Famous Perfumers

These portraits highlight perfumers whose innovations are documented through patents, archival formulae, and industry histories. Each profile links their signature compositions to wider movements in perfume design.

François Coty

1874 – 1934

Entrepreneur who fused fine fragrance with mass-market packaging, launching departmental-store perfume counters worldwide.

Signature Works

  • La Rose Jacqueminot (1904)
  • L'Origan (1905)
  • Chypre (1917)
Ernest Beaux

1881 – 1961

Russian-born chemist who used synthetic aldehydes to create abstract floral accords for Chanel and other couture houses.

Signature Works

  • Chanel No.5 (1921)
  • Chanel No.22 (1922)
  • Bois des Iles (1926)
Jacques Guerlain

1874 – 1963

Third-generation Guerlain perfumer famed for layering vanilla, tonka, and exotic balsams into luminous oriental structures.

Signature Works

  • Mitsouko (1919)
  • Shalimar (1925)
  • Vol de Nuit (1933)
Edmond Roudnitska

1905 – 1996

Modernist composer associated with Dior; championed rigorous formula reductions and innovative synthetics.

Signature Works

  • Femme (1944)
  • Diorissimo (1956)
  • Eau Sauvage (1966)
Sophia Grojsman

1945 – present

Belarusian-born perfumer whose bold linear florals reshaped mainstream feminine perfumery at Estée Lauder and Lancôme.

Signature Works

  • White Linen (1978)
  • Trésor (1990)
  • Paris (1983)
Jean-Claude Ellena

1947 – present

Hermès in-house perfumer emeritus known for minimalist, transparent compositions inspired by haiku-like sketches.

Signature Works

  • First (1976)
  • Déclaration (1998)
  • Terre d’Hermès (2006)

References

  • R. Burr, *The Perfect Scent* (2008)
  • M. Edwards, *Perfume Legends II* (2021)
  • S. Turin & Tania Sanchez, *Perfumes: The Guide* (2008)
  • L. Turin, *The Secret of Scent* (2006)
  • Elisabeth de Feydeau, *Guerlain: Une Histoire d'Amour* (1998)