FloralAnnie Buzantian
Born in Constanța, Romania, into an Armenian family, Annie Buzantian trained under Elie Roger in the early 1970s and joined Firmenich in 1972. The first woman named master perfumer at the company, in 1988, she created Pleasures for Estée Lauder, Tommy for Tommy Hilfiger and a series of Marc Jacobs fragrances, from Grass to Decadence.
Career
Annie Buzantian was born in Constanța, Romania, into an Armenian family. In the early 1970s she started out as a laboratory assistant at Universal Oil Products, now part of Givaudan, and became a junior perfumer under Elie Roger. She joined Firmenich in 1972.
In 1988 she became the first woman named master perfumer at Firmenich. The American Society of Perfumers honored her career in 2003, and in 2015 the Fragrance Foundation gave her its Lifetime Achievement Award, the first woman perfumer to receive it.
Creations
She created Pleasures for Estée Lauder in 1995 with Alberto Morillas, Tommy for Tommy Hilfiger, and Puredistance I in 2008. For Marc Jacobs, she composed Splash Grass in 2006, Dot in 2012, Honey in 2013 and Decadence in 2015. For Victoria's Secret, she created Pink in 2001 and Breathless in 2003.
She is also behind Pure Turquoise and Ralph Rocks for Ralph Lauren, Now Women for Azzaro with Alberto Morillas in 2007, EVAmour for Eva Longoria, Parfum d'Extase for Marchesa and Opardu for Puredistance in 2012.
An Explorer's Craft
She sums up her craft as the art of “making someone else's dream come true,” exploring territories no one has yet traveled, like an explorer. She says she creates by instinct and intuition, which have never let her down, and advocates a balance between work and personal life.
