Sonia Constant

The perfume sector belongs to a very restricted circle, since only a few people in the world have the ability and the good fortune to practice the profession of nose. What is more, for a very long time it was a profession passed down from generation to generation and reserved exclusively for men. Fortunately, attitudes have evolved and the perfume industry has undergone real upheavals, following, for example, the emancipation of women. As such, some women today create genuine best-sellers. Sonia Constant is one of them and says she is delighted to see such changes in this profession.

Sonia Constant's training

Sonia Constant learned perfumery at one of the most prestigious schools in the world in this field: the Institut Supérieur de parfum, des Cosmétiques et des Arômes Alimentaires de Versailles, otherwise known as ISIPCA. She completed her entire course through a work-study program and, as part of it, did an internship at Givaudan. This house is a global player in perfumery today, which allowed her to work under the guidance of the best teachers. Thus, it was world-renowned perfumers who taught her the craft. Dominique Ropion and Francis Kurkdjian were her teachers at ISIPCA, while Olivier Pescheux took her under his wing at Givaudan. Once she had her diploma, Sonia Constant stayed at Givaudan and joined the fine fragrance team, alongside Christine Nagel, a nose who then became her mentor. Sonia Constant then shaped a creative personality woven from the many influences of her instructors. She says: Each of them gave me a precious gem in my learning, each with their own personality.

Sonia Constant's inspirations

Sonia Constant draws her creativity from everything around her. Thus, she likes to imagine a lover when she creates a men's fragrance. For example, in order to create Eutopie N°9, she admits she had a particular person in mind, a very elegant man. However, most often, her creativity comes from her travels. This globetrotter is in the habit of traveling the world in search of new scents. She has thus gone from Thailand to Vietnam, via Sri Lanka and Namibia. There, she discovered very different cultures as well as varied plants and cuisines. She makes a point of bringing back a starting point for her new creations from each of her trips. Likewise, Sonia Constant describes herself as a very curious person. Thus, in order to satisfy her curiosity even further, she works for very diverse markets, whether in Europe, Brazil, the United States or the Middle East. The olfactory challenges there are entirely different, and it is precisely this complexity that seems to fascinate her about this profession. Sonia Constant explains: When I started in perfumery, I was so curious, everything was worth learning. I was like a hungry dog that wants to learn learn learn as much and as fast as possible!

Generally speaking, Sonia Constant is a woman who operates on instinct. She admits to raising her children by intuition and creating her perfumes in the same way.