Benoist Lapouza

A French perfumer, Benoist Lapouza worked at Takasago, Quest, Fragrance Resources and drom before joining Givaudan. He co-created Si Lolita with Christine Nagel in 2009 and in 2020 signed Angels' Share, his first collaboration with Kilian. He is also behind fragrances for Montblanc, Lalique, Escada and Boss.

From Fragrance Houses to Givaudan

Benoist Lapouza worked at Takasago and Quest, now part of Givaudan, as well as at drom. At Fragrance Resources, he served as perfumer and creative director and teamed up with Christine Nagel: together they created Si Lolita for Lolita Lempicka in 2009 and the two Kenzo eaux de toilette of 2010. He now works at Givaudan.

For the men's version of Kenzo, he composed a woody fragrance built around vetiver, cedar, labdanum, ginger and coriander. He is also behind Individuel for Montblanc (2004), Rose pour Elle for Mauboussin (2012), Homme Sport for Courrèges (2018), Soleil for Lalique (2019), Santorini Sunrise for Escada (2023) and Boss Bottled Beyond for Her (2026).

Angels' Share for Kilian

In 2020, Kilian Hennessy entrusted him with his first collaboration with the house, presented as Kilian's most personal creation, a tribute to eight generations of Hennessy know-how in cognac. Kilian describes a cognac essence that gives the juice its natural caramel color, opening on cognac oil, oak absolute, cinnamon and tonka bean, over a base of sandalwood, praline and vanilla. Angels' Share Paradis extended the theme in 2025.

Travel and Cooking

“I feel close to nature and I like to respect it,” he says. He draws inspiration from the citrus of Bachès, the spices of Roellinger and his work with chef Alain Passard, where ingredients were conceived as top, heart and base notes. He also mentions the well-being of sailing and diving, and the sensation of flying a plane.