The Ghost Perfumer (The Perfume Book You Should Read This Year): An Interview With Author Gabe Oppenheim

The Ghost Perfumer

Every now and then, a book comes along that changes your perspective of an industry and some of the players within it. The Ghost Perfumer: Creed, Lies, & The Scent of the Century by Gabe Oppenheim (Solicitude) is that kind of read.

The Ghost Perfumer

In a punchy and page-turning style with well-researched detail, Gabe Oppenheim gives credence to the rumours that have been swirling for years on online forums regarding Creed’s claims that the niche fragrance house has been producing fragrances since 1760 and for an impressive array of celebrities and dignitaries along the way, including King Alfonso XIII of Spain and Cary Grant.

The Ghost Perfumer - Gabe Oppenheim

But more importantly, the writer reveals how Olivier Creed, heir to the Creed clothing business, passed off many high-profile Creed releases as his own creations by taking advantage of the insecurities of a trio of perfumers.

Most of The Ghost Perfumer tells the story of Pierre Bourdon, creator of classics such as Yves Saint Laurent Kouros EDT, Davidoff Cool Water EDT, Montblanc Individuel EDT and Frédéric Malle French Lover EDP. And now acknowledged as the master behind several Creeds, including Fleurs de Bulgarie EDP, Green Irish Tweed EDP, Erolfa EDP, Millésime Impérial EDP, Silver Mountain Water EDP, Spring Flower EDP and Original Santal EDP.

And what of Creed Aventus, “the scent of the century”? Jean-Christophe Hérault gets long-last recognition for being the true talent behind this decade-defining and much-copied perfume. Julien Rasquinet also gets credit for creating Creed Royal Oud EDP and Creed Fleurs de Gardenia EDP, among others. Both these perfumers were students of Pierre Bourdon, which just adds to the intricacies and intrigues of the intertwined narratives explored by Gabe Oppenheim.

The Ghost Perfumer - Creed Aventus EDP

In what could have been a mere hatchet-job on a nasty character, Gabe Oppenheim places the behaviour of Olivier Creed and Pierre Bourdon in the context of an industry that’s built on fantasy, obfuscation and sometimes questionable business practises (for example, the rampant cloning of successful scents).

In this interview he chats about how The Ghost Perfumer come about, the workings of the industry and meeting Pierre Bourdon.

The Ghost Perfumer

You’re known as a contributor to various magazines and author of books. How was this Creed project different to your other writing projects?

In many ways, it felt very similar – when I covered boxing, there was always a narrative that promoters were trying to push about their fighters, about upcoming match-ups. This was often hype that had very little relation to the reality of the boxer’s preparation or the event itself.

And so it struck me as kind of familiar when I saw that in the scent industry, the stories told about the supposed perfumers and their inspirations were generally cant and utterly apart from the truth of how fragrance is created.

“The Ghost Perfumer was different from some of my sports coverage because there’s a degree of truth in sports that the arts just cannot provide.” 

That said, The Ghost Perfumer different from some of my sports coverage because there’s a degree of truth in sports that the arts just cannot provide. A baseball score, barring any cheating, is an objective measure of who was better on the day. A knockout is unimpeachably the triumph of one combatant over another.

And yet in fragrance, even compositions that win briefs can’t necessarily be said to be better formulas than those that lost. A scent wins in the eyes of an evaluator or creative director. Or even in a panel test. But all those judgments are subjective, and runner-up scents can end up on the market under another name and prove themselves superior to those frags they lost to in an initial brief.

Was there a particular event that sparked this project?

A lot of events. I was tired of covering combat sport, generally, and I was curious about the creators of scents. I had actually interviewed the duo behind the Imaginary Authors brand while I was still working on the fights. I wore their A City on Fire scent to Jay-Z’s office building once, back when his company was really trying to build up a boxing promotion.

IMAGE: Imaginary Authors.

But perhaps the final trigger was this zest I had for packing a new fragrance every time I travelled around the world to cover a fight. I was wearing these fascinating scents on press row in arenas the world over. And by 2019, I realised I was being somewhat myopic – why not figure out who had concocted these potions and why and what they were like beyond their laboratory orgues?

I knew there was good nonfiction to be found there, even if I didn’t yet have a clue as to what focus a book might take.

