RHR Fragrance Founder Riccardo Halac-Ruggeroni Shares Fragrance Journey

Perfumer & Flavorist+ (P&F+) connected with RHR founder Riccardo Halac-Ruggeroni for a one-on-one. During the interview, Halac-Ruggeroni shares the best piece of advice he's received, his fragrance journey and offers advice for those looking to enter the fragrance industry.

P&F+: What led you to the fragrance industry? 

Riccardo Halac-Ruggeroni [RHR]: A lifetime passion for fragrance and realizing later in life that I had a nose for it. Once I started learning, for example, the Jean Carles method, I wanted to learn more about it and about other methods, and it sparked a renewed interest in chemistry and botany. I think this is a field that pulls you in more and more as you keep advancing.

Riccardo Halac-Ruggeroni shares, [I]t’s fascinating to me how a formula translates loyally into a sublimely scented candle when it’s properly executed."courtesy of RHRP&F+: What is the best piece of advice you’ve been given? 

RHR: Research, develop, test, take notes, repeat; learn chemistry and high-perfumery methodology. If you want to get something done in a specific way, learn to do it yourself and don’t expect others to read your mind. When I was starting, I went the usual way: handing in briefs to a few reputable companies. Some got very close, while others were less so. I learned it’s just how it happens, there’s nothing personal to it and everyone puts their best foot forward. Those were wonderful formative years. But then, someone said to me, “If you want these formulas to smell different and tell a story, you are going to have to learn how to blend them yourself." So, I did.

P&F+: What applications do you primarily formulate for? Do you have a favorite? 

RHR: I primarily formulate luxury home fragrances but formulating candles remains my favorite. Of course, I love perfumes, particularly niche perfumery. But I’ve learned to formulate using French high-perfumery methodology, and it’s fascinating to me how a formula translates loyally into a sublimely scented candle when it’s properly executed. It’s all about physics and chemistry. 

Some clients have asked to develop bespoke fragrances for them, both scented candles and perfumes for personal use; and I enjoyed that challenge as well. 

I am also currently working on a fragrance project for a restaurant group, and it’s exciting to work on the functional aspects of perfumery tailored to a particular taste and need.

P&F+: Describe yourself in three ingredients.

RHR: Only three? Oh, well…labdanum resinoid, gardenia enfleurage and mousse de saxe. All are very complex, and all can be either overdosed or used in traces with deliciously surprising results. 

P&F+: Advice for people coming into the fragrance industry. 

RHR: Prepare your pockets, invest in the best materials you can afford, obsess over details, and research methodologies and learn from the best. Learn chemistry and botany and don’t waste your time copying. Arm yourself with a lot of patience, learn to blindly identify/taste materials, and accept that this is a field in which we are constantly learning and testing. And have fun with it!