Dora Baghriche Interview: “Intuition Is My Most Precious Ally”

Dora Baghriche

IMAGE: dsm-firmenich.

Dora Baghriche may have learned the art of diplomacy since her fragrance debut in 2011, Versace Vanitas EDT. But she remains refreshingly honest about her work as a perfumer. From our communications, I pick up she’s feeling overwhelmed. Perfectly understandable with all the pressures and demands of her profession.

Versace Vanitas EDT

IMAGE: Versace.

She comes across as a sensitive soul. And looking at her body of work so far (a selection below), there’s an impressive variety across several genres:

+ Versace Vanitas EDT (2011)

+ Olfactive Studio Still Life EDP (2011)

+ L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna EDP (2013)

+ Cacharel Anaïs Anaïs Premier Délice EDT (2014)

+ Gloria Vanderbilt Minuit à New York EDP (2015)

+ Juicy Couture I Am Juicy Couture EDP (2015)

+ Yves Saint Laurent Mon Paris EDP (2016)

+ Glossier You EDP (2017)

+ Chopard Happy Chopard Bigaradia EDP (2018)

+ Issey Miyake L’Eau d’Issey Rose & Rose EDP (2019)

+ Lionel Richie Hello EDT (2019)

+ Ariana Grande R.E.M. EDP (2020)

+ Kenzo Flower Poppy Bouquet EDP (2020)

+ Armani Privé Gardénia Antigua EDT (2020)

+ Carolina Herrera 212 Heroes Forever Young EDP (2022)

+ Paco Rabanne Fame EDP (2022)

+ Narciso Rodriguez All of Me EDP (2023)

+ Coty Infiniment Or de Moi Parfum (2024)

Dora Baghriche - Chopard Happy Chopard Bigardia EDP

Initially, Dora Baghriche had her eye on a career in journalism but even as a perfumer, she manages to bring elements of that into her work. “Journalism was a way to fulfil an endless curiosity and appetite for people, history and stories, for nature too. I am adding my imagination to the reality I see,” she says.

Dora Baghriche

IMAGES OF DORA BAGHRICHE: dsm-firmenich.

Congratulations on your recent principal perfumer appointment. What does that mean for your career?

Thank you! It always feels good when your work and commitment are recognised by your company. It’s an important step in a career.

Journalism was your first career choice before you enrolled at ISIPCA. Are you able to apply any journalistic principles to your work as a perfumer?

Yes, I wanted to be a reporter, to travel and witness the world. I have such an endless admiration for these men and women who courageously try to inform us about conflicts, major events, good or bad. I wanted to be a voice and an eye for what and who is invisible, or far, or ignored. This comes from my thirst for justice and freedom since my youngest age.

Glossier You EDP

IMAGE: Glossier.

Journalism was also a way to fulfil an endless curiosity and appetite for people, history and stories, for nature too. Creating fragrances allows me to express these values in a different form. I am adding my imagination to the reality I see…

Dora Baghriche - Kenzo Flower Poppy Bouquet EDP Florale

How do you remember your fine fragrance debut?

My debut in perfumery is a good memory, even though it was all about fighting to prove myself and to exist among the established perfumers. Being a young perfumer requires energy, resilience, patience and fearlessness.

I had all these qualities, but I was also too direct, with no filter. I have learned a bit of useful diplomacy.

“My debut is a good memory, even though it was all about fighting to prove myself and to exist among the established perfumers.” – Dora Baghriche

Cacharel Anais Anais Mon Premiere Delice EDT

IMAGE: Cacharel.

Do you approach perfumery as a technical or intuitive endeavour?

I work with my intuition – it is my most precious ally. Technique comes afterwards to make this intuition something “presentable”.

Olfactive Studio Still Life EDP (2011) is an early creation of yours. In what way does it represent you as a perfumer?

Still Life is a creation around yuzu and pepper – among my favourite tastes and sensations. These ingredients are the symbol of high energy, that’s probably why they are often the stars of festive cocktails. I still love Still Life. This fragrance is like an endless party.

Olfactive Studio Still Life EDP

IMAGE: Olfactive Studio.

L’Artisan Parfumeur Caligna EDP (2013) is a different type of fig fragrance. How did you approach its creation?

It’s my vision of the sweet breath of the south of the Mediterranean. It’s about sage. Sage also means “savage”, the same root. And for me, the region of Provence means the wild, the freedom and also the softness. This sage is full of softness, surrounded by jasmine marmalade and fig.

Dora Baghriche - L'Artisan Parfumeur Caligna EDP

You’re part of the team behind Paco Rabanne Fame. These high-profile projects must come with a lot of pressure. How do you deal with those stresses?