What were your thoughts on Creed fragrances before you started the book? Were you aware of the rumours about the dates of the releases and their supposed celebrity wearers?

I’d always found the celebrity claims a little preposterous. And I’d always liked the scents very much – I wore Green Irish Tweed, Bois du Portugal, Royal Oud and Aventus regularly. Over time I took a liking to Viking. I’d tried Tabarome and found it lacking as a tobacco scent.

I think the only info I had about the reality of their creation was what Michael Edwards and Luca Turin had discovered prior to my breaking into the field – that somehow Pierre Bourdon had had a hand in making Green Irish Tweed. But that was all I knew.

The Ghost Perfumer - Creed Green Irish Tweed EDP

And so I just kept trying to reach out to Bourdon, despite his self-imposed exile from Parisian perfumer society and resultant residence up in Normandy. It’s why Pierre should get so much credit for my own reportage – if he hadn’t decided one day, many months into the project, to open up to me, I may not have dug too deeply into just how Creed had ostensibly generated those aforementioned scents I so enjoyed wearing.

What were you most surprised to discover in your research?

That Pierre Bourdon’s compensation for creating Creed’s scents consisted almost entirely (if not entirely-entirely) of bespoke suits from Olivier.

“Pierre Bourdon’s compensation for creating Creed’s scents consisted almost entirely (if not entirely-entirely) of bespoke suits from Olivier.” 

What has the official Creed response been to the book since publication?

The new management team that BlackRock [the private equity fund which bought a majority stake in Creed in 2020] installed, a c-suite based in London, was so kind to me when I reached out to them pre-publication, particularly the head of marketing, Giles Gordon. We had a brief email correspondence during which Giles first offered to help me with my research and later retracted the offer, but my impression was that the company wanted to be authentic to its actual roots and not just fantasy.

The Ghost Perfumer - Creed Original Santal EDP

And whether I forced Giles’ hand or not, that assessment has been born out – Creed has published two large magazine volumes since The Ghost Perfumer’s release that update the Creed family’s tale, align it with my own – the first said Olivier began trying to make the haberdashery into a perfumery beginning with fits and starts in the 1960s and the second revised the dates to the 1970s.

Which is truthful: the Creeds were not in the business of fragrance creation before then – and until Pierre became ghost-writer in the early 1980s, Creed’s small-batch scents were insignificant efforts, secondary to tailoring, and retailed primarily in small nooks, like the perfume shop Soleil d’Or in Lille, France.

“Until Pierre became ghost-writer in the early 1980s, Creed’s small-batch scents were insignificant efforts, secondary to tailoring.” 

When I finished the book, I envisioned public smashings of Creed fragrances. But that’s just me being childish. What was your intention with it?

Oh, gosh, I had no such vision. I still own Creed scents. I had no intent except to tell a remarkable story – of a man who owned a company and desperately wanted to be a perfumer and of the diffident genius he used to unfairly snatch that mantle.

I wanted people to be fascinated by the interaction of Olivier and Pierre’s careers. A boycott of the company resembling Disco Demolition night was never a consideration for me.

The Ghost Perfumer - Creed Erolfa EDP

Olivier Creed comes across as, let’s be frank, quite predatorial and a nasty piece of work. Did you approach him for comment? And did you ever have any doubts about your characterisation of him?

I approached Creed’s North American arm early in 2020 and they wouldn’t let me speak to Olivier; tentatively, they scheduled me to talk to Erwin [his son] instead. I figured if I did pose real questions to Erwin, however, I might prove my seriousness as a journalist and earn some time with Olivier.

However, someone rather rude in the Creed North America office cancelled my Erwin email-chat last minute, and after that, no matter who I asked at Creed about talking to Olivier or getting clarification on his actual status as a “perfumer” I got no response at all.

“No matter who I asked at Creed about talking to Olivier or getting clarification on his actual status as a ‘perfumer’ I got no response at all.” 

Partly, I don’t think the company, prior to its takeover by BlackRock, believed I had the cojones or skill to depict the company’s actual workings. And after the takeover, I think those newly in charge felt the revelations were inevitable but didn’t want to hasten their release.

