Meet The Perfumer: Gael Montero

Gaël Montero is one of the most promising young perfumers of our industry.
The French-Spanish Junior Perfumer has been exploring over the past years the cultural and olfactory crossovers from Givaudan offices in Dubai; and in this interview, he offers a generous insight on his creative inspirations, the very special bond with his clients, and his inspiring pathway to become a successful perfumer with an attentive eye on the costantly evolving fragrance market.

How did you discover the power of scent? When did you realise you wanted to become a fine fragrance perfumer?

I am bi-national, with French and Spanish parents. I grew up in Madrid, Spain, and then moved to France to pursue cinema studies, but I decited to switch for perfumery. My family was not involved in this industry, it was all a matter of meeting the right people at the right time, and developing a passion for fragrances. I always wanted to work with anything leading to the senses, and the arts. During my time at Givaudan school in Paris, we were exposed to the various branches of perfumery, but fine fragrance was the one that came more natural to me.

How was your time as a trainee under Perfumer Jordi Fernandez in Barcelona?

I came across a very mysterious-looking Linkedin offer for a perfumery assistant position in Spain- I didn't know it was for Jordi when applying! He was immediately so generous, knowledgable, and motivating. We worked together for two years before I joined Givaudan Perfumery School.

What made you decide to move to Dubai? How would you define the Middle Eastern market?

When I was a perfumery student in Montpellier, I worked as a sales assistant in a small independent shop specialised in niche Middle Easter fragrances- that's how I became familiar with the ME fragrance culture, and having followed the market for a long time, it was kind of a natural step for me. I was intrigued by the range of very high-end and niche brands but also the low cost spectrum, and its diverse clientele... There are notable connections between Middle Eastern and Western markets, and one region has an impact on the other.

What role does culture play in your work?

Culture is very important to me, and it has always been a big inspiration for perfumery. For example, I wouldn't have explored so many spices like saffron, or woods, without my experience in Dubai. I see a lot of porosity in making diverse cultures naturally dialogue and exchange.
For instance, with Madurai for Memo Paris, while it is a non-opulent jasmin sambac, I also attempted to capture the surrouding Indian architecture and culture from one of my stays in the country. It's important that it doesn't end up being a caricature, but rather a tribute. At the end of the day, perfume is all about sharing.

What does your creative process look like?

Drawing on the example of Opulent in Red, the initial idea came to me and the evaluator, but Lattafa's creative director is very skilled and knowledgable about perfumery- we immediately found a common language. I wanted to modernise a perfumery classic dear to me. Isaac Newton once said, “If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.''
I wanted to pay a tribute by visualising this classic, and making it evolved, integrating a new Middle Eastern olfactory touch, and soon after Opulent in Red was born. Language also plays an important role in my creative process. I like to borrow from the architectural language and apply it to fragrance creation- I often use words like ''building a fragrance'', ''foundation''... I am also attracted to an idea of a minimalism in perfumery.

What makes Givaudan the best fit for your career aspirations, and how does Givaudan support your creativity?

I professionally grew up in the company and was always exposed to many opportunities. The working environment allows me to stay passionate and maintain a good balance with private life.

What are some fragrance trends that you would like to see in 2023?

It could be interesting to shift focus away from fragrance strength and explore the potential of more subtle scents.

What advice would you give to anyone wanting to join the industry and considering a career in fine fragrance?

Stay curious! Everything is connected, you can explore many different topics with perfumery; you can really find inspiration in anything! And it's important to have an organic interest for your work- it's a job that requires to be truly passionate about smell and the senses in order to stay motivated and persevere through the long training it requires.

What is one of your most treasured scent memories?

My grandparents live in the Spanish countryside; when I visited them for Chritsmas, I started paying particular attention to the smells surrounding the area- pines, immortelle, lavender papillon, and cistus. Only in my early 20s after an education in perfumery I realised that I grew up exposed to the smell of one of the most important raw material back-bones in perfumery (re: cistus)! I think that smell is very different from perfume, and it would be interesting to translate this special scent memory into a perfume.