Indeed, pressure is part of my world. Winning a big project is always a race you need to be well prepared for – it is psychologically and physically overwhelming. Dealing with competition, with doubts, with others’ tastes and personalities, even within your own team, the stress can be high.

“It’s important to stay open to others. Then creation can find peace again.” – Dora Baghriche

But I’ve learned to domesticate pressure. And when it’s becoming too hard to take a step back. It’s important to stay positive, open to others, rely on the people you trust. Then anything can be smoother, and creation can find peace again.

Dora Baghriche - Paco Rabanne Fame Parfum

You’ve created several fragrances for Chopard. Has this entailed meeting the brand’s artistic director, Caroline Scheufele?

I work a lot with Chopard and I love this house. I met Caroline Scheufele a few years ago and had both a personal and artistic crush for her and for her work. She is audacious, sensitive, a beautiful soul. She loves perfumes among other arts.

Caroline Scheufele

IMAGE: Chopard.

We shared how we could bring her perfume collection to the next level and to create fragrances that are the most faithful to the spirit of the house: quality, creativity and a bit of the unexpected.

Dora Baghriche - Chopard Iris Malika EDP

Narciso Rodriguez All of Me EDP is a 2023 co-creation of yours with Daphné Bugey. Musk is an integral part of the brand’s fragrance identity. What kind of musk/s did you use in its creation?

All of Me is the encounter of geranium and an incredible heart of musk. We worked with the latest generation of musks offered by dsm-firmenich’s palette. Our company is called “the house of musks”. We are pioneers in the research for new musks with different tonalities, different facets.

Dora Baghriche - Narciso Rodriguez All of Me EDP

For All of Me, we worked with six different musks – all 100% biodegradable and with interesting and complementary facets. While Muscone and Muscenone are dirty and wild, Helvetolide brings a clean, soft facet, for example. That’s why the result of this musky signature is not flat, but multi-dimensional, like Mr Narciso Rodriguez’s vision of women.

“While Muscone and Muscenone are dirty and wild, Helvetolide brings a clean, soft facet.” – Dora Baghriche

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing?

When I’m not working, I do many things. Reading first. I am what we call a heavy reader – I can read up to three books a week. I used to practise Japanese archery but not anymore, now I am taking piano lessons again because I miss music.

Armani Privé Gardénia Antigua EDT

IMAGE: Giorgio Armani.

What I love the most is to discover new worlds, new fields. I might not have time to become an expert in everything, but I love to dive into a new discipline and understand a little bit of its meaning, its power, its benefits.

Chopard Fragrances Overview: Love Chopard EDP + Black Incense Malaki EDP + Oud Malaki EDP + Happy Chopard Collection

Chopard Fragrances

Chopard fragrances were recently launched in South Africa, and I was fortunate to be on the receiving end of several of their releases. While I’m familiar with the olfactory offerings from other luxury jewellery and watch brands (for example, Bvlgari, Boucheron, Cartier), it’s my first time with Chopard.

Image: chopard.com.

The Swiss company founded by Louis-Ulysse Chopard (pictured,  above) in 1860 has been in the fragrance biz since the 1980s. Earlier classic releases, Chopard Happy Diamonds (1986) and Chopard Casmir (1992), have been discontinued. But judging from the perfumes I received, the company has more than enough quality current scents to go around.

Image: Fragrantica.

“Sustainability” is often just a corporate buzzword, but from the admirably detailed product info, Chopard seems to be doing more than most to ensure their fragrances meet their “do good, feel good” philosophy. The brand emphasises its commitment to responsibly and ethically sourced ingredients (many of them naturals) from certified partners.

Where known, the name of the perfumer is included after the name of the fragrance in this Chopard overview.

JOIE DE VIVRE: Julia Roberts is the face of the Chopard Happy Diamonds Collection. Image: chopard.com.

CHOPARD LOVE CHOPARD EDP (ALBERTO MORILLAS)

Another day, another rose perfume… Not quite. While this recent (2020) release is a take on the queen of florals, it’s sufficiently different and multifaceted enough to stand out in the crowded category.

Chopard Fragrances

Billed as the company’s glamorous tribute to roses à la the Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet (Chopard is an official partner of the event), it’s roses from top to bottom. Various essences were used to create this EDP, including Turkish rose infusion, Bulgarian rose oil, Moroccan centifolia rose absolute and rose damascena absolute from Turkey.

Image: chopard.com.

It starts out fresh and dewy, with hints of pink pepper and cinnamon in the background. Bravo to the brand for admitting to the use of the synthetic rose molecule Roseolate, with its fruity nuances. It gets spicier and warmer as the fragrance progresses, with notes of jasmine sambac and orange blossom adding to the richness. There’s a lot going on in the gourmand drydown, in which earthy patchouli meets notes of honey, cacao and vanilla.

