Roger Pellegrino

Roger Pellegrino was a perfumer from the 1980s and 1990s. His name became synonymous with some of the finest perfumes of the late 20th century. Throughout his career, Pellegrino collaborated with prestigious brands such as Cacharel, Giorgio Armani, Jacques Bogart, Leonard, Rochas, Ted Lapidus, Van Cleef & Arpels and Versace. His creations, which include Anaïs Anaïs by Cacharel, Armani Eau pour Homme, Nocturne by Caron and Eau de Courrèges, are remembered as the fragrances that defined his era. If one perfume had to be chosen to symbolise Pellegrino’s illustrious career, there is no doubt that Anaïs Anaïs would take centre stage. Pellegrino did not develop this fragrance on his own; he worked alongside his fellow perfumer Raymond Chaillan, who had just arrived at Firmenich. Their collaboration began when Chaillan was tasked with creating a perfume for young women based on that ingredient, inspired by a bunch of sweet peas on his desk. Pellegrino’s approach to perfume creation was a blend of originality and collaboration. While working on Anaïs Anaïs, Chaillan spent almost 18 months developing the scent, combining the floral aroma of a heady bouquet with a woody base that was slightly sharp. While working, he continuously added, removed or modified ingredients. However, Chaillan had difficulty finalising the fragrance, which led him to seek Pellegrino’s help. Pellegrino’s idea was to incorporate brighter notes of blackcurrant into the composition, ultimately perfecting Anaïs Anaïs after 137 trials. To this day, Chaillan considers Anaïs Anaïs to be the recipe he was most obsessed with, while Pellegrino considers it one of his finest creations. Some of the most popular fragrances created by Roger Pellegrino include: Roger Pellegrino’s unique approach to perfume creation, characterised by originality and collaboration, consolidated his status as a master of scent in the world of perfumery. His most popular fragrances, including Anaïs Anaïs, continue to delight and captivate generations of fragrance lovers.