Contes de Parfums

Some fragrances begin long before the first formula is written. @pierregueros, the perfumer behind Pompeii, answers the first of our questi…

The most interesting creative processes are the ones that cannot be fully explained. Pierre Guéros answers our second question — and takes …

Atlantis begins with the idea of a city imagined through scent. Jean-Christophe Hérault builds its character through mineral freshness, moi…

For @iliasermenidis, Hydra was a necessity. Visiting the island came at a time when he needed permission to slow down, with intention. Thi…

The real question was never what Pompeii smells like. It was what it feels like to carry it. Pierre Guéros answers our fourth question, and…

Every vocation has an origin. The rarest ones begin before the person even knows what they are looking for. @florent.dimarino.perfumer, the…

A perfumer carries every place he has lived. Pierre Guéros answers our sixth question and reflects on how Paris, Munich, New York and Dubai…

Angkor was never abandoned. It was absorbed: root by root, century by century, until the jungle and the temple became one. Which makes it t…

Pompeii is the only ancient city frozen mid-sentence. Not at the end of a dynasty, on an unremarkable day in August. Which makes it the mos…

Some fragrances are easy to define. Angkor was never going to be one of them. Florent di Marino answers our fourth question — and puts into…

Angkor Wat was built without a blueprint. Some of the greatest things are. Florent di Marino answers our second question — and reveals what…

Atlantis was never meant to stay on the surface. @jeanchristopheherault builds its structure around mineral sea salt, moist moss and Virgin…

Freshness in Hydra was something practical, designed to reflect time spent outdoors. For @iliasermenidis, pairing watermelon with mint crea…

Some fragrances announce themselves. This one simply remains. Master Perfumer @anneflipoperfumer composed Tokyo as something you don’t wear…

In Marrakesh, spice is only the beginning. For Nelly Hachem Ruiz, the city was shaped by the souk: cardamom, saffron and cinnamon in the ai…

@iliasermenidis travelled to the island of Hydra in search of quiet. Leaving behind structure and routine, his days were defined by simplic…

Bilbao earns you slowly, over coffee. Oak. Iron. The particular depth of a city that built itself with its hands and carried that memory fo…

Hydra began with quiet. For Ilias Ermenidis, the island stayed in memory through simple details: the rhythm of the sea, jasmine and hyacint…

Not everything in Bahia is brightness. Patchouli gives Salvador da Bahia an earthy depth, grounding the brighter facets of cashew, spice an…

Every story has a structure. Tokyo has three. When @anneflipoperfumer created Tokyo, she built it note by note, the way a master architect …

The cacao pod before it becomes anything else. Dark, resinous, bittersweet at the skin. This is the ingredient Alexandra Carlin reached for…

A city can hold two ideas at once. Shanghai lives somewhere between tradition and constant movement. Chinese peony brings floral clarity, …

October still holds a little of Positano. For Carlos Benaim, the Italian coast becomes citrus, Mediterranean spice, salt air, hay and warm …

Iceland exists at the edge of what a landscape can be. Glaciers and geothermal steam. Lava fields and living moss. A country of contrasts s…