Perfumer
Jérôme di Marino
Jérôme di Marino is a perfumer who has made a name for himself in the fragrance industry for his creativity and technical skills. He currently works at Mane, one of the world’s leading fragrance and flavour companies. He has also worked at Takasago International Corporation, where he was advised by master perfumer Francis Kurkdjian.
Di Marino grew up in Nice, not far from Grasse, the world capital of fragrances. As a child, he was interested in the arts and had a talent for drawing. However, he decided to study sciences in the hope of working on the synthesis of flavours and raw materials for fragrances. During this time, he discovered the position of perfumer and fell in love with the idea of becoming one.
After completing a two-year internship as a trainee perfumer at Givaudan, Di Marino spent one year as an evaluator on the olfactive development team at Givenchy Parfums. During this time, he built connections with people in the fragrance industry and ultimately joined the selection process for trainee perfumers at Takasago.
Under the mentorship of Francis Kurkdjian, Di Marino learned the creative process and the importance of conveying a solid message through shorter formulas. Kurkdjian also gave him valuable advice on how to face competition and failures, and how to talk about fragrances in the era of social media.
Di Marino has created many notable fragrances throughout his career, including Kenzo World Power, Elie Saab Le Parfum in White and Burberry Her Elixir de Parfum. He is particularly proud of Mr. Burberry Element, which contains some of his favourite raw materials and a contrast of mineral and mossy notes.
In addition to Mane and Takasago, Di Marino has worked with a variety of brands, including Burberry, Paco Rabanne and Ted Lapidus. He believes that the perfumer is essential to the creation of fragrances, and that it is important to give them space to express their ideas and talent, as well as respect when putting their signature on the creation.
