As destiny would have it, François Demachy, though born in Cannes, spent his entire childhood and adolescence in and about the flower-carpeted fields of Grasse. There, where the air is so very nearly palpable, heady with jasmine, mimosa and rose, Demachy’s father ran a pharmacy where he launched his own eau de cologne, Eau de Grasse Impériale.  In perhaps another show of destiny’s hand, the iconic master perfumer, Edmond Roudnitska, was a customer of that very shop. And so, as if in a life foretold, the seed was planted, and Demachy began his training for the career that would take root and blossom. Working, in the summers of his teenage years, in the perfume factories, workshops and warehouses of Grasse, he learned the art, science and business of the fragrance industry and embraced the raw materials he loves best; “Jasmine,” he says, “for its floral sexiness. Rose for its feminine image. Patchouli…enveloping, mysterious and full of promise. And amber for its magic.” Living there, in the birthplace of “modern perfumery,” one is immersed in a world of perfume, a world in which François Demachy now lives his lifelong passion at Parfums Christian Dior.  

The Fragrance Foundation engaged Demachy in a dialogue about the inspiration, artistry and expertise that fuel a career of extraordinary accomplishment, pleasure and reward.

How do you feel about being a Dior “nose”?
“Proud,” he said emphatically. “Especially when you think about the Dior heritage and the master perfumer who preceded us – Edmond Roudnitska. It’s a wonderful legacy to nurture and build upon.”

What are the main characteristics of Dior perfumes...what makes them unique?
From Demachy’s perspective, Dior perfumes represent true eclecticism and symbolize new challenges. He was attracted to Dior, he explained, by the fact that the perfume and fashion houses were founded in the same year, proof of a certain philosophy. Dior’s first fragrance, Miss Dior, is still around and considered the classic chypre fragrance. “ When you begin work in the perfume business,” he told us, “you are asked to study the great classic perfumes. You spend a lot of time smelling them and gradually find yourself ‘getting inside’ the perfumes.” Luckily, the classics are still available, always will be and include, not incidentally, Miss Dior, Diorella, Poison and Eau Sauvage, which, Demachy asserted, triggered the “eau” phenomenon in men’s fragrance. “What characterizes Dior’s perfumes,” he said, “is the use of high quality ingredients; a policy I am trying to reinforce so the House can clearly differentiate itself from the mainstream market.”

Have you ever persisted in implementing your own ideas at Dior…for a perfume you felt you absolutely had to create?
“Yes, certain perfumes that are coming out soon, in fact, began with an idea I came up with. I’m not saying I have a particular vision of perfumery, but at Dior certain types of perfumes are expected and, most of the time, are created.” He went on to say that, in his view, missing in the equation were a few products with a more “hand-crafted” connotation. He conceded that, while those products may not be commercially successful, he feels that there should be some products that convey a certain savoir-faire, a true reflection of quality.

How do you (and the House) feel about the use of natural vs. synthetic ingredients - is there a difference in quality?
Demachy prefers not to make comparisons, believing that high degrees of quality are inherent in both and that both are vital elements in perfumery. Given that, he likes to use many naturals, but needs synthetics to reinforce and enhance the structure of his fragrances. He went on to point out that a natural ingredient reacts to individual skin chemistry and may smell different on each wearer, while a synthetic ingredient doesn’t vary that much from one skin to another. Even so, synthetic ingredients have made modern perfumery what it is today. “Shalimar without coumarin would not be Shalimar; it’s all a question of proportion.”

A primary ingredient he hasn’t yet mastered?
Cumin, he revealed. While he understands what it could bring to a perfume, he claims never to have reached the correct proportions.  

In moving on to a discussion of perfumery itself, we wondered
Is creating a perfume like creating a work of art?
“For me, perfume creation is high-level artisanship (in which) luck, magic and expertise come together in varying proportions.”

And what is the phase of perfume design you like best?
“The construction of the basic structure or framework…the foundation on which we build the finished fragrance.”

Are perfumers “the elite” of the beauty business?
To Demachy’s way of thinking, no. They’re certainly important, he feels, but their job is to inspire dreams and pleasure.

Having created many perfumes, and major ones at that, is there a fragrance you still dream of capturing?
“Roses,” he exclaimed. “I would so like to capture the exact scent of roses. Their aromas reveal everything about them…shape, color and character. And just when you think you know everything about them,” he reflected, “there are always new things to discover. In this profession, the ultimate perfume is ever the next one. And roses,” he admitted, “are my fantasy perfume, but perhaps I’m better off not attempting to create such a perfume. That way, the desire remains alive.”

For a creator, what is a “provocative” fragrance?
There are different ways to wear a fragrance. In this creator’s view, it can be worn as a way to show off, to reveal personality or even to escape reality. But, he believes, ultimately women aim to provoke…to seduce.

Should there be harmony between a fragrance and its bottle?
For Demachy, a fragrance is the sum of its parts; scent, color, bottle, image…all must be in harmony. A soft floral, in his view, should be light in color, in a rounded or soft bottle. “In the case of Midnight Poison,” he said, “ the Cinderella story and the bottle design helped to shape the tone of the fragrance.”

Do you have any advice about how to apply perfume and how best to store it?
“A fragrance should be applied to the parts of the body you want kissed,” he declared with unbridled enthusiasm, and “I like to tell people to treat a fragrance like a living thing; like wine for instance,” advising that it should be stored in a cool place, away from changing temperatures and light.

