Bespoke perfumes require an intimate relationship between perfumer and client
The artisan must go beyond the art and science of making perfumes and come to truly understand what their client desires
Mandy Aftel of Aftelier Perfumes in the United States says she considers herself a very lucky woman because she has the opportunity to craft beautiful scents every day with “materials that are so gorgeous, diverse and historical”.
“Smells are complicated,” the perfumer says. “They take you places, remind you of things, and just allowing them to wash over you will start you on a path.”
Penny Ellis, bespoke perfumes manager for Floris London, shares the sentiment. “Having a fragrance that evokes memories is the most beautiful thing,” she says. “How a certain scent can instantly transport you to a particular place in time is so powerful and magical.”
This is especially the case for bespoke perfumes, which takes the world of personalisation to new dimensions. The process offers individuals a chance to not only convert emotions and memories into a unique scent, but also to create new emotions and memories to be associated with the fragrance.
There are only a handful of artisans who have mastered the exacting skills required to make a name for themselves in this field.
Cartier perfumer Mathilde Laurent is one example. A trained chemist, Laurent brings her scents to life in the maison’s fragrance laboratory. It is in this stunningly meticulous laboratory, located on the sixth floor of the Cartier Foundation building in Paris, that she applies her art using a chemist’s apparatus of pipettes and flasks.
While Laurent offers experience from working under Jean-Paul Guerlain at Guerlain, another house known for its expertise in bespoke fragrances, it’s equally important that she also has a background in science. Crafting perfumes is a delicate balance between art and science. And when it comes to creating a bespoke scent for a client, an even more complex task is added into the mix.
After all, the ultimate goal of a bespoke perfume is to translate the client’s story – whether it’s a vision, a memory or a feeling – into a one-of-a-kind scent they can share with loved ones.