Interview with Perfumer Maurice Roucel {Fragrant Reading}

Maurice Roucel.jpg

 

Highly recommended read. It is especially illuminating on the kind of balance a great (and successful) creative perfumer attempts to strike between (needed) commercialism and his reflection on art. After discovering Maurice Roucel's perfumes such as Tocade, 24 Faubourg, L'Instant, Insolence, Musc Ravageur and many more you can also discover his sense of humor, earthiness, and intelligence in this interview given to Symrise,

"Monsieur Roucel,
Perfumes classically consist of smells from meadows and forests, fruits and flowers, water and wood. But traditional perfumery has moved into the 21st century. What new challenges does this bring to perfumers?

That’s not at all true! Since aldehydes were first used in perfumery in the 1920s in Chanel No. 5, perfumes have become much more abstract and are full of ingredients that cannot be found in nature......

 

Other than in art, where everything started with figurative paintings and cubism and more abstract ways of painting came much later, in perfumery abstract scents like Jicky and Chanel No 5 marked the beginning of modern perfumery. Today, consumers wish to “recognize” scents, they want “figurative” perfumes which remind them of something familiar. Nature gives us an endless number of well-known role models for perfumes, and food influences are once again becoming more important in creating fragrances. One way or another, abstract fragrances are always a challenge, because consumers have not “learned” them and have a hard time categorizing and recognizing them. People are generally afraid of the new and unfamiliar …...."

Read more in Symrise......

(via 1000 Fragrances

You can also read an older interview on the Société Française des Parfumeurs, in French:

"Puis-je vous demander quel est votre signe astrologique ?
Je suis Vierge ascendant Vierge et la St Maurice se situe dans la période de la Vierge. Je suis donc un concentré de virginité. Dernière précision : je suis Tigre dans l’astrologie chinoise.

Pouvez-vous définir votre personnalité en 3 mots ?
Déterminé, curieux et passionné.

Quel a été votre parcours avant de vous consacrer à la Parfumerie ?
J’ai débuté mon activité professionnelle au CNRS dans la recherche et la synthèse organique. Puis, j’ai intégré Chanel en tant que Chimiste et spécialiste de la chromatographie gazeuse. J’y ai côtoyé Henri Robert et François Demachy. J’ai ensuite rejoint IFF où j’ai travaillé 6 ans. Je suis donc arrivé à la Parfumerie par l’analyse.

Read more...... 

 


Post a comment

Latest Comments

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Dsquared2 She Wood (2008) {New Perfume} : Thank you for the reminder and the recommendation. I need to try ...

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Les Plus Belles Lavandes de Caron (2008) {Perfume Review} : Hi Nika, Thank you for you kind words! I'd say that the ...

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Deseo by Jennifer Lopez (2008) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume} : Hi Melly, I think it was at least her 7th. She currently ...

Melissa on Night Show by Joaquín Cortés (2007) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Fragrance} {Men's Cologne} : El y el perfume estan buenos te amo joaquin.

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Article About Olivia Giacobetti: IUNX Is Back In Business {Fragrance News} {Fragrant Reading} : Yes, it's at Hôtel Costes. I'm glad you can take this opportunity ...

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Guess By Marciano (2008) + 5 Bottles as Giveaways {Perfume Review} : I liked this perfume. It is more original than the packaging indicates. ...

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Flower by Kenzo Winter Flowers (2008) {New Perfume} : Well you know the saying: why fix something that is working? But ...

Marie-Helene "Mimi" Wagner on Kenzo Vintage (2008) {Perfume Review} : Hi Alan, Wow, talk about a blast from the past! And on ...

Melly on Deseo by Jennifer Lopez (2008) {New Fragrance} {Celebrity Perfume} : Hello, my name is Melly, I'm from Germany and I want to ...

paola bonazzi on Article About Olivia Giacobetti: IUNX Is Back In Business {Fragrance News} {Fragrant Reading} : hi there I can't believe iunx is open again! I was so ...

Nika on Les Plus Belles Lavandes de Caron (2008) {Perfume Review} : Hello, Love your blog and Caron:) How's the lasting power of Les ...

pia on Dsquared2 She Wood (2008) {New Perfume} : a Lovely fragrance for ladies. and could definately be worn by males, ...

Christine Sepanek on Guess By Marciano (2008) + 5 Bottles as Giveaways {Perfume Review} : I just picked up a sample...last nite, as the sales lady promised....my ...

maisqueperfume on Plaisirs de Parfums: New Book (2008) {Fragrant Reading} : The detachable blotters are scented? Seems to be one more thing for ...

Tony Lawrence on Ralph Lauren Notorious (2008) {New Perfume} : Can anyone please tell me the name of either the trumpet player, ...

All original content and translations herein copyright © 2006. All rights reserved; reproduction requires the author’s prior written consent.
You are however welcome to provide a link back to the posts on this site as long as you explicitly mention their authorship, recognize the original source of the information you give, and acknowledge the site of origin.

Powered by
Movable Type 4.12