Interview with Shyamala Maisondieu, Co-Creator Of Lancôme Idôle

When Shyamala Maisondieu was awarded the 2019 Prix François Coty in recognition of her career and creations, it was confirmation of what I had known for a while. The Malaysian-born perfumer is one of the brightest perfume talents of her generation.

A quick snap-shot of her diverse creations/co-creations will tell you that:

• Etat Libre d’Orange Charogne EDP (2008)
• Yves Rocher Rose Fraîche EDT(2012)
• Diesel Only The Brave Wild EDT (2014)
• Les Liquides Imaginaires Succus EDP (2015)
• L’Occitane en Provence Terre de Lumière EDP (2017)
• 27 87 Hamaca EDP (2017)
• Coach Floral EDP (2018)
• Mugler Cologne Run Free EDT (2018)
• Mademoiselle Rochas EDT (2018)
• Coach Dreams EDP (2020)

Little wonder Shyamala Maisondieu was chosen to co-create Lancôme Idôle EDP. It’s the first new perfume launch from the French beauty giant since their decade-defining La Vie Est Belle.

It’s too soon to tell whether it will go on to repeat the success of its predecessor. But there’s no doubting that this new EDP will receive equal amounts of love and hate. For my review of this clean rose fragrance, please see my Instagram page (@richgoller).

Shyamala Maisondieu chatted to me about this prestige project, its pressures and her perfume career.

What attracted you to the world of perfumery?

I actually came to it by accident. It was after I had graduated in chemical engineering, was looking for a job and happened to see an advertisement in a local newspaper in Malaysia looking for graduates with a chemistry background. But what attracted me was the mention that I would be willing to travel and live in another country.

“It had both artistic and scientific aspects to the job, where my strengths and capabilities lie.”

What really won me over was when I met a perfumer who told me all about his job, and I realised there and then, it was exactly what I wanted to do. It had both artistic and scientific aspects to the job, where my strengths and capabilities lie.

Where did you study? What was the most important thing you learned there?

I was very, very lucky to have been able to study at the perfumery school of Givaudan, while it was in Grasse. I had a teacher, Francoise Marin, who insisted on us being curious. That has stayed with me and fuelled how I see life in general. I am always open to new ideas. That is one of the most important things about being a perfumer.

What was the first fragrance you created and how do you feel about it now?

I’ve had two different perfumery lives. I started off as a perfumer in consumer products (detergent, soaps and shampoo). And then in 2016 I joined the Givaudan fine fragrance team. There are two fragrances which I created at that time: Tom Ford Bois Marocain EDP [2009] and Eau de Sisley 3 EDP [2009]. I still am very proud of them. They are both raw and at the same time express very much what I like in perfumery – a central focus on natural raw materials.

How would you describe yourself as a perfumer?

Difficult question to answer. I love what I do and feel so blessed to be able to do what I do every day. But it was a long and difficult road, quite bumpy at times. I wouldn’t be here if it hadn’t been for many people, luck, but also a lot of hard work and patience. Trying to be positive, I have a happy outlook in my life and respect people. I hope that reflects in my work.

What was the brief for Lancôme Idôle in terms of its olfactory profile?

It was to create a new olfactory profile that would appeal to the younger generation, but also globally. It was a challenging brief. Givaudan had done an interesting study to understand what was internationally appealing. The idea of the smell of cleanliness was important. With my background and early experience in other product categories, I had an idea of what could smell clean. So I created this Clean & Glow accord, which straight away was loved by the fragrance developers at Lancôme.

Idôle is the brand’s first new fragrance following the huge success of La Vie est Belle. Did you feel any pressure to create another blockbuster?

Pressure was enormous, of course. It still is; time will tell how Idôle will fare. But we had a great team and L’Oréal [the owner of Lancôme] also had that same pressure. Everyone was committed and we worked hard. We had a goal and somehow the pressure was turned into a positive motivation.

You co-created the fragrance with Adriana Medina-Baez and Nadege le Garlantezec. How does this kind of collaboration work? Are you responsible for different parts?

The creation process is different for different projects. The main thing is to have great communication within the team. For this project, we all worked in many different ways. We each tried to bring something special to the fragrance and also worked on it in a technical aspect, ie, in terms of strength diffusion and long-lastingness. Each of us brought something specific, but which wasn’t completely defined at the beginning. It sort of comes out because of our history, our background and the raw materials which we love.

Have you read reviews of the fragrance?

I’m still too nervous to read them. I think I’ll wait.

“Pressure was enormous, of course. It still is; time will tell how Idôle will fare.”

You’re married to perfumer Antoine Maisondieu and work for the same company. How do you support each other?

Antoine and I have been separated for some time now, six years. But we met at perfumery school and were friends and colleagues before being husband and wife. We have managed to come back to that. Being friends and colleagues, but with something special still remaining in that, we trust each other. It is a question of sharing many things, be it ideas or information, or critical advice on each other’s perfumes.

What other projects are you working on / have just completed?

I’ve just completed a new fragrance for Etat Libre d’Orange (I love this brand). I’m working with other colleagues on various projects, which is a lot of fun as I am learning from them. And I’m starting a lot of new ideas, but it’s still too early to see where they will end up.

For more info on Lancôme Idôle, read here.