BBC Radio 4 - Perfume Makers

Shyamala Maisondieu & Caroline Gaillardot

Today I listened to BBC 4 radio discussion about two perfume makers, Shyamala Maisondieu & Caroline Gaillardot . I was interested to find out what it’s like to be a perfumer, what interests them to smells and what makes a good sellable scent.

Shyamaia Maisondieu is a perfume maker who is originally from Malaysia. She currently works for Givaudan in Paris which is one of the worlds larges perfume manufacturers. Her success in creating beautiful scents has also given her the opportunity to make fragrances for brands such as Tom Ford and Comme des Garçons. Shyamala mentioned that her childhood influenced her to the scents she is drawn to today. She was brought up being around frangipani blossoms, jasmine, ginger and many more.

Caroline Gaillardot is a perfumer who creates scents for beauty care products like shampoos, shower gels and deodorants. She was born in Grasse, France which is a country known for its scents. Caroline explained that it wasn't where she grew up that made her decision to be a perfumer but purely because she has always loved to smell. She currently works for Mane in southern France which is one of the global leaders in the perfume industry.

When listening to this podcast I learnt quite a lot about the perfume industry. They briefly explained the process of how they come to make the perfect perfume for that client/ brief. They explained that before they even begin to put together a potential formula, firstly they have to think of factors such as the bottle and the colour, as these influence the scent. In addition, they explained theres a lot of trial and error. They will create a formula that often isn't 100% right and therefore, it will require quite a few times to get that perfume formula right. Furthermore, it was interesting to know that before a well known brand launches their perfume, they would have been working on it for at-least 1/2 years before hand.

Overall, I found this radio discussion really interesting as there are many things into making a perfume that people often don't realise or even think about. Additionally, I found it helpful to know as for my next module at uni we will be making our own perfume so its great to have a head start in knowing what factors make a great scent.