The Final Note: Master Perfumer John Pascale Looks Back on 50 Years of Fragrance

In the final weeks of John Pascale’s tenure at Phoenix Flavors & Fragrances, just before his retirement, I visited the Red Bank Creative Center with special permission to review photographs chronicling his career. The images trace a professional life in perfumery spanning more than five decades – a career defined by technical rigor, mentorship, and an enduring commitment to craft. I arrived with coffee and doughnuts, a small offering in exchange for more than 50 years of memories. With a jelly doughnut in hand and a coffee with cream, Pascale began telling the story of his life. Pascale pictured in 1976.Courtesy of John Pascale

Born and raised in East Harlem, Pascale’s path into fragrance began not with a childhood fascination for scent, but with chemistry. He pursued his education at City College, commuting by bus for ten cents and paying just five dollars per semester. There, he earned a degree in organic chemistry and distinguished himself by taking a course in polymer chemistry, an uncommon specialization at the time. 

“Because, why not? The class was only five bucks,” Pascale says, holding out his hand and all I can focus on is his gold pinky ring. 

Pascale recalls that the course set him apart within his graduating class of 60 chemists in 1962 when industry recruiters visited the campus. It was what ultimately landed him his first professional role at Allied Chemicals in Morristown, New Jersey. He remained with the company for seven years, during which time he continued his education, attending night classes to earn a master’s degree at Stevens Institute of Technology. 

He remembers carpooling with his colleagues from East Harlem to Morristown. “Work in New York starts at 9 am, but in New Jersey it started at 8 am and you went until 5 pm!” he explained, and then recalled taking the bus before the sun was up to his coworker’s house and loading up in the car before eventually moving to New Jersey. 

In 1968 Pascale was head hunted for a position at International Flavors and Fragrances’ (IFF) new research and development facility in Union Beach, New Jersey. That was his introduction to the flavor industry, more specifically, sulfur chemistry extraction of natural products. He remembers having to leave his shoes outside of his house when he got home thanks to working with garlic and onion formulations. 

It was there that he successfully isolated the lachrymatory factor in onions through gas chromatography of a raw onion extract, co-authoring the paper “Thiopropanal S-oxide: a lachrymatory factor in onions” with Michael H. Brodnitz in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. He also identified diallyl thiosulfinate as a major constituent of solvent-extracted garlic, a discovery detailed in a second published paper, “Flavor Components of Garlic Extract,” also appearing in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry co-authored by Brodnitz and Linda Van Derslice. 

In 1975, Pascale made a pivotal transition, transferring into the fragrance department at Alpine Aromatics as a technical director. He began training his nose on raw materials and accords while attempting to duplicate fine fragrances. He found it fascinating through dupes, he could see how perfumers were utilizing materials to build a fragrance. His chemistry knowledge could fill in the blanks for substitutions and shifting the composition for a fine fragrance versus a candle. Much of that early education came through hours of hands-on study with mentors, most notably the late Raoul Pantaleonie, owner, and president of Alpine Aromatics International Inc. 

“I remember he came into my lab when I first started at the company, it was 5:30 pm, and he said, ‘You see what time it is? Work ends at 5, you got to get out of here.’ It’s rare to find a boss that doesn’t want you to be at work after hours. That meant a lot to me. He really cared about his employees. I’ve carried that with me ever since, at 5 o’clock, I’m out, because I know I’ve put my all into the day.” 

Pantaleonie’s sudden passing in 1978 marked a turning point. Pascale remained at Alpine for another 15 years, though he notes that the company was never quite the same without his mentor. Even so, Alpine’s influence on the industry was significant. The talent cultivated there went on to form several companies, including Belle Air Creations, Custom Essence LLC and Intarome. 

Wanting to do more for the fragrance industry, Pascale joined the American Society of Perfumers (ASP) in May 1982. From behind his desk, he pulled out a navy photo album with a gold inscription on the front cover: 

JOHN V. PASCALE 

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PERFUMERS 

JUNE 11, 1988 

“Maybe you’ll want to see this,” he said, flipping through pages filled with smiling faces of living and late perfume legends. The photographs were taken at a dinner held on June 11, 1988, honoring Pascale at the conclusion of his term as ASP president (1987–1988). Holding the album felt like holding a living time capsule. Pascale speaks at a president's dinner for the American Society of PerfumersCourtesy of John Pascale

He then began pointing around his office to photos of him holding while being surrounded by rose pedals, another photo holding a snake, and a third photo in Geneva being holding his ASP Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2024 World Perfumery Congress. 

He picks back up the story in 1993, when Pascale was recruited by former Alpine colleagues to join Libenn Aromatics, where he joined as a partner in South Bend, Indiana. His time with Libenn ushered in a new chapter defined by constant travel. He worked extensively throughout Asia, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Korea, developing fragrances on the road and faxing formulas back to the laboratory for production. 

Throughout his career, Pascale relied on his deep chemistry knowledge and an extraordinary mental library of aromas. He adhered to a singular philosophy: he would only smell a fragrance he created after the client had experienced it and requested any modifications. “But that was rarely the case,” he said with a laugh and a shrug. 

Maintaining his home base in New Jersey, Pascale adopted a demanding routine – flying to South Bend to work Monday through Wednesday, then returning home to continue composing and faxing formulas from his personal office. 

Pascale traveled extensively throughout Asia during his time at Libenn Aromatics. Courtesy of John Pascale

After a decade, Libenn Aromatics was sold to Noville Essential Oils Co. (later acquired by Firmenich). Reflecting on the transition, Pascale remarked, “Owning a company is like a boat – it’s great in and even better out of it.” 

Shortly thereafter, he received a call from Aroma Tech owner Stu Zlotnik and spent the next five years with the company. It was there that Pascale received The William P. Lambert Service Award, recognizing his many years of dedicated service and outstanding contributions to the fragrance profession. 

His final professional chapter began in 2005, at the age of 66, when James “Jim” Unrath invited him to join the Ascent team, now known as Phoenix Flavors & Fragrances. 

Unrath, president of Phoenix Flavors & Fragrances, recalls, “I had known John for over 20 years, so when the idea of starting a new company first came up in 2005, there was only one man I had in mind – and that was John. Ascent Aromatics needed a perfumer who could do it all: creation, GC, chemistry, applications, and sales. Without John, Ascent would not have survived those early days. Because of him, we not only endured but thrived, growing Ascent – now Phoenix F&F – into what it is today.” 

On his first day, the company consisted of just five employees, Pascale among them. One of those early colleagues was Alex Nunez, who became Pascale’s mentee. Pascale would have Nunez smell and memorize accords daily, a practice reminiscent of his own training under Pantaleonie. The discipline continued for years and reflected Pascale’s deep commitment to mentorship and education. 

Alex Nunez, now vice president of perfumery, shares, “John Pascale has been more than just a colleague, he has been a mentor, a friend, and an inspiration. His commitment to perfumery and unwavering kindness has left a lasting mark on our team here at Phoenix and on the entire flavor and fragrance industry. While we will miss John’s presence in the office, we are very

excited for him as he begins a new chapter filled with well-deserved rest, new adventures, and time with his family.” 

Nearly twenty years ago, Pascale initially signed a three-year contract to join the Ascent team. That contract was renewed again and again, extending his influence at Phoenix far beyond expectations. 

In the end, the photographs spread across the table at Red Bank revealed more than a long career. They told the story of a man who built companies, trained noses, and passed on knowledge. As Pascale steps away from the lab, his legacy remains not only in the formulas he created, but in the people and institutions that continue to carry his work forward.

John Pascale spent nearly 50 years in the fragrance industry. Courtesy of Noted Communications LLC