The book isn’t only an exposé of Creed, it also reveals the workings of the industry and its incestuous nature. How did you get people to talk to you about what really goes on behind the scenes?

I wrote long and impassioned emails about the need for perfume folks and general readers to get a better sense of who actually formulated the scents they so loved (and sometimes deplored).

It took a long time to convince perfumers – International Fragrance & Flavours didn’t okay my interviews with their folks for many, many months, before Judith Gross [Vice-President Communication & Branding, Scent], whom I love, ultimately realized I was quite serious about creative nonfiction and not just a shill or a parasite.

ALL OKAY: It took many months to get Judith Gross to approve interviews with IFF’s perfumers for research for The Ghost Perfumer. IMAGE: IFF.

And once I had access, I just pressed the perfumers to tell me what they were like, how they had gotten into the business, what they did in their free time. I wanted them to know I saw them as full humans, as artisans of the highest order whose stories could hold as much fascination as painters’ or musicians’ or boxers’.

Still, there are perfumers whose entourages still never let me get close enough to prove any of that – [Jacques] Cavallier, [Alberto] Morillas, [Michel] Almairac. Those are perhaps the top three who didn’t care for such an examination by this American interloper (or maybe Almairac’s son Benjamin never even put the request to his Pops – dunno quite why that never came together).

The part where you meet Pierre Bourdon at his home is particularly touching. Although he was certainly exploited by Oliver Creed, you’re careful not to paint him as a hapless victim…

Bourdon doesn’t view himself as a victim, really. The man got to practice an art whose ideas and concepts he treasures. Maybe he always detested some of the business practices. But the man took his love of Proust and applied the author’s passion for creation – for showing the work of creation in the creation itself – to perfumery. What could have satisfied such a scholarly and thoughtful reader more?

The Ghost Perfumer - Meeting Pierre Bourdon

NORMANDY RENDEZVOUS: Pierre Bourdon in the second Cabinet of Curiosities Room in his home. IMAGE: THE GHOST PERFUMER.

How did you earn Pierre Bourdon’s trust to get him to reveal so much to you?

Through many emails sent to the address he shared with his wife, Kathy, who always seemed to think me a decent sort – but really, through the imploring of Jean-Claude Ellena, who convinced Pierre first that I was serious about my own craft, writing, and could perhaps do justice to Pierre’s.

Let’s talk about Jean-Christophe Hérault and his role in the creation of the mega-hit Creed Aventus. He was very forthcoming at first and then the shutters came down. Why the change in behaviour?

Probably a sense that he had revealed enough to hurt his career and didn’t want to exacerbate things further – I say, probably, because Hérault might dismiss that without offering a better answer.

Gabe Oppenheim - Jean-Christophe Hérault

Regardless, he seems glad now that The Ghost Perfumer was written, that he’s being credited finally with the massive success he engineered. We text each other every now and again, and we’re certainly on friendly terms, for which I’m grateful. He has a signed copy of the book, and I own a good deal of his fragrant output. He has been nothing but kind to me of late.

I don’t blame him for not quite getting at first that my intentions, in terms of attributing work to its rightful creators, were more pure than not, and that I had the gumption to follow this process through to the end.

The Ghost Perfumer - Creed Aventus EDP

You also delve into the Julien Rasquinet creations that were passed off as Olivier Creed’s. Did he actually create any of the other Creed releases that are attributed to him on sites such as Fragrantica?

Olivier was a great creative director – he knew what sort of scent would beguile men (or, at least, he picked up in the 1960s and 1970s these notions). So Olivier can be credited with choosing the best scents, mostly, of those perfumers who did the actual technical work.

Olivier, however, not doing that technical work, cannot fairly be called a perfumer-creator, the definition of which perfumers such as [Christophe] Laudamiel and Calice Becker make rather clear not infrequently. I admire their devotion to getting the bylines in this messy industry cleaned up.

The Ghost Perfumer - Julien Rasquinet

The subtitle of the book is Part 1: Creed, Lies, & The Scent of the Century. What’s the next one about?

The next one could involve a certain Berlin-based perfumer who’s a masterful raconteur and a well-known figure to the fragcomm. But it could also be about the pirates of the Dubai clone market or the bizarre way in which Caron has survived several strange owners (it’s now a property of a Rothschild).

