Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1524900
In spring 2024, I set out to explore the meaning, function, and future of fragrance in cosmetics. Garnering useful insights from both industry giants and boutique brands, I ventured to London's Covent Garden, a West Hollywood luxury gifting event, and a perfume powerhouse in Paris. Full disclosure: I adore perfume, and of course, Paris. As such, it was an absolute treat to receive an invitation to tour and interview for e Artisan—at Givaudan—the largest fragrance and flavor creator in the world. Appropriately, their fine fragrance headquarters is elegantly positioned on a leafy avenue just off L'Arc de Triomphe. Here, I got to meet highly revered master perfumers Sonia Constant and Guillaume Flavigny, followed by a laboratory tour—care of the generous Sophie Cauchi, communications manager. Aerward, I posed my questions with their cosmetics division, Active Beauty. Givaudan principles are an equal balance of marketing, the art and science of fragrance creation, sustainability, safety, and evolving consumer needs. Perfume creation is not unlike making a movie, whereby the brand is the network and the director is the perfume. One is ever-striving for the perfect story: a mood, a sense of time and place, or revisiting a philosophy, such as how feng shui informs the brand e Harmonist, artistically realized by Flavigny. It's emotional. It's a memory. It's an experience. During my interview with Active Beauty at Givaudan, I was able to ask the following questions (answers edited and/or condensed for clarity). VBL: What is the function of perfume in cosmetics? G: e main function of agrance is always to add a positive, sensorial, holistic experience to the product use. In cosmetics, agrance is oen associated with wellness! Feeling reeshed, relaxed, energized or even happy, are some of the examples which could be delivered via agrance. Lastly, a agrance has also the power to elevate and "cue" the key attributes of a product. For example, a hair product which claims to be moisturizing … will use agrance associated with 'moisture' as an olfactory cue. Courtesy of Kryolan B Y V A N E S S A B L A N C H A R D L E E " Perfume is like music that you wear." – Mathilde Thomas, co-founder of Caudalie Givaudan building entrance 1446 Cerise Doucède, 2018. Perfume bottles, metal, nylon threads.