An interview with perfumer Antoine Lie
Where you always interested in perfume/scents?
I was always intrigued by smell but I realized I wanted to become a perfumer around the age of 12-13. When I was young I used to smell my food before eating it. If I didn’t like the smell I wouldn’t eat the food. I was just so sensitive to smell. As a teenager, I got more interested in different kind of scents. I got intrigued by the perfume of my mother. She used to have qualitative and classic perfumes that immediately grabbed my attention. Around that time, through reading articles, I also discovered the job of a perfumer. Since that moment on, I have tried my best to become a perfumer and entered the school in Grasse at Roure at that time.
After you finished your study in Chemistry you joined Givaudan. What were you first impressions when you started working for them?
I joined Givaudan as a student and was very impressed and immensely happy. It was a dream of mine to smell many different things, which was exactly how I spend my days as a student.
I was excited to learn about the difference in scents. I was also learning a lot about the US market, which was then an important market in the perfume industry. After my days as a student, I was happy to work for Givaudan as a perfumer. Being a perfumer at Givaudan was a great experience for me to develop & challenge myself.
Over the years you have created beautiful fragrances for different brands. Is there a signature or a certain characteristic that those fragrances have that is typically yours?
I like fragrances that are strong and that directly convey the concept of the perfume. I want people to get the message of the perfume and I don’t like perfumes that dial down that message. I like to create perfumes that will intrigue people and that push the envelop. On the other hand, I also believe that it is not always necessary to come up with a completely innovative scent. What I like to do sometimes is to revisit the past (the 50s, 60s or 70s) and try to modernize the classic trends of a certain era into new perfume.
What differentiates you from other perfumers?
I try not to follow the trend. I like to explore new olfactive territories and search for uncommon ingredients and uncommon associations that can intrigue new interests. I also saw that the perfume market needed something different; new olfactive possibilities. Over the last 20 years the number of conventional perfumes has increased. Companies became less daring with their perfumes in order to minimize the risk of failure. Around 8 – 10 years ago, I worked with the Comme de Garçon Team on a new perfume. Their vision, excitement and the creative freedom they gave really triggered me to explore new olfactive territories. Since that time I tried to challenge myself and tried to see what I can contribute to the perfume industry by creating something different or exploring new olfactive possibilities that will intrigue people to experience perfumes that didn’t follow the norm.
What would you say makes a great perfumer?
As a perfumer you have to be passionate about what you are doing and be honest with yourself. You have to stick to what you believe is good for the industry. This means being respectful and listening to what the customers want but also trying to create something that will add value to the industry. You have to be daring and try to create something new.
In November we will launch Puredistance BLACK. How did your journey with Puredistance start?
Well, through a friend of Jan Ewoud Vos who works at Takasago. He referred Jan Ewoud to me and thought that I could be the right person to work on Puredistance BLACK.
What attracted you to the project of Puredistance BLACK?
I love the concept of the perfume. I love the idea of using the color black to express the feelings of the perfume. I got excited of creating a perfume by using the idea of the color black in combination with the DNA of Puredistance. Moreover, Jan Ewoud gave me the creative freedom to create a scent based on the concept. Therefore, I was able to use the best materials possible for BLACK.
What was your own inspiration for creating the scent for BLACK?
It’s an exclusive fragrance that is made from pure ingredients. After hearing the concept of Puredistance BLACK, I immediately knew what kind of notes I wanted to work with. I knew the fragrance has to be elegant, refined and qualitative. When I smelled the Master Perfume Collection of Puredistance, I found the fragrances to be qualitative and signature perfumes. For me, they are more on the classic side. With BLACK, I wanted to add a bit of modernity to this signature line.
What qualities attract you the most in Puredistance?
The first thing that attracted me to Puredistance was the first meeting I had with Jan Ewoud in Paris. I like the personality of Jan Ewoud and I understood him right away. He knows what he wants and he is honest and respectful. He appreciates qualitative perfumes and values the time it takes to make one. I was given an opportunity to take my time in order to create a great perfume. Using pure and qualitative ingredients are important for him, which is not something you always see. It does cost a lot to use good ingredients. However, Jan Ewoud does not put focus on the costs but a lot of value on using the best materials and having a great perfume in the end. Also, I find that the personality of Jan Ewoud reflects the personality of Puredistance as a brand: honest, respectful and qualitative.
How do you see the development of niche perfume industry?
At the moment, the niche perfume industry is growing and becoming very popular. There are more and more brands jumping on the niche bandwagon. The downside of the growth of the industry is that it can get over saturated with perfumes that do belong there. I fear that some niche perfumes are not niche at all anymore and that they don’t add anything to the niche industry. They are not original, qualitative or explore any new boundaries. On the other side, I also believe that the perfume brands that want to gain success in the niche industry without a good concept or quality products will not be around for many years to come. Those who deliver quality perfumes with a good concept and explore new boundaries will have long term success. It will not matter whether they are small or big perfume brands.
