Nathalie Feisthauer

If some perfumers seem to have been destined from a very young age for the world of perfume, others owe their new calling to chance. A place, an encounter... It seems that fate sometimes decides to lead them down this path. Nevertheless, this does not make them any less talented perfumers, quite the opposite if one goes by the number of best-sellers created by some of them, such as Nathalie Feisthauer. Nathalie Feisthauer’s defining encounters Nathalie Feisthauer likes to describe her calling as a perfumer as an improbable possibility. Indeed, having been rather a tomboy in her youth, Nathalie Feisthauer seemed to belong to a world far removed from perfumery. Yet an encounter with a perfume changed her life. One day, she had the pleasure of smelling the famous Opium by Yves Saint-Laurent. She perceived it as a true work of art that she never tired of contemplating and contemplating again.

This gave rise to her decision to become a perfumer. Thus, at just 14 years old, Nathalie Feisthauer sent numerous letters to the headquarters of perfume houses with the firm intention of joining their creative departments as an assistant to the greatest perfumers. Her determination earned her a meeting with Jean-Louis Sieuzac, the creator of Opium. He gave her a helping hand and enabled her to join the prestigious Roure perfumery school in Grasse.

Nathalie Feisthauer’s career

Once she graduated from the Roure school, Nathalie Feisthauer joined Givaudan, where she worked for 20 years. She began her career there in 1990, in New York. There, she had the opportunity to collaborate with the world’s greatest perfumers, such as Anne Gottliebn, Karyn Khoury and Clare Cain. She thus created fragrances for Clarins and Jean Louis Scherrer. Then, in 1994, Nathalie Feisthauer returned to France. She went on to create perfumes for Cartier, Hermès and Diesel. A highly creative personality, Nathalie Feisthauer enjoys crafting her compositions with the same love that guides her when cooking. She often adds a touch of truffle to her compositions, an ingredient she considers both animalic and sensual. Similarly, arugula is another unexpected element she particularly appreciates. She says she loves its green, dark and slightly sharp character. In October 2008, Nathalie Feisthauer joined the Symrise group in Paris as a senior perfumer. However, she is now an independent perfumer.

We owe Nathalie Feisthauer a great many olfactory successes, such as Eau Belle and Orange Tonique for Azzaro, Must pour Homme by Cartier, Eau des Merveilles by Hermès, and Nuits Indiennes by Jean-Louis Scherrer.