Jean Guichard

The profession of perfumer is particular and often intriguing. Is the ability to recognize and master scents something one acquires, or an innate capacity? How is this profession learned? In reality, it is often passed down from generation to generation. Today there are countless perfumers who have passed on their passion from father to son. Such is the case of Jean Guichard, director of the Givaudan perfumery school and a great perfumer. He passed on his love for his profession to his son Aurélien. A look back at his career, his work and his ambitions.

Jean Guichard's desire to become a perfumer

Jean Guichard was destined to become a perfumer one day. Indeed, he grew up in the capital of perfume, Grasse. This small town has a countless number of people working in the fragrance industry. This was the case for the Guichard family, several generations of which already came from the world of perfumery. Thus, Jean Guichard had the opportunity, from his earliest childhood, to immerse himself in the world of scents. Moreover, his Mediterranean and Provençal origins very often inspire him in the composition of his fragrance. After his beginnings in his hometown, Jean Guichard decided to settle in London and then in Paris. It was at that moment that recognition arrived. He joined the creative team at Givaudan, one of the world leaders in fragrance work. Very ambitious and talented, Jean Guichard gradually rose through the ranks from 1980 to the year 2000, when consecration came. At that moment, he was awarded the prestigious François Coty prize. It was also during this period that he was named Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. Mindful of preserving his origins, Jean Guichard is one of the only perfumers to own his own fields of jasmine and May rose, in the Grasse region. We owe him numerous best-sellers. Jean Guichard notably composed the fragrances Loulou de Cacharel, Obsession by Calvin Klein and L'Air du Temps Colombes Couleurs by Nina Ricci.

Jean Guichard and the Givaudan school

In 2004, Jean Guichard's professional career took an entirely different direction. Indeed, he was appointed director of the Givaudan perfumery school. This gave him every opportunity to share his passion and his expertise with the future perfumers of our era. Moreover, becoming director of the Givaudan school amounts to leaving one's mark on the history of perfumery. Furthermore, the Givaudan school is one of the most prestigious in the world. The few chosen ones who have the chance to enter it each year are guaranteed to leave with a position as a perfumer. However, the selection process is rigorous and only four to five people a year have the chance to gain admission to this school. Givaudan then trains them over a three-year program during which the apprentices discover a colossal number of raw materials. Jean Guichard has thus been giving the best of his expertise for more than 10 years to train the perfumers of tomorrow.