Aliénior Massenet

If perfumery is a field that requires multiple qualities, many great perfumers say they felt a sort 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 out 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 conducive to becoming a perfumer, surrounded by artists as well as scientists. Furthermore, her aunt was a painter and her grandparents were pharmacists and chemists. She also supplemented this with numerous travels. Thus, she was immersed in an environment that could only open the path to perfumes for her. She nevertheless began studies in art history before simultaneously pursuing part-time perfumer training. She started the latter at the age of 18, spending one day a week getting acquainted with scents. Indeed, her parents were adamant that Aliénor Massenet obtain 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 Grosjman 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 opportunity to work with Pierre Wargnye on several projects such as the iconic Drakkar Noir. She currently still holds a position as a perfumer within the IFF Paris company.

Aliénor Massenet's signature

While Aliénor Massenet now has to her credit numerous perfumes, each very different from the others, each of her creations contains a strong contrast within it. She thus always tries to bring together dualities within a single fragrance. Moreover, she enjoys signing each of her creations with labdanum or myrrh. She considers these raw materials to have an almost mystical dimension. Generally speaking, Aliénor Massenet is a creator who speaks through her emotions. She always chooses a powerful moment to serve as the starting point for a perfume. She thus 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 a large 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.