Perfume interview: meet the perfumer Domitille Michalon-Bertier
"Cooking, art, travel, reading... I draw my inspirations from everywhere. Creation inspires me." - Domitille Michalon-Bertier
Today, we take you to meet Domitille Michalon-Bertier, perfumer at IFF who signed Hors-Pisteour impertinent Cologne and Un Deux Trois Soleilour mischievous, gourmand eau de parfum, which you'll have on the tip of your tongue.
Inspired and inspiring, discover her story, her journey, her inspirations for creating fragrances Bastille and the challenges she faced when composing natural fragrances.
Enjoy your reading!
Domitille Michalon-Bertier's background and inspirations
Can you introduce yourself and tell us about your background?
Before I knew that the profession of perfumer existed, I wanted to be an architect. I liked the idea of creating for others.
But the day I discovered the existence of ISIPCA everything made sense... It was obvious to me. I have always been attracted by smells. I was lucky enough to enter this school and then to do my end-of-studies internship at IFF, where I still work.
What finally made you want to become a perfumer?
As a child, I lived for a few years on the Vanuatu Islands. I remember the olfactory shock of this move. I was leaving Paris to discover an incredible world of new smells.
All the scents seemed to me tenfold. I remember the scents of spices, flowers, wood... a very strong smell of forest. This experience undeniably contributed to my desire to become a perfumer.
What are your inspirations?
Cooking, art, travel, reading... I draw my inspiration from everywhere. Creation inspires me. I also do a lot of research on the brands I work for, I like to understand their universe. Ideas often come to me when I'm on the move, especially when I'm Nordic walking in nature.
How do you manage to transcribe words, an inspiration or a memory in a perfume?
I manage to transcribe words, an inspiration, a memory by association of ideas... I go back to my reflections, ideas that I note in a notebook or in my library of smells and agreements that I created and that I keep. These are often the starting points for new structures.
Do you have an olfactory signature? If yes, which one ?
No but yes. No, because I work mainly on commission, but yes, because I instill my way of doing things.
Domitille Michalon-Bertier and Bastille...
What are the challenges of composing fragrances with 95% natural ingredients?
First of all, it is to see what ingredients are available to us. Composing with 95% natural ingredients means working with a new palette, which is regularly enriched.
It is also often to compose with more expensive ingredients, it is necessary to take care to remain accessible.
What did you like/like about the Bastille adventure?
I liked this challenge that was proposed to us. The goal was to make a perfume composed of 95% natural ingredients.
I liked the approach, which leaves room for fun, chic and playfulness. The Bastille adventure exudes joie de vivre and I loved this creative environment.
Can you describe in 3 words the fragrances you have signed for Bastille ?
Hors-Piste modern, vibrant and full of energy!
Un Deux Trois Soleil warm, summery and cheerful
What did the briefs for Un Deux Trois Soleil and Hors-Piste inspire you when you were presented with them?
The briefs showed us the spirit in which the brand wanted to put the creations but left us a lot of creative freedom. I especially remember the images of these briefs... very inspiring !
For the brief that finally gave birth to Un Deux Trois Soleil, I remember images representing childhood, carefree, playfulness... Something very warm and regressive.
As for the Hors-Piste brief, there wasn't one. But we thought that this flash of freshness could perfectly fit in the collection, so we proposed it to the brand, which finally retained this idea of modern Cologne.
And we end this fragrant interview with these last 3 questions:
For you, a perfume is...
A pleasure.
And a perfumer is...
A creator of emotions.
Finally, what is your motto?
As long as there is life, there is hope... and joy!
The olfactory portrait of Domitille Michalon-Bertier
We now move on to the olfactory portrait. Here we go!
Your personality in 3 words? Enthusiastic, involved, curious.
Your first olfactory memory? The smell of a Basque black cherry cake.
A smell you hate ? There is no smell that I really hate... but sometimes there are agreements that do not delight me, smells that do not go together harmoniously. The smell of chocolate with mint or the notes of exotic fruit desserts for example!
A scent you love? The smell of iris concrete.
A favorite raw material that you like or would like to work with? I would love to work with a natural popcorn absolute.
An original association? Combine timur pepper and vetiver.
A mythical perfume? L'Eau des Merveilles, Hermès.
Natural, synthetic or both? Both as long as they are good and clean for the planet!
That's it! Now you know Domitille Michalon-Bertier on the tip of your nose.
To discover the perfumed interviews of the other perfumers who have designed Bastille fragrances, visit the "Perfumed Interviews" section of our blog!
Leave a comment