It may come as no surprise that the world of perfumery has traditionally been a boys club, but female perfumers are changing the game and bringing some of our best-loved fragrances into inception.
At the time when some of the most famous legacy scents were being created – Chanel No.5, Guerlain Shalimar, YSL Opium – women in white lab coats were not taken as seriously as their male counterparts, nor were they given the same opportunities. It's taken a long time to unravel, but these days, when you sniff a cult perfume and wonder about the nose (or perfumer) behind your most mesmerising concoctions, chances are it was one of these trail-blazing female perfumers below…
Christine Nagel
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One of the most prolific perfumers around, Christine Nagel, started her career in medicine before moving to chemistry and eventually perfumery when she joined renowned Swiss fragrance firm Firmenich. She was denied a spot as a perfumer, due to lacking a traditional perfume background, so instead examined the fragrances on a molecular level, learning to identify them by nose. When she left to start her own business in Italy, she was so impressive, she secured 60% of the countries fragrance contracts (including Fendi and Versace) within the first year.
Since then, the Swiss perfumer has put her hand (and nose) to countless scents across major fashion and fragrance houses like Dior, Fendi, Versace, Armani, Guerlain, Narciso Rodriguez, Cartier, Jo Malone and Dolce & Gabbana before joining Hermes in 2014 as the brand's in-house perfumer. She's the maestro behind much-loved masterpieces like Dior's Miss Dior Cherie, D&G's The One, Jo Malone's Wood Sage & Sea Salt, Giorgio Armani's Si, Narciso Rodriguez For Her and Twilly d'Hermes.
Anne Flipo
If YSL Libre has made its way into your perfume rotation, you have Anne Flipo to thank for the sexy floral, lavender and vanilla concoction, which has become an icon (and the top-seller) among millennials and Gen Z. It takes the structure of a typically masculine fougere (citrus top note, lavender heart and oakmoss base), but updates it with the addition of sweet and fruity notes like black currant, vanilla and orange blossom for a modern power perfume.
Anne is one of an elite group entitled to the title of ‘master perfumer’ – a name given to a very selective few by the IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances). She's also responsible for scenting every night out in the noughties, courtesy of her smash-hit honey and floral scent, Lady Million from Paco Rabanne (which she composed alongside fellow perfumers, Dominique Ropion and Beatrice Piquet). And, she created fan-favourite scents including Chloe Love Story, Coach The Fragrance, Giorgio Armani Acqua di Gioia, Lancome La Vie Est Belle and Givency L’Interdit – an elegant tribute to Audrey Hepburn with notes of pear, tuberose and patchouli.
Constance Georges-Picot
Phlur's Missing Person fragrance nearly broke the beauty internet when it dropped in 2022, with TikTok falling over itself with reviews of the enigmatic skin scent which seamlessly blends familiarity and nostalgia with a modern spin. People on social media were literally weeping over the sensations and memories triggered by the fragrance which was designed to smell like the skin of the person you love. As for its creator? That would be French female perfumer Constance Georges-Picot, who blended musk, jasmine, orange blossom and sandalwood to capture the emotional eau de parfum. And, she had two more Phlur perfumes in the pipeline…
Maya Njie
Swedish and West-African designer, Maya Njie, first taught herself perfumery while at the University of Arts London, after seeking to add an olfactory element to her photography. As her career in the art world progressed, she would wear her concoctions to work and events where friends, colleagues and strangers would ask after them. Her interest grew from there, culminating in her brand, Maya Njie Perfumes, which features a collection of gender-neutral scents centred around recapturing important moments from her upbringing. Nordic Cedar captures the warm, fresh, woody scent of cedar, conjuring pencil shavings, forest lodges and cosy nostalgia, thanks to a kick from cardamom. It has a slight aftershave vibe but could work just as beautifully on any gender, or for a slightly sweeter rendition, Vanilj follows an identical footprint, but with the addition of vanilla.
Calice Becker
Calice Becker's resume of spectacular perfumes is mind-blowing. The French master perfumer created legendary scents including Dior's J'Adore, Estee Lauder's Beyond Paradise, Marc Jacobs' Lola, Tom Ford's Velvet Orchid and Tommy Hilfiger's Tommy Girl. She's also the nose behind Love Don't Be Shy for Kilian. The syrupy gourmand smell went viral after Rihanna was reported to wear it and fellow celebs like Nick Jonas and Jennifer Lawrence swooned over how good she smelt. It takes cream soda, fluffy marshmallows and clouds of candy floss and blends it with a glug of sensual vanilla for a warm, sweet, creamy, intoxicating scent that's exactly like you'd expect our goddess, Ri-Ri, to smell.
Jo Malone MBE
British perfumer, Jo Malone, left school at the age of 13 to care for her sick mum. She joined the beauty industry at the age of 20, becoming a facialist, before she began experimenting with creating her own scented products. She revolutionised the industry when she launched her own eponymous brand, Jo Malone London, in 1990, swapping abstract names and crowded perfume profiles for simple scent combinations, like her first drop, Nutmeg & Ginger. She went on to create smash-hit fragrances like Nectarine Blossom & Honey and Lime, Basil & Mandarin – an addictive and uplifting squeezed citrus, grounded with a little earthiness from the basil. It helped supercharge a widespread appetite for clean, airy citruses. And, thanks to her more minimal scent combinations, Jo helped bring the idea of scent layering to the mainstream. She sold her brand to Estee Lauder in 1999 and left as creative director in 2006 before establishing her new brand, Jo Loves, in 2011 and starting up a whole new olfactory journey with new blends like Pomelo and White Rose & Lemon Leaves.
Dora Baghriche
Dora knows her way around a cult fragrance. Having grown up with two grandmothers who were pastry chefs, the intrigue of aromas was built into her DNA. She trained at France's prestigious ISIPCA perfume school before joining Firmenich as a perfumer. She's given us viral scents like YSL's Mon Paris, Versace's Vanitas and Paco Rabanne's Fame. She was the nose behind the transportive powdery, femme floral Narciso Rodriguez All Of Me, and perhaps most famous of all, she created Glossier You and kickstarted our fascination with skin scents. The just-showered musk is soft, subtle but leaves an addictive trail.
For more from GLAMOUR's Senior Beauty Editor, Elle Turner, follow her on Instagram @elleturneruk
