Bespoke scents for historic figures

Marian Bendeth interviewed perfumers Francis Kurkdjian, Christophe Laudamiel, Jean Michel Duriez and Maurice Roucel asking each to pick a famous persona and describe a perfume they would create to suit that persona. Francis Kurkdjian chose Maria Callas, Christophe Laudamiel - Marlene Dietrich, Jean-Michel Duriez - Marie Antoinette, and Maurice Roucel - Julius Caesar and Jesus Christ. I was intrigued by Roucel's idea for Christ's scent. "I would create the smell of purity", he says, but instead of choosing predictable "pure" acquatic or ozonic notes, the perfumer opts for the ingredients that would evoke "the color white": "I would use powdery floral notes such as heliotrope, but it would also be spicy, and have iris, also violets and woods. These notes have so many sides to them, they create an aura." Kurkdjian's perfume for Callas, "a floral bouquet fragrance based on a tuberose accord, with a soft, spicy trail of fresh clove buds and green cinnamon bark that wraps your body and soul" and Laudamiel's scent for Dietrich, "woody, floral, fruity, opulent and rich" also sound very interesting. Duriez's interpretation of Marie Antoinette's persona through the lens of the eponymous the Sofia Coppola was quite unexpected.

You can read the whole article on Canada.com. Please note that due to a mistake on the part of National Post, Bendeth's interview is published without a byline and appears to be a part of Iris Benaroia's article. Please scroll down to the paragraph starting with "Judging by the number of new fragrances..." to read the interview.