Francis Kurkdjian Talks Perfumer Recognition, Evolving Industry Demands & Fragrance's Next Frontier

Just weeks away from the return of World Perfumery Congress (WPC), Perfumer & Flavorist+ connected with a star in fragrance, Francis Kurkdjian who is the perfumer and artistic director behind Maison Francis Kurkdjian. Throughout the interview Kurkdjian touches on adjusting to evolving career demands, perfumers in the spotlight, current trends, recent launches and the upcoming three-day WPC event set for June 24-27 in Geneva, Switzerland.

What are some of the newer job demands of the perfumer that you are witnessing? How do these demands affect your day-to-day? 

Francis Kurkdjian [FK]: I believe that the most important change in the industry came from the fact that perfumers today are public figures, they are put forward during a fragrance launch. It’s something that I already saw when I started my career 30 years ago, but today it’s common practice for perfumers to promote their creations. It’s not enough to create a fragrance anymore, a perfumer also has to know how to talk about it, to their clients – brands – but also to the final customer – the public.

"Paris is incredible and I translated into fragrance the emotions of living two moments that are ephemeral but so exceptionally beautiful that they remain engraved in memory, through a duo of eau de parfum, Petit Matin and Grand Soir."courtesy Maison Francis Kurkdjian

We are beginning to see more spotlights on the perfumer behind the product, what are your thoughts on this new phenomenon?  

FK: You call it a “a new phenomenon” but it’s nothing strange, abnormal, or unexpected. On the contrary, it is absolutely, right and justifiable to mention the perfumers who worked on composing a perfume. The opposite wasn’t! It is a proper change in the way of doing things. If creating a scent were to be considered the result of a collective effort (such as an opera, a ballet, a music partition, etc.), it relies also on perfumers’ creative and technical competencies.

This is the reason why I founded Maison Francis Kurkdjian with Marc Chaya, our CEO. We wanted a space to express my creative vision as a perfumer, in an industry where only the brand was visible. And I do have full freedom of expression, it’s a fact.

For many decades, couture names used the prestige of their fashion to drive their fragrances’ desirability, but the perfumer was hidden from the public eye. We made the bold choice of launching a House of Fragrance creation named after the perfumer, with a brand name that many criticized for being “too difficult”. Perfumers today have more recognition, they’re more highly regarded, their work is considered an act of creation and not mere chemistry, but this wasn’t the case in the past. luxury brands which in the past relied on external resources hired in-house perfumers, while this recent shift allowed for smaller, independent, more creative brands to rise.

It's a shift that isn’t happening only in our industry. People are more informed and want to know who and what is behind the scenes of everything. A perfumer needs to be a good communicator today to succeed.

I’m obviously grateful and happy to see my work recognized and to see perfumers becoming more visible.

Kurkdjian shares, "Perfume reflects its time. Our taste in fragrances evolves the same way our taste in food, music or fashion does."courtesy Maison Francis Kurkdjian

What are the current trends that you are witnessing in the fragrance market? Anything that is exciting you the most?

FK: Let me start by saying that trends don’t really impact my work. I don’t follow them. I try to stay clear of them and to just follow my instinct. However, I am hungry for information, to understand the society in which I operate. I want to surprise my audience, not give them what they expect, and trends disappear just as quickly as they appear.

Perfume reflects its time. Our taste in fragrances evolves the same way our taste in food, music or fashion does.

I have always been a tech addict. I inherited this from my dad who was a pioneer in IT back in the early 60's until he retired. So, I am eager to use new tools such as AI and see how it could help me in creating perfumes. That’s an exciting step I look forward to.

 I’d love to touch on your two fragrances that are inspired by Paris. Can you touch on the formulation process, choosing specific notes, the story of each of these fragrances?

FK: I grew up near Paris, I lived here my whole life, the city is an endless source of inspiration for me. The human encounters that spawn from cities, the little pleasures the city has to offer, the art, the culture, and the architecture. The city is close to my heart and it’s part of the codes of Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

Paris is incredible and I translated into fragrance the emotions of living two moments that are ephemeral but so exceptionally beautiful that they remain engraved in memory, through a duo of eau de parfum, Petit Matin and Grand Soir. Petit Matin breathes a delicious freshness, that of a Paris haloed in gold, at the beginning of a radiant day. It’s about the energizing freshness of an early morning. Orange blossom, litsea cubeba and lavandin essences dominate the top notes of this luminous eau de parfum. The powdery sweetness of the hawthorn accord insinuates itself into the heart note while the musk accord and AmbroxanTM sign the majesty of the base notes.

With Grand Soir, I imagined a sky tinged with a copper halo, the light radiating from the gold sculptures and domes, before the night falls. Irresistible, vibrant and captivating, Grand Soir is a sensual ambery woody eau de parfum. The first moments reveal the depth of the cistus labdanum accord, then the essence of lavandin and cinnamon leaves are revealed. The gentle warmth of benzoin joins them in the heart notes while the vanilla-amber accord dictates the base notes.

 What is fragrances’ next frontier, from your perspective? 

FK: Technology is today the main driver of innovation in the industry, it will open a wide array of opportunities. Artificial intelligence is a big topic of conversation and will certainly change the ways we live and work. I don’t believe however it will bring creativity to the market. By definition, it doesn’t think outside the box the way the human mind does.

For someone who has never been to World Perfumery Congress, what would be your advice for how to prepare? What should they prioritize?

FK: I believe WPC is a platform to maximize your chance to meet people and connect with key players of the industry.