Francois Demachy – Dior’s Director of Olfactory Development

by laz_007 · October 20, 2014

Francois Demachy grew up in the so called “cradle of perfumery”, Grasse. It is located in the French Alps and the perfumer shares that the childhood he spent there had a significant influence on his life and attitude towards scents: “In Grasse, you are constantly confronted with perfume, whether you like it not. In my youth, the flower trucks would come down in August and the fragrance of lavender would float through the air.”

He also recalls “the mimosa-covered hills, the Bataille des Fleurs parade and fields of jasmine and roses in the early morning.” Maybe that’s the reason his favorite perfume ingredients are jasmine and rose: “jasmine, because it’s carnal and forbidden, and rose, because it’s a perfect symbol of a woman.”

As a young man, Francois Demachy was at first interested in medicine, dentistry and physiotherapy, but, eventually, the opportunity to work each summer as a trainee for perfume factories, workshops, and warehouses in the region of Grasse helped him gain valuable experience about scents and perfume making and become acquainted with the different aspects of the fragrance industry. Later on he enrolled at a perfumery school and, after finishing his education, he started working for Chanel. His career flourished and since 2006 Francois Demachy is Dior’s Director оf Olfactory Development.

With over 40 years of experience Francois Demachy is picky when it comes to ingredients: “It’s romantic to find ingredients that are no longer used because they’re expensive, or because they’re difficult to find, such as oud or ambergris or tuberose. Perfumery is comparable to cooking, in the sense that if you start with great ingredients, it’s easier to make a great dish.” With the strict regulations regarding natural ingredients, though, he understands the importance of using synthetic ingredients as well: “Synthetic products are very important for us. Synthetics help natural ingredients; they give them a boost and а character.”

His vision about the successful perfume is simple, yet sophisticated: “A successful perfume is one in which the formula is as beautiful as the fragrance… One that makes the woman wearing it smile and awakens desire in men…”

Even though he is a head of a big team, his head is not in the clouds and he participates actively in the development of new perfumes: “like a good chef, much of my day is spent in purchasing, actually choosing, selecting, and buying the ingredients that a perfume will be composed of.”

Here are some of the great perfumes, created by Francois Demachy that you can find in our website: