A Career as a Perfumer: An Interview with CPL Aromas Perfumer Elise Pierre
Being a perfumer takes dedication, training, and passion. It’s a career path that for outsiders of the industry holds mysticism and intrigue. In this interview with Elise Pierre, a perfumer at CPL Aromas, we uncover the journey of a perfumer, the landscape of the UK fragrance scene, and things to look out for as well as what it takes to deliver a scent to the market.
How did you discover the power of scent, and when did you realise that you wanted to become a perfumer?
I’m from Normandy so I’ve always been surrounded by nature, the countryside, and the sea. My memories are filled with the flowers in my parent’s garden, the kitchen and garden of my grandfather as I used to help him bring the cows back from the field for the night. A different mix of smells, from the woody/earthy notes in the forest, to the lovely smell of cow’s dung in the field (haha). Also, my mother used to have a box filled with perfume samples that I used to smell all the time. I was smelling everything and always had the ability to describe what I was smelling. Those are memories that are really engraved in my mind.
When I was really young, I wanted to become a florist, I have always been fascinated by the beauty of flowers. It was age 11 that I discovered the job of a perfumer when I was looking in a career book, I found the description of this wonderful profession and it was evidently for me. So, I tried to follow the steps to my dream.
What did you study at university and how has it helped your understanding and growth in the fragrance industry?
I studied chemistry and then I did a master’s degree at ISIPCA with an apprenticeship. We were studying the fragrance market in different applications, learning to recognise hundreds of raw materials. We also learnt how to formulate some small accords in the lab and studied classic fine fragrance bestsellers. Those classes in the lab were my favourite. My apprenticeship was also really interesting because I was working on regulatory matters, which helped me a lot at the beginning of my career as a perfumer. It’s also where I started making accords, creations and I was smelling with the perfumer of the company to help her find the right modification to fit what the customer wanted.
In your career, what other roles have you done that you have found invaluable to your career growth experience and why?
After my experience in regulatory which was already really enriching, I started working in the UK as a Product Performance Coordinator. I was testing different fragrances in different applications; it was really important to be able to understand how fragrances were reacting in different applications. I also spent a few months working as a fragrance developer, which for me was one of the most valuable experiences, especially when I wanted to be a perfumer. As a fragrance developer, you are in between so many factors of the development of the fragrance, that you can really understand each different role in the company. As a perfumer now, I think it is very useful to understand the different parts everyone has in the process. It helps to be more efficient and to know exactly who to ask in terms of questions regarding the processes of creating and selling a fragrance.
What does your creative process look like?
I would say when it’s a creative project, I ask myself, “what doesn’t exist yet”. So I use accords, raw materials and I think of a combination to play with to be innovative and try to bring something new. Also, I think working with raw materials and accords you love helps the creativity and the story of your fragrance. Sometimes, I challenge myself to work with raw materials that are not my favourite, and I try to make a fragrance that I like and would wear. It can be quite surprising sometimes.
What are some of the differences in working in France to working here in the UK?
As I worked in the UK for nearly 4 years, I can say the difference can be the reactivity of projects. As in France the market is so intense, for some projects the submissions needed to be delivered yesterday... we need to be more reactive. It can be more stressful but also really challenging. The culture of fragrance is different in both countries I would say that France can be more guided by niche brands even more and more Middle East-like, whereas the UK is more into delicate, sophisticated, and classical notes that work really well.
What are some fragrance trends that you would like to see in the future?
I would say more and more transparency about perfume can be good and also more sustainable raw materials in the perfumer palette. I would also like for consumers to see that if you buy a fragrance cheaper it doesn’t mean that it is not as good as a more expensive brand. The image of some luxurious brands is often what can make it so high and not always the quality of the fragrance in the bottle.
What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join the industry and considering a career as a perfumer?
I would say to keep your expectations as high as you can and for me, the most important is the motivation and the modesty. People would say to you it’s impossible to become a perfumer, but if that’s what you want to do, keep going! At some point, you will make it if you are challenging and questioning yourself all the time. You will become more creative and always want to surpass yourself. It’s a job where you are constantly learning day to day.
What is one of your scent memories?
It’s still the same from ages ago, it’s the violet flowers from my parents’ garden. When I was a kid, I used to make a bouquet of it and give it to my mum. I love this smell so much, it’s amazing! It’s why Ionone-Beta (fragrance molecule) is one of my favourite raw materials as it’s really similar to the real flower.