Or perhaps it will be about none of these things. I’ve made a good many false starts in the last few months. But they aren’t all for naught – at least one will hopefully become a full-length book.

IMAGE: Caron.

And I would tell perfume-prose fans, if you like my nonfiction, I think you’ll like my inventions, too – and in fact, I’ve been working also on a novel and perhaps that will come out in between perfume-focused books, first. I’ve written about 4 000 compelling words so far for that project. Maybe I’ll never see it to the end, but for now, I’m just thinking, 96 000 equally satisfying words to go…

The Ghost Perfumer: Creed, Lies, & The Scent of the Century is available worldwide on Amazon.

Gabe Oppenheim - The Ghost Perfumer Cover

Best Tea Fragrances: A Cuppa Olfactory Inspiration

Best Tea Fragrances - L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea For Two

Tea is not just one of my favourite beverages; it’s also one of my favourite fragrance genres. Before I take you through my best tea fragrances selection, a bit of background…

Best Tea Fragrances - Elizabeth Arden White Tea Mandarin Blossom EDT

The category is a relatively new one and originated with Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert. Commissioned to make the Bvlgari stores smell nice, according to Chandler Burr’s fascinating book The Perfect Scent, its unexpected success (customers were snapping it up at $350 a bottle) led to it being launched as a more commercial endeavour in 1992.

Forty years later, you’ll find numerous renditions on the best tea fragrances theme. From black and white to green and red, all offer an aromatic interpretation of the nuances of the different leaves used to produce tea.

IMAGE: Bvlgari.

Where known, the name of the perfumer is included in brackets after the name of the fragrance.

What are your best tea fragrances?

BVLGARI EAU PARFUMÉE AU THÉ VERT EAU DE COLOGNE (JEAN-CLAUDE ELLENA)

The Italian luxury jewellery company made a fine debut, in 1992, with Eau Parfumée (now known as Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert), a celebration of Japanese green tea.

It starts out with the fresh citrus notes of bergamot, lemon and mandarin orange. They mingle with the spices and herbs of cardamom, nutmeg and clary sage to help create a green tea accord that’s aromatic and uplifting. Hints of florals – jasmine, lily-of-the-valley, Bulgarian rose – add to the refreshing vibe.

This is a softie, so “beast moders”, please move on. Anyone else will appreciate the artistry of this trend-setter that paved the way for other scents such as Elizabeth Arden Green Tea and Kilian Bamboo Harmony.

Also look out for the brand’s other takes on the tea theme: Eau Parfumée au Thé Blanc (white Himalayan tea), Eau Parfumée au Thé Bleu (oolong tea), Eau Parfumée au Thé Noir (black tea) and Eau Parfumée au Thé Rouge (rooibos).

Best Tea Fragrances - Bvlgari Eau Parfumee au The Vert EDC

IMAGE: Bvlgari.

CREED SILVER MOUNTAIN WATER EDP (OLIVIER CREED)

Creed Aventus EDP may get all the hype, but this 1995 release from the Paris-based niche brand gets my vote for its versatility. Inspired by perfumer Olivier Creed’s love for skiing in the Swiss Alps, it’s quality stuff with a hefty price tag. Inspiration often doesn’t translate into reality, but this fragrance captures it so well, from the bottle to the juice.

The opening is fresh, thanks to citrus notes of bergamot, neroli and mandarin. Things really get interesting when the heart notes of green tea and blackcurrant add a green element to the fresh effect. The drydown is all sandalwood and musk.

A crisp, clean and chic affair.

IMAGE: Creed.

ELIZABETH ARDEN GREEN TEA EDT (FRANCIS KURKDJIAN)

Elizabeth Arden Green Tea celebrated its 23rd birthday last year. It’s easy to understand why this 1999 creation is still in production.

The opening is all zingy freshness, with citrus notes of lemon, orange zest and bergamot in perfect play. The freshness continues through to the heart of green tea and mint. Notes of jasmine and fennel bring light floral and spiciness to this EDT, which settles on a musky base.

It’s such an uplifting scent. And the great price just adds to the cheap thrills factor.

The brand regularly releases variations on the Green Tea theme – fig, mimosa and sakura blossom have been some of my favourites so far.

