NADEGE LE GARLANTEZEC Archives

March 3, 2025March 5, 2025

Nadège Le Garlantezec Interview: “I Will Have Succeeded If I Can Maintain That Sense Of Wonder”

Looking for proof that perfumery is both a scientific and creative endeavour? Then allow me to introduce you to Nadège Le Garlantezec. The Paris-based perfumer combines both worlds in various creations (see below) with what I’ll call a distinctive “scent-sitivity”.

+ Boucheron Quatre EDP (2015)

+ Ex Nihilo Devil Tender EDP (2016)

+ Liquides Imaginaires Île Pourpre EDP (2016)

+ Jovan Tropical Musk For Him Cologne (2017)

+ L’Occitane en Provence Terre de Lumière EDP (2017)

+ Coach Floral EDP (2018)

+ Rochas Mademoiselle Rochas EDT (2018)

+ Lancôme Idôle EDP (2019)

+ Valentino Donna Born In Roma Coral Fantasy EDP (2022)

+ Ex Nihilo Vesper Glitz EDP (2023)

+ Memo Inverness EDP (2023)

+ Tommy Hilfiger Impact Together EDT (2024)

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Tommy Hilfiger Impact Together EDT

After completing her chemistry and perfumery studies, Nadège Le Garlantezec joined Givaudan. She’s currently a senior perfumer in the Paris-based fine fragrance team of the Swiss fragrance and flavour company.

Earlier creations of Nadège Le Garlantezec include Eutopie No 6 EDP (2013) and Oriflame Imagination EDT (2014). More recently, in 2022, the career of Nadège Le Garlantezec hit a personal high with Prada Paradoxe.

WHEN YOU STARTED STUDYING CHEMISTRY AT UNIVERSITY, WERE YOU ALREADY PASSIONATE ABOUT THE WORLD OF PERFUMERY?

Yes, my passion for perfumery was already deeply rooted when I started my studies in chemistry. I chose this path, convinced it was the best way to achieve my dream of becoming a perfumer. This realisation inspired me to pursue my goal wholeheartedly. Chemistry was not always easy, but as soon as I was able to connect it with perfumery, everything changed.

“This connection between synesthesia and perfumery has been essential in my career as a perfumer.” – Nadège Le Garlantezec

I began to mentally visualise scents and develop synesthesias, which allowed me to create. This connection between synesthesia and perfumery has been essential in nurturing my passion and propelling me towards my career as a perfumer.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Memo Inverness EDP

WHAT DID YOUR EDUCATION AT ISIPCA GIVE YOU?

What struck me the most during this experience were the exceptional encounters with perfumers, as well as the enriching exchanges and the bonds formed with my classmates, who are now valuable friends in the field.

This class of passionate individuals endures and we continue to come together to share our common love for perfumery. ISIPCA confirmed to me that I had my place in the perfumery world.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Rochas Mademoiselle Rochas EDT

WHAT WAS YOUR DEBUT AND WHAT DO YOU THINK OF IT NOW?

My first project was the creation of a scented candle. It was an incredible experience, as I was able to see a project take shape and be commercialised. It’s quite an amazing feeling.

Looking back, I feel immense pride in having created something tangible in the realm of olfaction that touched people beyond my family and friends. I still hold onto that sense of wonder, convinced that I will have succeeded in my career if I can maintain that same emotion every day.

HOW DO YOU START YOUR DAY?

My days start in a varied way, without a fixed routine. I listen to my emotions and needs, which allows me to adapt my workplace. This flexibility is essential in a profession where creativity must be nourished by the inspiration of the moment.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - L'Occitane en Provence Terre de Lumiere EDP — IMAGE: L’Occitane en Provence.

YOU CO-CREATED NARCISO RODRIGUEZ NARCISO ROUGE EDP (2018) AND NARCISO ROUGE EDT (2019) WITH YOUR GIVAUDAN COLLEAGUE SONIA CONSTANT. WHAT STOOD OUT FOR YOUR DURING THOSE PROJECTS?

