Aliénor Massenet

If perfumery is a field that requires multiple qualities, many great perfumers say they felt a kind of calling to enter this path very early on. Indeed, for most of them, it is a genuine vocation that appeared to them from the youngest age. Aliénor Massenet is no exception to this rule, and revisiting her journey means setting off to discover her childhood memories.

Aliénor Massenet’s training

Aliénor Massenet is a perfume creator of Hungarian origin. She grew up in an environment highly favorable to becoming a perfumer, surrounded by artists as well as scientists. Moreover, her aunt was a painter and her grandparents were pharmacists and chemists. She also added to this through numerous travels. Thus, she was immersed in an environment that could only open the way to perfumes for her. She nevertheless embarked on art history studies before pursuing perfumer training part time in parallel. She began this training at the age of 18, spending one day a week taming scents. Indeed, her parents absolutely wanted Aliénor Massenet to hold a university degree. This is why she initially made her passion a parallel course of study. She then did a six-month internship abroad with Bertrand Duchaufour and assisted Sophia Grojsman in New York. In the end, she stayed there longer than planned — seven years! In 1995, she joined the IFF team in New York, and it was within the same company that she eventually returned to Paris. She then had the chance to work with Pierre Wargnye on several projects such as the iconic Drakkar Noir. She currently still holds a position as perfumer within the company IFF Paris.

Aliénor Massenet’s signature

While Aliénor Massenet has now created many perfumes that differ greatly from one another, each of her creations carries within it a strong contrast. She thus always tries to bring together dualities within a single fragrance. Furthermore, she enjoys signing each of her creations with labdanum or myrrh. She believes these raw materials carry an almost mystical dimension. Generally speaking, Aliénor Massenet is a creator who speaks through her emotions. She always chooses a powerful moment as the starting point for a perfume. She draws her inspiration from her feelings, from an encounter, or from a performance that moved her.

Among the many perfumes created by Aliénor Massenet, she has created an extensive collection for the house Memo, as well as Parlez-moi d’Amour for John Galliano, Only The Brave for Diesel, and Antidote for Viktor & Rolf. Her guiding principle remains, above all, to have fun and to make consumers dream.