Best Tea Fragrances - Elizabeth Arden Green Tea EDT

L’ARTISAN PARFUMEUR TEA FOR TWO EDT (OLIVIA GIACOBETTI)

I can’t recommend this release from the pioneering French niche brand enough. Twenty-two years after its release, its beauty commands absolute respect.

From the first spray, there’s the rich woody smokiness of black lapsang souchong (a traditional Chinese tea). Cinnamon, anise and ginger soften the initial intensity with mellow spice, while a note of gingerbread adds a gourmand aspect. There’s more deliciousness in the drydown, courtesy of notes of powdery honey and dark vanilla.

Warm and welcoming, it’s the equivalent of an olfactory embrace. Just what we need in these turbulent times.

Best Tea Fragrances - L'Artisan Parfumeur Tea For Two EDT

WARMTH: L’Artisan Parfumeur Tea For Two is one of my favourites in this best tea fragrances selection.

KILIAN BAMBOO HARMONY EDP* (CALICE BECKER)

I tend to associate Kilian fragrances with hedonism, in the best sense of the word. So Kilian Bamboo Harmony is something of a surprising change in tone.

From the Paris-based niche brand’s The Fresh Collection, this 2012 release is every bit as peaceful as it sounds and lives up to its inspiration, “a sip of pure white tea in a bamboo forest”, in style.

The opening is all about citrus freshness, with bergamot and bigarade at the fore. Calice Becker infuses the composition with relaxing white tea leaves, while mimosa enhances the green mood. The moss note in the drydown maintains the tranquillity.

A great bedtime choice when you need a calming mist.

Best Tea Fragrances - Kilian Bamboo Harmony EDP

ELIZABETH ARDEN WHITE TEA EDT (RODRIGO FLORES-ROUX, CAROLINE SABAS & GUILLAUME FLAVIGNY)

This release from the American beauty brand was one of my best-loved fragrances from 2017.

Inspired by the simple pleasure of a cup of tea, the opening is a fresh ’n breezy blend of aquatic and mandarin notes, with musky sage in the background. The gently milky white tea accord is given powdery (iris) and herbal (maté) touches. Concluding with the warmth of musks and woods, this soft but persistent scent is a fantastic cheapie, in the style Elizabeth Arden does brilliantly.

The additions to the range – Vanilla Orchid, Wild Rose, Ginger Lily and Mandarin Blossom – also warrant your attention.

Best Tea Fragrances - Elizabeth Arden White Tea EDT

LE LABO THÉ 29 EDP* (FRANK VOELKL)

This 2015 release from the NYC-based niche house is one powerful brew. I’ve never smelled a cup of black tea quite like it. That should come as no surprise, as perfumer Frank Voelkl also created the brand’s mega-seller Le Labo Santal 33.

It announces itself in distinctive fashion with a trio of rich notes: fig, bergamot and bay leaf. The effect is immediately intense and compelling. It gets even darker when the earthy vetiver and tobacco-ish black tea leaves come into play.

The result? An uncompromisingly bold fragrance that more than justifies its niche-level price tag. Bravo!

Best Tea Fragrances - Le Labo The Noir 29 EDP

VILHELM PARFUMERIE DEAR POLLY EDP* (JÉRÔME EPINETTE)

Launched in 2015, Dear Polly was one of the NYC-based niche house’s debut releases and set the tone of quality for other standout releases such as Mango Skin, Basilico & Fellini and A Lilac A Day.

Candied apple meets crisp bergamot in the opening, followed by a big dose of black tea. While some might prefer their tea unsweetened and green, the sweet take on tea works rather nicely, I’m back for more.

Like any worthwhile composition, Dear Polly keeps on giving in the drydown, with oakmoss, black amber and musk creating an irresistibly cosy and sensual warmth.

Best Tea Fragrances - Vilhelm Parfumerie Dear Polly EDP

NISHANE WŪLÓNG CHÁ EXTRAIT DE PARFUM (JORGE LEE)

Cup of tea, dear? Yes please, if it’s as good as this one. This 2015 release from the Turkish niche brand’s Miniature Art Collection is fantastically refreshing from start to finish.

