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Jerome Di Marino

Drawn to art but scientific at heart, this native of Haute-Savoie, raised in Nice, chose a degree in chemistry after his baccalaureate. By chance, he discovered the existence of ISIPCA, applied there, and graduated in 2010 after an apprenticeship at Givaudan, with his perfumery godmother, Nathalie Cetto. Jerome di Marino then spent a year in Givenchy's olfactory evaluation unit, assessing submissions from composition houses. It was an ideal position for this young man, naturally inclined toward others, delighted to meet the whole profession and to appreciate the personalities and talents within it. In 2012, he joined Takasago as Trainee Perfumer alongside Francis Kurkdjian. Two years spent in the shadow of his mentor, but also in his light, marked by a rigor and perfectionism he is unlikely to forget. Jerome worked on Daniel Hechter's Black project, which won a FIFI award in 2015. And from there, things took off. Since 2017 he has been a full-fledged creative perfumer, driven by the wish to prove to those who trusted him that they were not mistaken. As for art, it is still there, woven into his daily life, and standing out clearly with niche houses.

Perfumer Jérôme Di Marino answers your questions

My olfactory memory

Marrakech and the souks, orange blossom and spices, the atlas cedar boxes with that woody, dense, almost animalic smell.

My travels

Sri Lanka this year, those magnificent terraced-farming landscapes in the mountain region, tea, cardamom.

My inspiration

The Soulages exhibition at the Centre Pompidou. This artist devoted his life to a single theme, black, with a creativity, a depth, a density...

My cult fragrance

Kouros by Yves Saint Laurent, which my father used to wear. A true cliché of masculinity, very animalic, addictive. My mother wore Diva, it was cacophony in the car...

My color

White, an absence of color but a symbol of purity. It is also the perfumer's blank page, which is not anxiety-inducing, but rather fulfilling.

My dream

To travel around the world taking all my time, enriching myself through encounters, watching people live, building beautiful memories, backpack on my shoulders.

My motto

Everything comes in time to those who know how to wait. This profession requires time, and a great deal of patience.

My favorite raw materials

Tonka bean: I am a fan of oriental fragrances in general. A rich ingredient, hay-like, creamy, chocolatey, chic gourmand... I use it a great deal in my fragrances.

Cistus labdanum: found in the Amber 83 accord, a Laire base used for Shalimar. Cistus alone offers an extremely rich palette.

Bitter almond: the smell of Cléopâtre glue, a regressive pleasure, a very French cultural reference. It is olfactory calisson!

Jerome Di Marino, a rising star of modern perfumery

Becoming a perfumer is far from easy. In fact, it is a profession reserved for very few chosen ones in the world. Newcomers to the field are thus rare. Yet Jérôme Di Marino is one of them. He is the protégé of the great Francis Kurkdjian and currently ranks among the rising stars of perfumery. He is gradually opening up a very promising future for himself and is one of the figures worth following.

The career path of perfumer Jérôme Di Marino

Jérôme Di Marino followed a fairly traditional path to becoming a perfumer. Born in 1987 in Annemasse, in Haute-Savoie, he first earned a degree in chemistry in 2008. He then joined the most prestigious perfumery school in the world: ISIPCA in Versailles. There, he completed a work-study program while working at Givaudan. He learned a great deal alongside Nathalie Cetto. Then, in 2011, he joined Givenchy's fragrance olfactory unit and worked in collaboration with Françoise Donche. Barely a year later, he was hired by the Japanese company Takasago, where he trained for three years under Francis Kurkdjian, a decisive encounter.

Francis Kurkdjian, mentor to Jérôme Di Marino

Jérôme Di Marino readily admits that he owes a great deal to Francis Kurkdjian. This master of olfactory material taught him in particular to justify the place of every note in a fragrance. According to him, no scent should be there by chance. Jérôme Di Marino has thus made it a habit to find a coherent justification for the use of each ingredient. If he cannot find good reasons, then simply that raw material has no place there. Besides Francis Kurkdjian, Jérôme Di Marino also says he particularly appreciates the work of Olivier Polge, who in his view brings a breath of modernity to perfumery.

Travel and music as sources of inspiration

Naturally, Jérôme Di Marino has his own little tricks for creating his fragrances. He says he is used to working with music on. He also enjoys working in collaboration with others. According to him, it is interaction that moves a fragrance forward. He nevertheless states that he sometimes needs silence in order to express his own point of view. At the same time, Jérôme Di Marino explains that travel is for him an inexhaustible source of inspiration. He enjoys losing himself in markets, unearthing scents and tastes there, and devising original accords. From this comes his particular love of vanilla and spices in general. Jérôme Di Marino also appreciates orange blossom and the distinctive freshness of lavender. As for olfactory notes he does not like, he always tries to work with them differently to bring out their best.

The olfactory creations of Jérôme Di Marino

Agatha: Balade aux Tuileries - Amouroud: Lunar Vetiver - Carven: Carven L'Eau Intense (co-created with Francis Kurkdjian), Carven L'Absolu (co-created with
Francis Kurkdjian) - Daniel Hechter: Black (co-created with Francis Kurkdjian), Signature Hechter Malt Cuiré - Elie Saab: Le Parfum In White - Kenzo: Kenzo World Power
- MCM: Orris, Incense, White Tea - Molton Brown: Suede Orris - Morgan: Black by Morgan, Red by Morgan, White by Morgan - Panouge: Perle Rare Intense (co-created
with Francis Kurkdjian) - Pedro del Hierro: Pedro del Hierro, PDH Eau Fraîche, PDH Intense, PDH Le Parfum, PDH Peonia - Pepe Jeans: Pepe Jeans London For Him -
Première Note: Ambre Kashmir, Aura Tonka, Himalayan Oud, Tasman Santal - Scorpio: Noir absolu EDP - Sézane: L'Eau Sézane - William Hunt: Oud de Parfum.

Creations by Jerome Di Marino