Marie Salamagne

Marie was born in 1977 in Paris, and claims to have had ‘an awareness and fascination for odours, ‘of attics, bread, earth, putty…’

As a child, Marie was passionate about dance – but after a degree in chemistry, she went on to study at the ISIPCA perfume school in Versailles, before joining Firmenich. When talking about her career, she makes parallels with art: when she was a teenager, she took painting lessons, and remembers preferring acrylics to watercolour. Today, she often associates smells with colours – and enjoys materials with a strong character. ‘I like working from a raw material that has a history… like patchouli, to “dress” it, to enhance it…’

Marie is particularly drawn to masculine notes like amber and wood, and her wide portfolio includes La Perla Just Precious, Nina Ricci Nina L’Eau (with Olivier Cresp), Jo Malone London Osmanthus Blossom and Saffron Cologne Intense, and Kylie Minogue Music Box. She’s one of the quartet of perfumers who worked on the new YSL Black Opium.