The question of “A Florist or a Chef as a Perfumer?” was posed in an article by Vogue, which highlighted “4 fragrance labels you need to know now“.

Magnolia Grandiflora Michel
Magnolia Grandiflora Michel

Fragrance brand creation has traditionally been the domain of fashion and lifestyle brands, but it has certainly changed. Nowadays, we see all types of artists using perfume as an additional (creative and business) outlet. Think of all the recent celebrity and musician’s (Pop/RnB/HipHop) perfume launches. Some might say it’s not “authentic”, I would argue that any artist can relate to the creative process of developing something as artistic as perfume.

Why A Florist ?

A Florist is a more obvious choice as a perfumer, since she or he is exposed to the very essence of all perfumes. No matter what type or family of fragrance you prefer, all include floral notes and ingredients. Which leads me to another great example, very near and dear to my heart: Chefs.

Celestial Jasmine Perfume Eric Buterbaugh
Celestial Jasmine Perfume Eric Buterbaugh

And now a Chef ?

Have you read about multi-Michelin-starred Jason Atheton’s new fragrance launch yet? A collaboration between Jason, FOUR magazine and Boadicea The Victorious. As Jason mentioned: “When FOUR first approached me to work on a fragrance I was surprised. My first thought was, ‘I’m a chef, what do I know about fragrances?’ But when Antioco [Piras, co-founder of FOUR magazine] explained the concept to me, I instantly knew I wanted to be involved,” (source). By the way, this wonderful scent has also been “Michelin-star” priced and can be found at Harrod’s London.

Why was Jason surprised? As a Chef you constantly work with all the wonderful aromatic ingredients: fruit, herbs, spices, sweet (dessert) notes and even edible flowers. Creating a recipe is very similar to the development process of a perfumer, you build “layers” which in perfumery terms translates to top/mid/bottom (the way a fragrance evolves on skin). Let’s also not forget that taste is more than 80% smell!

clique by roble
clique by roble

When Chef Roblé and I embarked on the creation of the first ever “Fragrance Recipe”, we were asked if a savory meat or seafood dish served as inspiration. Well, even though we love to eat savory dishes, you might not necessarily want to smell like it. The combination we ultimately incorporated includes edible notes like blood-orange, lime, a hint of spice (chipotle) and some amazing dessert notes; vanilla, chocolate, burnt-sugar and even a drizzle of toasted honey. (source)

Sounds delicious? The flavor and fragrance combinations are endless, which leaves the question for VOGUE: “Are Chefs The New Perfumers?”


Author: Bart Schmidt