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<h1><tt><b><big>Making scents</big></b><br>
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Who would imagine that this rather nondescript building with the smoked glass entrance on Avenue Charles-De-Gaulle is where some of the most exclusive fragrances in the world are created? Welcome to <a href="contemporary_perfumers.html">Firmenich</a>, a Swiss company that is the biggest private firm in the international perfume industry. It has maintained an extraordinary level of discretion since its founding in 1895. We feel rather privileged in being granted access to this normally off-limits site.<br>
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Temple guardians</b><br>
There is a cheerful air about the place, with everyone from receptionist to perfumers smiling broadly as we pass through. What's startling is the absence of any particular aroma or smell, even in the offices of the seven golden noses (five men and two women). <a href="http://perfumer.s-perfume.com/jacques_cavallier.html">Jacques Cavallier</a> explains: "It's impossible for us to test the fragrances inside the building because several of our clients are competitors. So we test them on ourselves at home on weekends. Our profession is based on the notion of secrecy. We are the temple guardians." Cavallier is a star, as is <a href="http://perfumer.s-perfume.com/alberto_morillas.html">Alberto Morillas</a>, his "creative brother." They are both master perfumers, which sets them apart from the five other perfumers. Only masters can teach the art of perfume. Sometimes they work in tandem, as for YSL's M7 and Van Cleef & Arpels' Murmure, sometimes independently. Cavallier's career was launched in 1991 at age 29, with the creation of Issey Miyake's L'Eau d'Issey. The ocean-fresh fragrance has since become a cult scent. His other fragrances include Givenchy's Hot Couture, Absolu by Rochas and Paco Rabanne's Ultraviolet.<br>
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The master's studio</b><br>
Cavallier's tiny office is a joyful hodgepodge of blotters, flacons, papers scribbled with secret formulas, and other objects-typical of the great master perfumers. "As long as there's a certain order in our heads," laughs <a href="http://perfumer.s-perfume.com/annick_menardo.html">Annick Menardo</a>, who created Dior's Hypnotic Poison and Lolita Lempicka's fragrances. Cavallier compares his job more to that of a writer than a lab rat, chemist or alchemist.<br>
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Creators first and foremost</b><br>
"Creating a perfume involves the art of contrast. We design prototypes, as if designing a dress, until an olfactory form is obtained. The first draft is very rough and needs polishing, just as a diamond does, to make it shine. It is aesthetic work, not technical. There are rules, of course, but there's a lot of scope for creativity in this job." Morillas has a similar approach. Originally from Seville, he divides his time between Geneva, New York and Paris and is the man behind such high-profile scents as Giorgio Armani's Sensi (with Harry Fremont), Miracle by Lancome (with Harry Fremont), Flower by Kenzo and CK One by Calvin Klein. His Andalusian roots play a key role in his creative compositions, contrasts of light and mystery, drama and gaiety, heat and storm.<br>
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Stimulating every sense</b><br>
Creators of perfume are loath to reveal their secrets and often speak in metaphors. One thing that is known, however, is that they sharpen their precious probosci by stimulating the other senses to a max-fine food, great music, travel, fashion, artwork and the press, mainstream and alternative. Their passion knows no limits and they're always seeking out new aromas, materials, textures and sounds. <a href="http://perfumer.s-perfume.com/thierry_wasser.html">Thierry Wasser</a> is a perfumer who recently left New York to return to work with the French team. His eyes literally gleam when he recounts how he discovered Queen of the Night, a sweet-smelling cactus that blooms at night, while lying by a swimming pool in Jamaica after missing his flight. The outcome: Queen of the Night is one of the notes in Addict, the latest fragrance by Dior, which he created with Cavallier.<br>
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Behind the scenes</b><br>
Wasser takes us upstairs to the laboratory, where lab assistants compose fragrances based on the perfumers' designs, then down to the basement where the raw materials are stored. Both areas are top secret, and no visitors are allowed unaccompanied. We've had a glimpse into this little-known world, but can go no farther in trying to grasp its mysteries, for it's time to go. It's been a sense-heightening experience.</tt></h1>
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