Mathilde Bijaoui of MANE©
I have been in love with scents since my childhood, inspired and encouraged by a father who loves everything about senses. And, by the way, no, Norbert Bijaoui is not my father… At the time, I had no idea that my love of scents could lead to a career, that making scents was actually a way to earn a living. At the age of thirteen, I asked my grandmother to visit with me the Osmothèque (the international fragrance conservatoire) in Versailles. I had an epiphany: creating perfumes was actually a profession you could be trained for. Since that day, I went every single year to ISIPCA’s open day. I was determined to study at this school of perfumery.Just after high school graduation, I had the chance to have a first glimpse of the industry with Judith Gross who offered me a summer internship.I then studied chemistry since it was one way, if not the only way, of entering this exclusive perfumery school, at least at that time in France. In one’s life, we remember very few teachers who made a real difference. I was profoundly impressed by Isabelle Doyen, one of Annick Goutal’s noses who still teaches today. Each week, I could not wait for her class to discover new raw materials.
During my studies at ISIPCA, I was also a trainee at IFF. I was working as a fragrance developer (or evaluator) under the supervision of Catherine Bru and Marie Martin. I am really grateful to have worked with them during these 2 years. It was a unique training to learn about the market, not only Fine Fragrance, but also Body Care. And it was a unique way to interact with most departments inside the fragrance industry: marketing, creation, sales, etc. Nevertheless, I was determined to become a perfumer. The third year of my training, Catherine Bru allowed me to work in evaluation only in the mornings, so I could spend my afternoons training with a perfumer, Antoine Lie. He would ask me to isolate key accords and to find the backbone of a fragrance… classic exercises but absolutely essential and incredibly rewarding for a young aspiring perfumer. After graduation, I had the opportunity to stay at IFF and work in the lab as a perfumer assistant spending hours compounding formulas, like many perfumers do when they start in the industry. At IFF, I met the late Laurent Bruyère; he impressed me so much. He was fascinating and his passion for perfumes was so vivid. I could listen to him talking about perfumes for hours. I will always remember him reciting by heart the formula of Angel (Thierry Mugler). A few years later, I got so excited when I learnt that he would join our MANE creative team. I joined MANE in 2004 at 24 years old.
(Mathilde Bijaoui at a Jasmine harvest in Grasse in 2006)
I was realizing the chance I had of actually becoming a perfumer! I had been dreaming about it since the age of 13. I spent a year and a half in MANE’s headquarters in Bar-sur-Loup near Grasse, before coming back to Paris. It’s a great way of starting in a company. You get to meet a lot of people, not only the Fine Fragrance team. I discovered and admired the wonderful MANE industrial power: the blend factory, the extraction techniques of naturals, etc. I even participated to my very first flower harvest: Jasmine in Grasse. It was a very special experience for me because jasmine resonates with my Mediterranean roots. At first, I was often collaborating with Karine Dubreuil, a MANE perfumer based in Paris. She encouraged, taught, and stimulated me. She was the first perfumer I got to work with as a team. Together, we signed Cédrat by Roger&Gallet and some fragrances for L’Occitane.
(Mathilde Bijaoui with Monique Ledunois MANE Account Manager, Karine Dubreuil and Thierry Vidart at the launch of Cedrat Roger&Gallet)
One of my greatest sources of inspiration is food: spices, vegetables, fruits, cakes, bread, etc… Maybe because I am such a foodie! I love good food. I was once inspired by Pierre Hermé’s Satine cake. I love this association of passion fruit, orange and creamy cheesecake. I also created a pumpkin macaroon right after tasting the one served by Alain Passard. More recently, Céline Roux at Jo Malone thought of me for the creation of the English Fields collection inspired by cereals and grains.
( With Olivier Baussan, founder of L’Occitane and Pierre Hermé, pastry chef)
I think my family really played a precious role in my choice of becoming a perfumer. Senses are very important in my family. My parents encouraged me to cultivate them: feeling, hearing, tasting, etc. My father was a sound producer in the advertising business. When I was a teenager, I recorded a few songs in his studio, just for fun. Sometimes I like to think that if I were not a perfumer, I would have loved to play in musicals, in which you both dance and sing. My parents decided to reinvent themselves about 15 years ago, very successfully, as olive oil makers in the South of France. I sometimes find many coincidences between their work and mine. They wait for the right time to harvest the olives: not too old, rather green, even if small, so that the fruit and therefore the oil have a very singular taste, with a lot of personality.
(One of Mathilde Bijaoui’s daughters in her grand-parents’ olive field. October 2018 harvest.)
My father is a great cook as well. With him, we always discover new spices, new smells and new tastes. Without his viral passion for taste, I would not be where I am today. My parents always encouraged me to believe in my dreams; they trusted my choice, even if it looked rather adventurous. And I’m very grateful to them for that. As a mother, today, I try to pass this sensorial curiosity to my daughters. Next winter, I will travel to Brazil, one of my favourite countries. I am really looking forward to immerse myself again into this amazing place. I am so happy to introduce this whole other world to my daughters. They are going to discover new smells, new sensations, and a new culture.
