Notes From A Cult Fragrance Architect

Two weeks ago we told you something new was coming to Glossier, and now the cat’s out of the bag—Glossier You Doux and Rêve are finally here! Glossier called up You eau de parfum co-creator Frank Voelkl to construct the new scents, and then ITG called him up to talk all about it. But first, we had some general burning fragrance questions, like, how the heck does a person become a professional fragrance maker? How does he wear scents? And how—in the age of so many people discovering fragrances solely through the internet—can a person know if a scent’s worth blind buying? Below, Frank in his own words on how he got into the business, his personal fragrance preferences, and what he thinks about Glossier’s newest scents.

“To be a great perfumer, you have to be really passionate about it. You have to have a passion for scent and a very high level of curiosity. A good sense of imagination too, because in a way, whatever we create is something we imagined before. My ability to smell is really the same as anybody else’s. The difference is it’s trained—to detect when you smell a dark scent, to be able to detect ‘this and this,’ is in there. That’s all training.

It all started when I was a teenager, when I was living in Paris. I got into fragrance without even knowing that there are people who create them. And then, the moment I found out, I was like, OK, that’s what I want to do. A friend of my parents knew about [ISIPCA, the world’s leading fragrance institute] and told me that if I’m interested in perfume, that I should check out the school. It was there I learned that when studying fragrance, the most important part is training your olfactive memory. What you do is you start smelling ingredients, and all the natural essential oils and molecules that are used in fragrances. You learn how to recognize them, to memorize them, and eventually you learn how to put them together. You also learn a lot about culture and history, different fragrance families and olfactive families, and technical aspects of fragrances—top notes, dry downs. It’s a pretty complete training. Before going to ISIPCA I was told that I should do some basic studies in chemistry—I have to admit, that wasn’t really my thing. But for what I do every day, it’s more artistic, more creative. Intuitive.

Fragrance is very subjective, and we all have our personal preferences on how we wear them. For me personally, my favorite spot to spray a scent is on my chest—two, three spritzes. But then, it also depends on the type of fragrance, because some fragrances are more intense, others are more subtle, like a skin scent. I know of somebody who likes to spray her fragrance on the ankles because she thinks that’s the right level of scent that’s not overwhelming. Of course, the neck is another very popular spot, and I think it’s very beautiful when a fragrance lingers on clothes. It brings back a bit of a memory when you go back to [the clothing] the following day and you get a little whiff.

Blind buying fragrances online is something I think that is very interesting because it happens so much today. When doing that, the first thing you probably should do is listen to those that you trust, like an influencer whose taste and beliefs you respect. The other way is to look at the brand. What is the brand? What does the brand stand for? Overall, when you are into a brand, and their products, and their style, and whatever DNA that brand has, your chances of finding a fragrance within that brand that you like are higher. As a perfumer, that’s really the most important piece for me. I have to understand the brand, understand its customer, and what that customer goes for. And that lends to the creation of the fragrance.

When it comes to Glossier’s new fragrances, Rêve and Doux, the common factor between Glossier You and the new ones is the ambrox, the musky background—the comfort piece that is You. Working on Rêve and Doux was extremely exciting, but also a little bit challenging because of the success of You. What I tried to do is capture the same vibe. We talked a lot about what Glossier stands for, and we talked a lot about it needing to be a skin scent. It’s a fragrance, yes, but it also allows you as a person to shine through. And even though we used some notes that are also used in You, they’re really different fragrances. Doux focuses more on woods. There’s sandalwood in there, and violet. It’s more earthy, something that’s very raw, and personally I believe that wood notes will always keep you grounded—the tree that is connected through its roots into the earth. The mood board was really fun—it was about serenity and being serene; feeling strong and empowered.

And then Rêve, the sentiment there is more about confidence, and something a little bit more grounding, reassuring. It’s also dreamy, with more joy and pleasure. Glossier is not necessarily the kind of brand where you think of gourmands and sweetness, but we were trying to figure out a way how to do that purposefully—a so-called gourmand but without being sticky. Using like, a touch of a roast almond note or a plum, some edible notes, brings in pleasure and the sense of community. The mood board was about comradery and connectivity—the shared experience of being together.

I’d have to say that since we started working on the fragrance franchise, that [one of our muses] is definitely Emily Weiss. I mean, she represents the values in the fragrances, and they’re certainly her brainchild. And another muse is actually my daughter. My daughter loves the brand, the products, and she loves the fragrance—she’s very excited. So, I think, I definitely see her as a Glossier girl.”

—as told to ITG

Photo via ITG

This article was originally published on intothegloss.com.