It gets going with the citrus-green hues of bergamot, supported by lesser notes of delicately sweetened orange and mandarin. There’s also some aromatic lemon-y freshness courtesy of litsea cubeba, the shrub native to east Asia. The oolong tea, softly fruity and green, is enhanced by honeyed fig and clean white musk in the drydown.

For a freshie, this one lasts quite a long time, but then it’s an extrait de parfum.

Best Tea Fragrances - Nishane Wulong Cha Extrait de Parfum

BERDOUES ASSAM OF INDIA EDP (JENNIFER RILEY)

The travel-inspired Collection Grands Crus from the fourth-generation, family-owned, Grasse-based Berdoues brand must be one of the most likeable ranges around. This 2015 release epitomises that appeal.

It opens with the crisp and bright citrus hues of citron from Menton (France). The black tea note evokes the famous variety that’s indigenous to Assam (India), with its full-bodied characteristics. A note of creamy Mysore (India) sandalwood completes the cosmopolitan cuppa.

There’s nothing complicated about this composition, yet it delivers plenty of seemingly effortless elegant comfort. Who could ask for more?

Best Tea Fragrances - Berdoues Assam of India EDP

HERMÈS EAU DE CITRON NOIR EAU DE COLOGNE (CHRISTINE NAGEL)

Hermès’ first entry in this best tea fragrances round-up comes from the French luxury brand’s superb Cologne Collection.

The opening of this 2018 release is all about the sharp and invigorating citrus freshness of lemon and citron. It transitions with the appearance of an unusual accord, black lime – inspired by the Middle Eastern culinary tradition of sun-drying limes until they are dehydrated. Blended with black tea, it’s sour, smoky and musky. The smoky vibe is maintained in the drydown featuring guaiac wood.

A classic and timeless choice.

Best Tea Fragrances - Hermes Eau de Citron Noir EDC

MAISON CRIVELLI BOIS DATCHAÏ EDP* (DOROTHÉE PIOT)

I often associate tea with comfort and relaxation, and that’s just what I get from this 2018 release from the Paris-based niche brand that’s fast becoming one of my firm favourites.

The piquant fruitiness of blackcurrant meets the spicy warmth of cinnamon, without overpowering the smokiness of the tea with sweetness.

The woody forest inspiration of this scent comes through in the form of fresh cedar and earthy patchouli, while papyrus and guaiac wood notes provide a subtle leather undertow.

Best Tea Fragrances - Maison Crivelli Bois Datchai EDP

HERMÈS L’OMBRE DES MERVEILLES EDP (CHRISTINE NAGEL)

Even when it’s a flanker, a Hermès launch is something to look forward to. And this 2020 release is a particularly good addition to the range which was originally launched in 2004 with Hermès Eau des Merveilles.

It features just three listed notes: black tea, incense and tonka bean. Each is given space to express itself in this finely tuned composition, yet melds together to form a beautifully cohesive whole.

Rich, intense and green, the opening black tea note is definitely unsweetened and almost aniseed-y. The incense note is enchantingly smoky, albeit on the cool side of things. After that relative chill, it’s the turn of woody tonka in the drydown to bring gentle and soothing warmth.

And what of the name of this fragrance which implies different shades? Hermès L’Ombre des Merveilles lives up to its moniker with contrasts of warmness and coolness, intensity and subtlety. Despite the seeming simplicity of its structure, this mysterious oriental scent reveals more with each wearing.

Best Tea Fragrances - Hermes L'Ombre des Merveilles EDP

CONTRASTS: Hermès L’Ombre des Merveilles is one of my more recent best tea fragrances.

CALVIN KLEIN CK EVERYONE EDT (ALBERTO MORILLAS)

The CK One franchise has been delivering the goods with impressive consistency since its launch in 1994. The 2020 addition to the range, with its clever name, expresses the universal and unisex appeal of the scent.

The opening is bright, fresh and uplifting, thanks to sweet orange oil and zingy ginger. The tea accord brings a green facet, while cedarwood gives it depth.

It’s super agreeable, and I also give the thumbs up to the elastic band on the bottle, a nod to the most exposed underwear waistband ever.

Best Tea Fragrances - Calvin Klein CK Everyone EDT

*All these best tea fragrances are available in South Africa at Skins Cosmetics.