The name and nose behind some of the most iconic perfumes the world over, Dior Perfume Creation Director, Francis Kurkdijan, has been blending fragrances for over twenty-five years. Whether it's the instant global bestsellers or the niche, soon-to-be everywhere skin scents, and those unexpected aromas that go viral, the perfumer has masterminded the perfumes we'll want to wear today and the timeless scents we'll cherish forever. Below, the luminary talks superstitions and scent; he discusses how to create a bestselling perfume (it all starts with a storyline), and the inspiration behind his latest perfume, La Collection Privée Christian Dior, Bois Talisman...
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On creating a bestselling perfume...
'It has to be creative yet commercial. Even when I create a perfume, I still go by that, because being creative is very easy. You blend things; you find someone who likes it, but it's also an art. What's difficult is to find the edge, to be one of the top five in the world and create something extraordinary. It has to be completely unique yet decipherable to everyone.'
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On the ideation and process of perfume-making
'The hardest part of perfume-making is to find your storyline; the unique story that then becomes your perfume. If the story is too complicated, your audience won't understand it, but if it's too straightforward it won't be discovered. When I create something I always start with this story and then choose the name of the perfume. I am always working to tight deadlines and even when I feel that I have the blend nailed, I still can't stop working up to the very end. I always think that I can improve the formula; there's always more to test and change and tweak.'
On creating Christian Dior's Bois Talisman...
'Bois Talisman is inspired both by a 1995 interview with Christian Dior in New York City, in which he speaks to an interviewer about the piece of wood he always has in his pocket, and the piece of sugar that I keep in my own pocket as a symbol of good luck. I decided I had to find a way to incorporate the wood and sugar elements in the new perfume. I decided to start with cedarwood, because it's a fragrant wood, and also it's a wood that we use for pencils (Christian Dior used pencils to draw the sketches of his dresses in the archives). The cedarwood was a nod to Christian Dior, his fashion and then I combined notes of vanilla to reference the sugar I keep in my own pocket. And this is where Bois Talisman was born.'
On the key notes in his latest creation..
'Vanilla and wood work well together; they're bedfellows because cedarwood can be more dry, while sandalwood is soft and creamy and almost like milk, and vanilla gives the aroma of cotton candy.'
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Amelia Bell is the Multiplatform Beauty Director for ELLE UK and Harper’s Bazaar, developing beauty strategy, writing, editing, and commissioning, and leading beauty content across both sites. Amelia has a particular interest in wellness and longevity, exploring the skin-mind connection, and decoding the latest treatments, tweakments and runway trends. She also has bylines for Women's Health, Refinery29, British Vogue, Harrods Magazine, and more.