Working on Narciso Rouge was a significant experience, especially because it was one of my first forays into the European market. What struck me particularly was the creative freedom we had to introduce a fruity note into a traditionally musky range.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Narciso Rodriguez Narciso Rouge EDT

HOW DOES LANCÔME IDÔLE EDP (2019) AND ITS VARIOUS FLANKERS REPRESENT YOUR CREATIVE AND TECHNICAL APPROACH?

The original idea for Lancôme Idôle EDP was proposed by Shyamala Maisondieu, who focused on a universal scent, that of cleanliness.

Our collaboration with Shyamala Maisondieu and Adriana Medina aimed to transform this powerful and technical accord into an ultra-feminine and floral fragrance, while remaining true to the essence of the Lancôme brand and the initial concept. It is in this approach that our technical work was particularly successful, combining power and delicacy.

“The flankers always represent a wonderful opportunity for the three of us to come together and tell a new story.” – Nadège Le Garlantezec

The flankers always represent a wonderful opportunity for the three of us to come together and tell a new story, which is both a challenge and a pleasure. It’s a chance to express our creativity in each flanker.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Lancome Idole EDP

WINNING THE BRIEF FOR PRADA PARADOXE EDP (2022), PRADA PARADOXE EDP INTENSE (2023) AND PRADA PARADOXE VIRTUAL FLOWER EDP (2024) MUST HAVE BEEN EXCITING. I SEE THEY INCLUDE SERENOLIDE. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THIS MUSK INGREDIENT AND THE EFFECT IT BRINGS TO THESE FRAGRANCES?

Winning the brief for Prada Paradoxe is a highlight of my career, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was necessary to adapt to the situation, and it remains a quite powerful story, especially since it was co-created with my mentors, Antoine Maisondieu and Shyamala Maisondieu. Serenolide is a renewable musk that brings a modern and addictive sensuality.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Prada Paradoxe — IMAGE: Prada.

ÂME DU COEUR IS YOUR LATEST CREATION (2024) FOR LIQUIDES IMAGINAIRES. YOU’VE ALSO CREATED TELLUS (2015), ILE POURPRE (2016) AND NAVIS (2022) FOR THE BRAND. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT WORKING WITH THE COMPANY FOUNDER PHILIPPE DI MÉO?

Working with Philippe Di Méo is always an exciting adventure. He was one of the first clients I met at art exhibitions and installations, long before we began collaborating on fragrance creation.

In the early days of Liquides Imaginaires, he was in search of sanguine waters. I had developed a note after a vacation in Portugal, capturing the essence of the Douro Valley with its hints of port, oak barrels and the interplay between wine and wood. I shared this idea with Philippe, who loved it and bottled it. He offers a rich and fascinating olfactory world that allows us to explore unconventional notes.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Liquides Imaginaires Ile Pourpre EDP

WHAT NOTE DO YOU ESPECIALLY ENJOY WORKING WITH? AND IS THERE ONE YOU STRUGGLE WITH?

I don’t set any limits for myself. I appreciate the balance between exploration time and moment of technicality that led us to work with our chosen materials. Some ingredients have been with me forever, while others appear unexpectedly and enrich my palette.

Nadège Le Garlantezec - Ex Nihilo Vesper Glitz EDP

January 22, 2024

Memo Inverness EDP: An Interview With Brand Co-Founder John Molloy

Memo Inverness EDP - John Molloy — IMAGE: Memo.

It’s been a while since I gave a Memo fragrance my undivided attention. Not that the quality of the Paris-based niche brand has changed in any way. It’s just that there are so many more olfactory distractions nowadays. Memo Inverness EDP brought the company back into focus for me.

After being initially contacted by the NYC PR, the arrangements for a bottle of Memo Inverness EDP made their way to Europe and then eventually the brand distributor in South Africa.

