Perfumes de Pierre Negrin

Pierre Negrin is an acclaimed French perfumer who was born in Grasse, in the south of France, where he developed a passion for fragrances at an early age. His two grandfathers were traders of products and plants for the creation of fragrances, and Pierre fondly recalls discovering a world of aromas in his workshops.

At first, Pierre aspired to be a photographer and was fascinated by the work of Robert Capa and Henri Cartier Bresson of the Agence Magnum, as well as the landscapes of Ansel Adams. However, while studying physics and chemistry, a friend offered him an internship in a perfumer’s workshop, and it was there that he discovered his true calling. “Suddenly I realised that, rather than expressing myself with light, I could express myself through fragrance,” he says.

Pierre did not learn perfumery at a specialised school, but in fragrance laboratories, and in the early 1990s he left France to work in Mexico, eventually relocating to the US. In 2008, he joined the ranks of the accomplished perfumers of the New York Fine Fragrance Center of Firmenich.

Pierre has designed major fragrances for a series of notable brands, including Calvin Klein Encounter and Ralph Lauren Blue, but perhaps he is best known for his work with Amouage. Some of the brand’s most loved scents include Interlude Man, Journey Woman and Portrayal Man.

For his excellence in creative perfumery, Pierre received the International Prize for the Creation of Fragrances from the French Society of Perfumers in 1990. He is perceptive, refined and reserved, and also an epicurean. He celebrates the small pleasures of life and is drawn to a life of discipline, practising cycling every day and yoga regularly. He does not appreciate showiness or excess, preferring simple, minimalist approaches.

Pierre’s love for his hometown of Grasse is evident in his olfactory memories of the area. He is particularly attached to earthy notes and firmly believes that the ground itself is the material and the true origin of the fragrance industry. “I always have it in mind. Your head can be in the clouds as long as your feet are on the ground!” he says.

Pierre compares his work to writing and is fascinated by the images and how fragrances are perceived. He believes that even the most humble ingredients can result in a work of art if they are composed in the right way. Pierre’s talent as a perfumer is matched only by his wisdom, and he remains one of the most respected and sought-after perfumers in the world today.