Interview with Dominique Ropion, the nose behind some of the greatest perfumes of our time

You may not know it, but one element intrinsically links the perfumes Alien by Thierry Mugler, La Vie est Belle by Lancôme, L’Interdit by Givenchy, Lady Million by Paco Rabanne, and Acqua di Gioia by Giorgio Armani. And this element concerns neither the olfactory family nor the top, heart, or base notes of all these fragrances that will remain engraved in the memory of many perfume lovers. It is the spirit — or rather the nose — to whom we owe their creation: master perfumer Dominique Ropion. From the sambac jasmine of Alien to the sweet patchouli of L’Interdit, through the spicy iris of La Vie est Belle, the French perfumer is no stranger to success. This is precisely what we discussed during our meeting at the store of his friend and collaborator Frédéric Malle, with whom he signed another bestseller in 2010, Portrait of a Lady. With humility and great wisdom, Dominique Ropion told us not only about his successes but also about his journey, what makes a good perfume — and a good perfumer —, the balance between science, rules and creativity, and much more. So here is not the portrait of a lady, but indeed the portrait of a perfume alchemist, one of the greatest noses of our generation who, rather than choosing this destiny, was chosen by perfumery — and who continues today to scent our lives, one note at a time.

Born into a family passionate about art and culture, Dominique Ropion fell in love from a very young age with a very particular form of expression: perfumery. A bit like Obelix falling into the magic potion cauldron, Dominique fell headfirst into a world of magical elixirs too, as his mother worked in the personnel department at Roure, a major Swiss manufacturer of aromas and perfumes. “At the time, perfumers were perched on an even higher pedestal than today. They were unreachable people. In the company, you had the perfumers... and then the rest of the world. During my physics studies, I had the chance to do an internship in Roure’s research department. A student destined to enter the perfumery school — extremely prestigious — dropped out at the last minute. The institution then asked the few interns present if one of them would like to try their luck.” he recalls. It was therefore almost by chance, through a series of fortunate events, that Dominique Ropion’s career began. Yet, as the conversation goes on, it quickly becomes clear that it was neither luck nor chance, but a calling, nurtured by dedicated and constant work.

“I’ve always loved art, physics... but above all olfaction. Smelling. When I was little, I smelled everything. It was something very important to me, something that belonged to me.”, continues the perfumer. “I saw this opportunity as a unique chance to work in an artistic field with a material dear to me, that I felt deeply.” An artistic field, yes, but governed by strict rules. “It’s a very meticulous job, but not scientific. Science comes in upstream: it allows for the discovery of new raw materials, new extraction processes, new molecules. But the job of a perfumer is purely artistic — with rules. If you have ideas but don’t know the regulated part, you won’t be able to do anything with them. It’s like a musician: if he has inspiration but doesn’t know music theory, he’ll remain mute. These tools are essential. That’s what must shape the perfumer during training. Respecting the regulations won’t necessarily make you a genius, but it will allow you to create a decent, solid perfume.”

But what exactly are these rules? What is the process that allows the creation of a coherent perfume? “It all starts from a basic idea, a brief, more or less precise, given to a trained and idea-rich perfumer. From this brief, he proposes an initial creation, which he then adapts. It quickly becomes concrete, because a perfume is more smelled than described. Especially knowing that olfactory visions vary depending on the personality: everyone associates smells with their own emotions.” Because yes, it is neither our natural scent nor the pH of our skin that modifies a perfume and how we receive it, but our emotional perception. “For the same scent, two people will never have the same reaction. Perfume is filtered through a complex mix of personal tastes, memories, habits, childhood.” So, in this subjective universe, what makes a perfume stand out? “What makes a perfume remarkable is its identity. No matter the style or creator, a perfume that really stands out is a unique perfume. That’s the very definition of a good perfume, whether you like it or not.” explains Mr. Ropion.

When we ask him the same question, but this time about the perfumer, Dominique Ropion answers without hesitation: “A good perfumer is a perfumer who is well-trained and very patient. You must first master the technique before even thinking about creativity. Without technique, nothing can be done. That involves study, decoding great classics — understanding how Shalimar works, how Chanel perfumes are built, imitating them to learn, understand what we like or not, and appropriate the tools. Like an artist who imitates great painters to train. But, unlike a painter, the perfumer must work without emotion at the beginning: his work is aesthetic, not sentimental.” Simone de Beauvoir said that one is not born a woman but becomes one, and if there’s one thing this conversation with Dominique Ropion taught us, it’s that one is not born a nose either. Even with the best predispositions, becoming a perfumer requires precision, discipline, practice, and above all, a lot of work. Artistic sensitivity is a necessary base, but only rigor can shape a great creator — and why not, an olfactory genius like Mr. Ropion, who continues to fill our noses and the shelves of our bathrooms with fragrances where balance, subtlety and elegance are perfectly combined.