And why am I telling you this? Well, since its founding in 2007 by husband-and-wife team John and Clara Molloy, the French house has built an impressive travel-inspired fragrance business (the couple are also behind Hermetica and Floraïku). So the way Memo Inverness EDP made its way to me seems absolutely appropriate.

In this interview with John Molloy, we chat about the role of travel and how Memo Inverness EDP came to be. ***See my thoughts on this 2023 release after this interview.

Seems you’ve been travelling a lot recently. Where are you now?

Home! If Memo Paris is about travel, it doesn’t mean that we are always on the road. The destinations that inspire us are now mainly coming from dreams, books, paintings, souvenirs of family trips, world maps, pictures… as we consider perfume as a form of slow travel.

Today, when we travel, it is essentially to visit our partners, teams, stores, clients, followers or journalists abroad, to present our novelties, for special openings or events, to share our vision, talk with our strengths on the field, and learn from them to know how to make Memo Paris shine even more.

With travel a popular source of inspiration in perfumery, how have you ensured Memo is different from other brands in that regard?

First, by following our intuition and our path. What we have been building for over 15 years has found its own way of expression. If you pay too much attention to what other people are doing, it paralyses you.

Of course, celebrating the world is as old as the world itself! But how you do it is key. By working with talented perfumers, beautiful ingredients and artists who bring their own vision to fragrances, we’ve come up with some truly unique creations.

You co-founded the company with your wife, Clara Molloy. Who does what in the couple equation?

We’re very complementary and it’s as if we’d met for the second time working together. She’s the creative mind, while I take care of the commercial side and the development of our brand worldwide. But, of course, we exchange a lot, trying to superimpose our visions, to make the right choices.

Memo Inverness EDP - Clara Molloy — IMAGE: Memo.

What was it about Inverness that made it such great inspiration for a perfume?

Clara had the idea of a Scottish destination and the name started it all. She loves words. It’s round, soft and mysterious all at once. We hear invention, eternity, endless. And the “-ness” ending is like a promise.

The area is also known for its whisky. Was that note ever a possibility in this composition?

It’s true that Scotland is famous for its whisky… and for Loch Ness. In fact, we preferred to take a step aside by choosing Inverness, a lesser-known destination, and working on a different idea for this composition, focusing on the intensity of the woods.

That said, another of our signature fragrances, Irish Leather [2013], includes essence of juniper berries, which are also used to make gin. We’ve already played this card in a certain way, and as we don’t want to repeat ourselves, we’ve chosen another type of ingredient for a composition that we want to be creative, bold and beautiful.

Was it perfumer Nadège Le Garlantezec’s idea to use amyris oil in Memo Inverness edp?

Nadège had this desire for a refined, intense wood and we welcomed this proposal into the creative process, which is a moment of constant exchange and connection with the perfumer, to arrive at the dream composition.

This is her second creation for Memo (after Flåm, 2021). Why do you enjoy working with Nadège?

Because Flåm was a wonderful shared experience and we wanted to continue the journey together. Working faithfully, confidently and over the long term with our perfumers is one of our priorities.

What’s next for Memo?

In 2024, the Cuirs Nomades collection will reveal new surprises, and we can’t wait to share them with you!

***MEMO INVERNESS EDP IMPRESSIONS

If you’ve heard fragrances being described as “dry” but had no idea what that meant, this perfume will explain it all for you. That feel permeates the scent from start to finish through a variety of woods (cedar, sandalwood, guaiac wood and, in particular, amyris).

Not as commonly used as the afore-mentioned ingredients but sharing characteristics with them, it’s easy to understand why perfumer Nadège Le Garlantezec highlighted amyris in her composition.

She might describe the formula for Memo Inverness EDP as “bold and short”, but the material is allowed to reveal its complexity (from fresh and spicy to earthy) with support from balsamic cedarwood, creamy sandalwood and smoky guaiac wood. Mate absolute can be bitter and sharp; here it emphasises the foresty ambience with its herbal aromatics.