The result? Sweet, over-the-top sophistication. And I mean that in a good way.

Chopard Fragrances

CHOPARD BLACK INCENSE MALAKI EDP (ALBERTO MORILLAS)

Wowzers! Inspired by the ancient tradition of royal frankincense, the most recent addition to the brand’s Middle East-inspired Malaki Collection (2020) is standout stuff. Some people might even use the dreaded phrase, “niche quality”, to describe it.

The fresh aromatics of lavandin oil from France is distinctive among the various spices of the opening. There’s then plenty more spice of the smoky and resinous frankincense kind, courtesy of the essential oil sourced from family-owned company Neo Botanika in Somaliland.

Chopard Fragrances

Perfume geek alert! It’s given a leather-licious feel thanks to “a pyrogenation process [which] sublimates the original note”, according to Firmenich. I’m not quite sure what that means, but the effect is intoxicatingly dark and potent. The dense drydown sees Indonesian patchouli taking the lead, with its earthy and musky properties.

Alberto Morillas (pictured, below) might be the most prolific perfumer in the biz, but he has not lost his touch.

Image: Firmenich.

CHOPARD OUD MALAKI EDP (DOMINIQUE ROPION)

From Frédéric Malle Carnal Flower EDP and Mugler Alien EDP to Elie Saab Girl of Now EDP and YSL Y EDP, Dominique Ropion (pictured, below) gets the balance between creative and commercial success just right. This 2012 release from the Malaki Collection exemplifies this approach. Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. At the price, this is definitely not a “real” oud, but Ropion masterfully creates a damn fine approximation.

Chopard Fragrances

Featuring notes of grapefruit, lavender and artemisia, the opening is brisk and fresh. The temperature increases with a combo of caramel-y tobacco and spice. The synthetic oud is quality stuff and captures the warm and sweet muskiness of the precious ingredient in an accessible style. It’s accentuated by synthetic ambergris and wood notes.

Don’t let all this talk of synthetics – the backbone of modern perfumery – put you off this EDP. They’re used in the right way, so you wouldn’t even know the difference.

Chopard Fragrances

HAPPY CHOPARD LEMON DUCLI EDP (DORA BAGHRICHE)

The Happy Chopard Collection was launched in 2018 and takes its cue from the scientific research on the link between feel-good scents and their influence on mood. Although not marketed as such, it has a younger feel than the other Chopard ranges, but has broad appeal. Lemon Dulci is my favourite from the line.

Chopard Fragrances

The opening is all uplifting citrus freshness, with bergamot, mandarin and, in particular, primofiore lemon essences from southern Italy on show. Shiso leaves and mint add a zesty green element, while notes of orange flower water and apple bring a delicate sweetness to the composition.

It’s the perfect choice when I’m moody AF.

Chopard Fragrances

HAPPY DAYS: Dora Baghriche created the Happy Chopard Collection. Image: Firmenich.

HAPPY CHOPARD FELICIA ROSES EDP (DORA BAGHRICHE)

Gosh, isn’t this 2018 release pretty, although I didn’t notice it at first after the flamboyance of Love Chopard!

The rose nuances of the notes of pink pepper and raspberry extract are played up in the intro, while pink grapefruit essential oil brings an element of citrus crispness. Notes of Bulgarian rose bud and absolute create a fresh and dewy ambience, with blackcurrant bud absolute adding to the greenery. The drydown is gently woody, with cedarwood essential oil from Alaska, of all places, mingling with the vanilla tones of Brazilian tonka bean.

It all adds up to produce a perfume that’s beautifully natural smelling. Probably all those natural essences.

Chopard Fragrances

HAPPY CHOPARD BIGARADIA EDP (DORA BAGHRICHE)

The bigarade (or bitter orange) tree has a special place in perfumery. Apart from its fruit, its blossoms, leaves and twigs are steam distilled to produce neroli and petitgrain respectively. This 2018 release makes the most of it in a warm and sunny way.

Chopard Fragrances

It opens with the freshness of bitter orange, neroli and petitgrain oils. The effect is uplifting in a tart and green manner. A carrot note adds an element of powderiness. The sun keeps on shining and the composition gets sweeter with the appearance of orange blossom water, Chinese sambac jasmine and honey from Provence. After all that lightness, it’s the turn of Indonesian patchouli and cistus labdanum to bring earthy depth to the composition.

This is immensely likeable stuff!

Chopard fragrances are available in South Africa at Edgars and Truworths.