In the heart of Grasse, the perfume capital of southern France, one of our ‘noses’ Alexandre works. Fragrance developers are often referred to as ‘noses’, as the nose is by far their most important working tool. The nose is a unique success factor in developing perfumes and new scents, as well as being able to distinguish around 1400 different scents.
Alexandre discovered the universe of perfume at a young age and has continuously developed his passion for fragrance and perfumes since then, both through personal experience and education. He was trained for four years by an independent perfume master in Grasse, who taught him everything there is to know about perfumes and fragrance. However, one of the most important lessons he learned was the importance of patience when developing perfumes. Natural ingredients are close to Alexandre’s heart. He finds a lot of inspiration from the world of gastronomy, and thinks that advanced cooking has many similarities to creating perfume.
We ask Alexandre whether the biggest success factor as a perfume developer is innate talent or education. He says it’s a combination, but neither talent nor education matters if you don’t have the passion. “Creating a fragrance is close to escapism, as it involves a special feeling that develops through an inner journey”
Alexandre has been the nose behind Meyenberg’s “Bergamot & Sea Salt” fragrance.