At first, Memo Inverness EDP didn’t seem particularly Scottish to me. With its namesake (the capital of the Scottish Highlands on the River Ness), I was expecting something more literal, damper, wetter, floral (it’s an addition to the brand’s flower-focused Fleurs Bohèmes Collection).

But the more I wear it, the more I’m appreciating the perfumer’s interpretation of the destination, especially the combo of its more smouldering aspects with the powderiness of orris butter.

When I interviewed Clara Molloy several years ago for my blog, she said: ”All of our competitors that started when we launched have sold their companies. There are many brands and many more to come. I hope everyone will keep in mind that niche means high standards. Otherwise, there is no point in being niche.” Memo Inverness EDP affirms the company’s reputation for perfumes of quality and distinction.

Memo Inverness EDP is available in South Africa from Skins Cosmetics and Arc Store.

November 20, 2018November 21, 2018

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP: The Perfumer’s Perspective (Sonia Constant)

Givaudan’s Sonia Constant has created stand-out fragrances for Narciso Rodriguez since 2015. Her most recent fragrance for the brand, Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP, is an uber-seductive take on the original Narciso. It features big notes of Bulgarian rose, iris, musk and tuberose. The theme of seduction is carried through to the base, where vanilla and tonka bean add to the sensual warmth.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Sonia Constant — SMELLS GOOD: Sonia Constant at work. Images of Sonia and Nadege: Supplied.

In this interview, Sonia Constant answers questions on how she and fellow nose Nadège le Garlantezec created Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP.

With your previous history with Narciso Rodriguez (Fleur Musc, Santal Musc, Bleu Noir), were you the automatic choice to create Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP? Or did you have to pitch for it?

Absolutely not. Even if I sign many Narciso Rodriguezes, we are always in competition to create the next perfume! So I had to pitch for it.

What was the brief for this fragrance?

The brief was the colour red – a blazing red. We had to reinterpret this colour. Also words like “temptation”, “provocation”, “seduction”, “magnetism” and “passion” were part of the brief. The fragrance had to become a more seductive variant of the original Narciso.

Narciso Rodriguez Rouge EDP - Nadege le Garlantezec — CO-CREATOR: Nadege le Garlantezec created the fragrance with Sonia Constant.

“We wanted to create a vibrant, elegant, carnal and sensual femininity.”

What did you have in mind when you first started creating it? And how did you achieve that?

We wanted to create a vibrant, elegant, carnal and sensual femininity. We were thinking of a Baccarat rose, with some pink peppercorn on top. The ardent sensuality was to be revealed with an accord of sandalwood, cedar wood, tolu balm and myrrh. We also had in mind some tones of red sequoia and, of course, musks and tonka beans.

Musk is a staple of Narciso Rodriguez fragrances. How did you treat it for this EDP?

Yes, musk is at the heart of every Narciso Rodriguez fragrance, but we had to adapt it with the rest of the formula.

Where did you find inspiration for this fragrance?

Nadège and I were really thinking about creating a fragrance able to initiate passion, something warm, but fluffy. Sensual, but in the Narciso Rodriguez style.

Were there any challenges you had to overcome while creating this fragrance?

Yes, actually the red colour was not so easy to translate, because Mr Rodriguez doesn’t like fruit or gourmand fragrances. So at the beginning we started with some cherry facet, but had to finally remove it. Also, Narciso Rodriguez fragrances don’t follow trends, so it was always more difficult to be a trendsetter.

“The red colour was not so easy to translate, because Mr Rodriguez doesn’t like fruit or gourmand fragrances.”

How long did it take you to create this fragrance?

We worked almost a year on it.

There are lots of Narciso Rouge reviews online. Do you ever read reviews of your creations?

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to read all the reviews on all my creations, but the few I read seem good, I think.

Are you working on any other Narciso Rodriguez fragrances?

I really love the brand and embrace it, so yes I am always working on a new Narciso Rodriguez fragrance. I can only say that it is much more than one project!

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