a lot about the history and spirit of the house, and we came regularly to the Roxo to immerse ourselves in the place, which enabled me to choose ingredients that reflected this spirit, almost naturally. That's the way I work, I like to delve into the brand's DNA to come up with creative ideas!

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Many thanks to Fanny Bal and the IFF team for this interview!

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