The portrait of a fragrance

Since speaking to Cosmetic News Weekly last March, niche fragrance brand Olfactive Studio has expanded into new markets including the US, China and Brazil while ramping up its UK presence through department store retailer Fenwick. Founder Céline Verleure reflects on her professional journey so far, and the inspiration behind the brand she describes as “an encounter between contemporary artistic photography and perfumery”

Around 20 years ago I started working with Kenzo. I was the International Marketing Director, responsible for the brand’s artistic direction. Through this, I discovered an interest in fragrance and it soon became a real passion. I later joined L’Oréal as part of their digital marketing team. This was where I learned that social media could be really powerful in brand creation. I also wanted to explore how photography inspires fragrance and thats how the idea for Olfactive Studio came about.

Fragrance is often inspired by photography. I wanted to explore this concept by using photos that already existed. I decided that I didn’t want to work with perfumers in the traditional way and remain limited to small briefs. I have also always preferred images to words, so in the end I chose to build the brand around finding photos that perfumers could translate into scent.