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“ I don’t agree when a brand says: ‘we are going to create a more expensive and creative offer for our wealthy consumers.’ Brands should aim to make all of their fragrances the same quality as their collections ” Givaudan senior perfumer Antoine Maisondieu AM: These collections represent a total lack of imagination. Fragrance competition among perfumers. The perfumer is given a project like is a popular art, so I don’t agree when a brand says: ‘We are going to a piece of meat—and then we have to fght for it. That’s not an create a more expensive and creative offer for our wealthy consumers, interesting way to work. It would be more productive to work with and the others can buy mediocre products.’ Brands should aim to fewer perfumers, say three or four, and involve them in the project make all of their fragrances the same quality as their collections—they further upstream. shouldn’t need to create a separate “quality“ category. EC: There is clearly a trend for more in-house perfumers, so brands Niche fragrances will need to go through a revamp of sorts, as are putting more of a focus on the perfumer. Brands are also using there is too much focus on ingredients today—that was fne in the them more to market the fragrance, and this makes it important for beginning, but it’s getting boring. A concept like Frédéric Malle’s has a the perfumer to have a real “stance“, which will in turn reassure future, which allows the perfumer to create and sign his own perfume. the brand. We’re going towards more of a one-on-one relationship EC: I see [high-end] collections as a return to the brand’s origins, to a between brand and perfumer, which is how it was in the past. I think time when a consumer came into a store and discovered a fragrance the systematic globalization of fragrance is going to blow over—I hope in the true sense of the word. As a perfumer, working on these ranges that brands will begin to distance themselves from this practice. is a joy as there are no consumer tests [due to their small quantities]. BD: We need more time and the ability to establish a distance with Working on collections is a creative exercise that inspires us and a product that is evolving—the maceration process, for example, is changes our approach when we go on to develop more mainstream essential. Ideally, I wouldn’t touch a formula I am working on for a fragrances. These collections also help educate the consumer and month, so as to analyze the results of maceration over time, and then elevate the market. make adjustments. Very few brands let that happen and bigger brands Some accuse the market of becoming too elitist, but I disagree; it have their own rhythm, which doesn’t allow for the ‘luxury’ of time. is also becoming more accessible. Thirty years ago, fragrance was The result is that we have no distance whatsoever from what we are reserved for a certain part of the population with the means to buy creating, and we miss out on some wonderful possibilities. We also perfume. Today, mass brands are raising the bar in their market—with need time to see how the fragrance ‘wears’. We should actually wear celebrity fragrances, for example, that are more accessible. As a result, the fragrance, gauge how it impacts those around you, and how it consumers wear a lot more fragrance than they did 30 or 40 years ago. diffuses. It’s another way of testing. BD: The major brands have realized that niche brands are cutting into their own sales, so they need a way to recoup this market share, and this is where collections come in. Some of these brands offer more How do you see the market evolving, and what quality products, but they still take fewer risks when it comes to the should change? juice, as their refex is to stay within the norm. To fnd real creation CR: I try to foster deeper relationships with my brand partners; that’s today, you need to look at tiny brands, some of whom just create for the aspect that we need to improve. However, it’s also up to us to the sake of creating, and aren’t even out to make a business of it. show that we can really bring something to brands. This is happening more, but we need to express our opinion, and speak out even more. AM: The number of launches means that brands need to create How will the perfumer-brand relationship evolve? stronger products. For me, the real issue isn’t how the number of CR: Brands and perfumers both want to sell fragrance, so naturally we launches will evolve, but rather, consumer testing and the lack of want to please as many consumers as possible. When there is a real conviction that goes into a fragrance. connection between brand and perfumer, we try to do something as EC: I think the systematic globalization of fragrance is going to blow original as possible. It’s up to the relationship between the perfumer over somewhat—I hope that brands will begin to distance themselves and the brand’s marketing teams—I try to express my point of view as from this practice, as it fies in the face of the creative process. much as possible to our brand partners. As with any relationship, you BD: It’s impossible for the market to really evolve when 1,000 new must express yourself and pass the message on. fragrances launch every year. The speed of the market makes this AM: I’d instill more of a relationship based on trust between brand diffcult—things just go too fast. We need to slow down, work more in and perfumer, create more long-term partnerships and reduce the advance and take more time. n September-October 2014 - N°19 - BW Confidential 39