Which notes do you see as a major trend in 2009?
Demachy predicted a direct note…very fresh, floral and sensual.

And the perfume of tomorrow?
One using only the purest, most luxurious and most natural of ingredients, but still sensual yet abstract, he thinks. Though everyone has changed, women have changed more so than men and it would seem that they’ll want more assertive fragrances; perfumes that express their character, individuality and personal style. And, in line with
that, he is convinced that while the idea of perfume hasn’t changed significantly, its interpretation has evolved. Today, a perfume can be seduction, pleasure, affirmation or status symbol, depending on the wearer.

Among perfumers, who are your role models?
“Edmond Roudnitska (creator of Eau Sauvage and Diorella, among others) is everyone’s master perfumer” –  an intellectual and one who made a real contribution to the art of perfume design  (though Demachy actually considers perfumery a craft rather than an art.) Among today’s perfumers, he cited Jean-Claude Ellena and Annick Menardo for
precision and thoroughness of work. In perfume design, he pointed out, only one in ten perfumes is actually brought to market, so it’s a long and exacting process.

Which perfumes to you consider “key fragrances”?
On his list is Poison – totally provocative; Aromatics Elixir and, for men, Eau Sauvage for its perfect balance, powerful sillage and lightness; revolutionary at the time. Perfume, as he explains it, is a delicate balance between irrational, hedonistic and technical elements. Demachy elucidated: the olfactory sense is the “file” wherein the brain stores permanently recorded scent data. To retrieve it, external elements must come into play; situations that evoke odors, especially those that evoke memories. The main one is the smell of one’s mother (Demachy’s mother wore Miss Dior -for that reason, his personal favorite) which is the concrete physical expression of the olfactory sense. Perfume helps embellish the skin, but it’s not an accessory; it’s something entirely different, it’s very profound.

It’s been said that in order to create a fragrance, one must have a woman in mind. What do you think about that?
“For me,” Demachy replied, “composing a perfume is much easier when I have the image of a woman in my head. For instance, far more than for Emanuel Ungaro,  I created Diva for the woman I was in love with at the time. Smell, after all, is a feminine principle. Flowers produce seductive aromas that lure the insects that gather pollen.”

On a more personal level, we were interested in knowing what Demachy does in his free time, when he’s not creating perfumes. Visits museums, goes to shows and attends the opera where, he “collects emotions;” emotions that are, one suspects, carefully deposited in the olfactory memory bank to be revisited and retrieved; dreams and emotions realized in fragrances to come.

Do you miss Grasse and your years of training and apprenticeship?
What he misses about Grasse is the flower fields which, so sadly, have disappeared under the brick and mortar of real estate development and, as for his early years, he expressed respect and gratitude for those who inspired his love of perfumery.

A perfume you would have loved to create?
Eau Sauvage, a creation which, in Demachy’s view, completely revolutionized the world of perfume.

Your most beautiful fragrance experience?
“The precision of the memory, and the intensity with which it hit me, when I relived the fragrance of my mother.”

Do you sometimes wonder if your work takes more out of you than it puts back in?
Rather than just work, Demachy professes to think of perfumery as a profession…a vocation from which he derives great pleasure and satisfaction.

Advice to young, would-be perfumers?
“Avoid an excess of indulgence.”

From a philosophical point of view we asked, “nose, perfume creator, composer” - how would Demacy describe himself?

 “We perfumers are writer-composers and performers! We converse in a language that many understand, but few can speak and,” he continued, “I feel like someone who interprets the moments and events of life… into a musical score of scented notes,” adding that the three words that best describe his personality are “curiosity, doubt and perfectionism.”

And, on a final note, what’s your favorite smell?

“Odor di femina, the smell of a woman. If you don’t love women, you can’t create perfumes.” A woman can change her perfume according to her mood, but at the end of the day, perfume is, without question, seduction; an extension of that process. As Christian Dior used to say, “C’est la touche finale.” (It’s the finishing touch.)

And so it is.

Biography of François Demachy

1949: Born in Cannes. François Demachy grew up in Grasse in France’s Alpes Maritimes region. From his childhood, he fondly remembers "the mimosa-covered hills, the Bataille des Fleurs parade and fields of jasmine and roses in the early morning".

His father ran a pharmacy in Grasse and launched his own "Eau de Grasse Impériale". Edmond Roudnistka was one of his customers.

As a teenager, François Demachy spent all his summers as a trainee in Grasse’s perfume factories, workshops and warehouses, becoming acquainted with all the perfumery professions.

1971: Joined the Charabot perfume house in Grasse, a leader in the use of natural raw materials such as jasmine, rose and iris. For five years, he trained to become a perfumer and worked on his first briefs.

1976: Worked for the Charabot subsidiary in the United States.

1977: Hired by Chanel as a perfumer. Later, he was appointed Research & Development Director, where he was involved in the creation of all Chanel, Ungaro, Bourjois and Tiffany fragrances.

2006: Appointed Director of Olfactory Development, Fragrances – Perfumes and Cosmetics Division of the LVMH Group.

François Demachy likes to draw energy and inspiration from Mediterranean climates where the sea, land and sun all meet. He is particularly fond of the Italian cities of Syracuse and Siena, and is strongly attracted to both the Italian and Japanese cultures. He is a connoisseur of vintage cars as well as a passionate diver.

"We perfumers are writer-composers and performers! We converse in a language that many understand but few can speak. I transform what I feel into a musical score of scented notes."