Duchaufour is a specialist in light and shade. With the scents of smoke and wood, he paints olfactory charcoal, gray, and deep purple.
Chandler Burr
What perfumer Bertrand Duchaufour’s masterpieces Timbuktu, Dzongkha, and Jubilation XXV have in common is that each makes us recognize the truth that “richness resides in austere poverty.” The same is true of the clothing worn by the figures in Rembrandt’s portraits, the wealthy people of their time: monochrome and sober in appearance, as befitted devout Christians, yet unmistakably made of luxurious materials.
Tania Sanchez, from Perfumes: The Guide
A Life in Perfumery
Bertrand was born in Nancy in northern France and grew up surrounded by pine trees. He moved to Paris at 16. His father and older brother were geologists, and he followed their example by studying geology. However, his first girlfriend happened to love perfume and wore Chanel (in Japanese) N°19, which introduced him to the appeal of fragrance.
After graduating from high school, he studied biochemistry and genetics in Marseille and Lyon. At the time, in addition to perfume, he was passionate about travel, photography, and painting, all of which appear to have influenced his perfume creation.
For me, travel is full of inspiration. A journey creates stories in particular places and lets you discover wonderful scents that remain in your memory even after you return home.
Bertrand Duchaufour
In 1982, having decided to study perfume creation, Bertrand tried to enroll at the perfumery school ISIPCA (in Japanese). The school recommended that he pursue practical training at a perfume company in southern France instead of studying there, but he did not know how to join such a company and learn. Eventually, a friend from his university days in Marseille introduced him to a six-month training program at Florasynth (in Japanese) in Grasse. Bertrand began learning about fragrance materials and composition at Florasynth in 1985 and created his first perfume at the age of 27. It was apparently a smooth scent, like a second skin.
During this period, he worked alongside Jean-Louis Sieuzac (in Japanese), Dominique Ropion (in Japanese), and Michel Almairac (in Japanese), who were then at Florasynth, learning the techniques of perfumery. He has specifically described these three as his mentors. His first commercial perfume was Amber & Lavender for Jo Malone.
For ten years from 1998, he worked at Créations Aromatiques and Symrise (in Japanese). He became an independent perfumer in 2008 and occupied a role at L’Artisan that was effectively similar to that of an in-house perfumer. He could compose fragrances without restrictions and had a dedicated laboratory in Paris, L’Atelier de L’Artisan Parfumeur. Because the laboratory was on the second floor of the flagship store, he was called a live-in perfumer, or “Perfumer-in-Residence”. In reality, the arrangement was not exclusive, since L’Artisan also commissioned perfumes from perfumers other than Bertrand.
Before being employed by L’Artisan, he had created his first perfume for the house, Méchant Loup, in 1997, followed by such fragrances as Patchouli Patch, Poivre Piquant, and Timbuktu. From 2008 onward, he appears to have composed not only L’Artisan perfumes but also personal fragrances at the house’s flagship store.
In 2014, he moved to a company called Technico Flor, where he works not only on perfume creation but also on developing young perfumers. His pupils include Stéphanie Bakouche.
One thing I am certain of is that time is the most accurate judge of a perfume. If perfumery is to remain an art, we need fragrances that captivate us through their quality and originality, not through their labels or prices.
Chanel and Guerlain (in Japanese) create niche lines, and some of them are very good, but I think these houses should return to their roots.
Bertrand Duchaufour
He names Francis Bacon, Gerhard Richter, Edvard Munch, Per Kirkeby, Cy Twombly, Leonardo da Vinci, and Raphael among his favorite artists.
Perfume Creations
I am constantly pursuing ever greater simplicity and tranquility. It is a sensibility found among African people and Buddhists, although the two groups are opposites in their thinking and ways of life.
Bertrand Duchaufour
| Year | Brand | Name | With |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Jo Malone | Amber & Lavender | |
| 1999 | Escada | Tender Light | |
| 2002 | Christian Lacroix | Bazar Femme | Émilie Coppermann & Jean-Claude Ellena |
| 2002 | Givenchy | Amarige d’Amour | Émilie Coppermann |
| 2003 | Acqua di Parma | Colonia Assoluta | Jean-Claude Ellena |
| 2005 | Acqua di Parma | Cipresso di Toscana | |
| 2005 | Givenchy | Lucky Charms | |
| 2005 | Lalique | Flora Bella | |
| 2007 | Acqua di Parma | Colonia Assoluta Edizione Riviera | Jean-Claude Ellena |
| 2007 | Amouage | Jubilation XXV for men | |
| 2011 | Frapin | 1697 | |
| 2012 | By Kilian | Extreme Oud | |
| 2013 | Jovoy Paris | Gardez Moi | |
| 2014 | Naomi Goodsir | Or du Sérail | |
| 2017 | Les Bains Guerbois | 1978 Les Bains Douches | |
| 2021 | Les Bains Guerbois | 1986 Eclectique | |
| 2021 | Naomi Goodsir | Corpus Equus | |
| 2021 | d’Orsay | M.D. Nous sommes amants. | |
| 1997 – 2015 | L’Artisan | Aedes de Venustas, Al Oudh, Ambroisie Ararat, Amour Nocturne, Déliria, Dzongkha, Fleur de Liane, Haute Voltige, Mechant Loup, Mon Numéro 1, Mon Numéro 3, Mon Numéro 4, Mon Numéro 6, Mon Numéro 7, Mon Numéro 8, Mon Numéro 9, Mon Numéro 10, Mure et Musc Extrait, Noir Exquis, Nuit de Tubéreuse, Onde Sensuelle, Patchouli Patch, Piment Brulant, Poivre Piquant, Rappelle-Toi, Rose Privée, Séville à l’Aube, Skin on Skin, Timbuktu, Traversée du Bosphore, Vanille Absolument | |
| 2000 – 2003 | Comme des Garcons | series 1, Leaves: Calamus & Mint, series 2, Red: Harissa & Sequoia, series 3, Incense: Avignon, series 3, Incense: Kyoto, series 5, Sherbet: Cinnamon & Peppermint, series 5, Sherbet: Rhubarb | |
| 2005 – 2011 | Eau d’Italie | Baume du Doge, Bois d’Ombrie, Eau d’Italie, Jardin du Poete, Magnolia Romana, Paestum Rose, Sienne l’Hiver | |
| 2009 – 2018 | Penhaligon’s | Amaranthine, Lothair, Meadham Kirchhoff Tralala, Ostara, Sartorial, Vaara | |
| 2011 – 2012 | Parfums MDCI | Chypre Palatin, La Belle Helene | |
| 2011 – 2015 | The Different Company | Aurore Nomade, I Miss Violet, Oud For Love, Oud Shamash | |
| 2012 – 2014 | Ann Gerard | Ciel d’Opale, Cuir de Nacre, Perle de Mousse, Rose Cut | |
| 2017 – 2018 | Olfactive Studio | Chypre Shot, Leather Shot, Woody Mood, Vanilla Shot | |
| 2018 – 2019 | Miller Harris | Blousy, Dance Among The Lace, Hidden on the Rooftops, Sublime Blossom, Tender | |
| 2018 – 2021 | Step Aboard | 3D Sul Duomo, Bosco Sospeso, Cuoio di Thaon, Infinite Square, Milano Centrale, Sunday Street, Transitions Gate | |
| Unknown | Christian Dior | Fahrenheit Fresh |
