Principal Perfumer Clement Gavarry Shares How to Adapt to Evolving Job Demands

Clement Gavarry

Position: Principal Perfumer

Company: dsm-firmenich

Location: New York City, New York

What led you to the fragrance industry?

Perfumery was something I grew up around and at age 15 I began doing annual internships within the fragrance industry. It was here that I really dove into the world of ingredients and began analyzing them.

I then studied at ISIPCA where I graduated with a master’s degree in Organic Chemistry, my focus being on chromatography.

What applications do you primarily formulate for? Do you have a favorite?

I primarily create fine fragrances, so this is definitely my favorite but I also work on other applications. My second favorite application to formulate would have to be candles.

Gavarry shares, "One of the biggest changes we have seen is also of course the new technology that is now available to us. We can play with tools and use AI to help us in terms of performance and consumer testing."courtesy of dsm-firmenich

Are there any recent projects/wins you’re particularly proud of?

Cloud Pink (Ariana Grande): Top notes of pink pineapple, dragon fruit and berries. Middle notes of vanilla, orchid, coconut water and blush ambrette, Base notes of magenta, moss, amber, woods, musk and praline.

Vanilla Skin (Phlur): Top notes of pink pepper, pink apple and sugar crystals. Heart notes of lily, jasmine petals and cashmere wood. Base notes of benzoin, vanilla, sandalwood and agarwood.

Calypso Clementine (Bath and Body Works): Fragrance notes of juicy clementine, neroli nectar and coastal woods.

Describe yourself in three ingredients.

Jasmine because the smell of jasmine was a big part of my childhood growing up.

Patchouli because it is so versatile and so unique, it’s a game changer. The same fragrance can be a completely different experience with just the addition of Patchouli than it is without.

Calone because it reminds me of the ocean and I enjoy spending time by the water—water is my element.

Advice for people coming into the perfumery field?

Passion, because this is something that has to go way beyond the professional aspect of the job. It's not just a job, so your passion for the art has to surpass that because it’s a 24/7 job.

Resiliency to keep on trying, because sometimes mistakes are the best way to learn so you need to just keep on smelling because this is how you learn. There is no such thing as bad mistakes—it’s always trial and error.

The last would be to be hardworking and stay curious. Curiosity is key; you must be curious, push the boundaries, and push the envelope to discover new things.

Gavarry shares, "The last big change I have experienced over the years is how public our role has become, meaning now we have to be more active on social media and more in the public because there is much more interest from the consumer in the creation of their products."courtesy of dsm-firmenich

How has the job of a perfumer changed during your career?

The job has changed tremendously and there are a lot more moving pieces now than ever before. For example, there are now more restrictions in our perfumer palette in terms of ingredients that we can use and so that means generally fewer ingredients to work with.  That said, this really makes us think differently about how we formulate which in the end can push creativity.

There are also more consumer tests being completed for projects, which was not the case when I first started. Today, in order to have a global launch you need to have a good tester, and so this has become a big part of the development stage whereas before this wasn’t required as much.

One of the biggest changes we have seen is also of course the new technology that is now available to us. We can play with tools and use AI to help us in terms of performance and consumer testing.

The last big change I have experienced over the years is how public our role has become, meaning now we have to be more active on social media and more in the public because there is much more interest from the consumer in the creation of their products.

Are the types of projects you're working on changing over time? How are the creative demands of the job evolving?

Yes, like anything else project changes but with that you adapt much more and you are faster. The turnarounds for projects now are much shorter than they used to be, and many times it is driven by newness so it has to be quick and reactive.

What is the best part of your job?

The fast pace, I like the fact that there is so much to do that I never get bored. There is no routine, every day is a new day with new opportunities, and new challenges and that is very motivating. You never really know what is going to happen today.