Frangipani via wiki
Inspirational scents can be very exotic or very familiar. I remember so vividly the first time I smelt frangipani flower. It was on Nosy Be Island in Madagascar, it was such an emotional shock. More familiar, but evenly inspirational are cardamom and tea. They can bring me very far away. That’s probably why I like Déclaration (Cartier) so much. I wish I had created this perfume! Cardamom, tea and cedarwood… just what I love.
(Mathilde Bijaoui at the launch of “Like This”, Etat Libre d’Orange in 2010)
Colors can be great sources of inspiration as well. My work around “Like this” for Etat Libre d’Orange is an archetypal example. I was asked to create a perfume with and for the spectacular Tilda Swinton. After meeting her, I was inspired by her unique skin complexion and red hair. The orange colour just popped into my mind, like an obvious inspiration, and I decided to play around an “orange-colored” accord with various ingredients: carrot, ginger, pumpkin, mandarin, orange blossom, everlasting flower…
(Mathilde Bijaoui with Céline Roux, Vice President Global Fragrance Development at Jo Malone)
Ideally, I like my accords to be only a few key ingredients and strong ideas. I love my compositions to be as simple (or so it would seem) and sensual like a modern ballet, like the one that impressed me intensely, “Push” with Sylvie Guillem and Russel Maliphant. Some have labelled me as the “dentellière” (lace maker) in fragrances composition. I am not sure it really suits me but I like precision and very clear-cut work for sure. Some people describe my notes as nurturing: comforting, grain-based, regressive, but not necessarily sweet. I think it is very complicated to define its own olfactory signature. I firmly believe in the power of scent; that exercising our sense of smell can help to reconnect with our well-being. As part of the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women), I conduct olfactory workshops every month in hospitals for women suffering from cancer. Education to smells, transmission of scents… Sharing with people, that’s the real power of fragrances.
– Mathilde Bijaoui, Perfumer at MANE
Photos from Mme. Bijaoui and MANE unless specified
Perfumes by Mathilde Bijaoui
Etat Libre d’Orange: Spice Must Flow 2019 (soon to be released in the USA; currently a Selfridge’s exclusive), Malaise of the 1970s, Bijou Romantique (Michelyn’s favourite Etat Libre d’Orange), Like This
Jo Malone: Jasmine Sambac & Marigold, English Fields collection (2018),Myrrh & Tonka, Green Almond & Redcurrant (2017)
Mugler: Womanity (in collaboration with MANE perfumers)
Roger & Gallet: Cédrat (in collaboration with Karine Dubreuil), Feuille de Figuier
Giovanna Antonelli Parfums: 811 Absoluto
Giorgio Armani: Eau de Cèdre
Yves Saint Laurent: Sleek Suede
Maison Margiela: Replica Across Sands (in collaboration with Violaine Collas)
Diesel: Loverdose Red Kiss (in collaboration with Violaine Collas)
Ermanno Scervino: Ermanno Scervino (in collaboration with Julie Massé & Véronique Nyberg)
Lalique: Hommage à l’Homme (in collaboration with Christine Nagel) andWoody Gold
L’Occitane: Roses et Reines,Jasmin Immortelle Néroli,Pamplemousse Rhubarbe
L’Occitane au Brésil: Balanço de Rio,Bromélia,Araucaria
Biotherm: Eau soleil
Laura Biagiotti: Roma Passione Uomo (in collaboration with Véronique Nyberg)
Manuel Carrasco: Manuel Carrasco Libre Intenso
Carven: Paris-Séville
BDK: Oud Abramad
Jean-Louis Scherrer: Pop Delights 01
Jacomo: Art collection #8, Jacomo for Men
Yves Rocher: Fleur de noël 2008, Mauves cristallisées
Ungaro: Ungaro Love Kiss, Ungaro Blue Ice, Ungaro Silver, Fruit d’Amour : Purple Gardenia, Fruit d’Amour : Black Liquorice
Dali Haute Parfumerie: Daligramme Ma Vie, Daligramme Ma Reine, Le Roy Soleil Homme Extrême
Replay: Replay Signature Red Dragon
Police: Police To Be Tattooart for Man
Dsquared: Potion Blue Cadet
Bentley: Bentley for Men Azure
Esteban:Baume Tolu, Pivoine
Victorio & Lucchino:N°12 Orchídea Exótica
Mathilde Bijaoui of MANE is one of the talented young women in perfumery who is changing the olfactive landscape and we celebrate her work during “Women’s History Month”. Thanks to Etienne de Swardt of Etat Libre D’Orange, we have a WORLD WIDE Registered reader’s choice of one three fragrances by Malthilde Bijaoui: Like This, Bijoux Romantique or Malaise of the 70s for a reader anywhere in the world. You must be REGISTERED to be eligible. Please leave a comment with what you thought of Mathilde Bijaoui path to perfumery, if you are familiar with any of her perfumes and which Mathilde Bijaoui perfume from Etat Libre D’Orange you choose in your comment. Draw closes March 13, 2019
We announce the winners only on our site and on our Facebook page, so like Çafleurebon and use our blog feed…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.