Tag: PARFUMS DE MARLY

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Hamid Merati-Kashani Interview: “I Pair Ingredients Not Usually Used Together, Something Particular To The Middle East”

Hamid Merati-Kashani
IMAGE: dsm-firmenich.

In the 15 years he’s been creating fine fragrances (see the list below), Hamid Merati-Kashani has established himself as a perfumer to be reckoned with. No doubt, that has a lot to do with his Iranian-German background and love of all things Middle Eastern, plus his bold and distinctive signature.

Hamid Merati-Kashani
IMAGE: dsm-firmenich.

+ Fragrance du Bois Oud Rose Intense EDP (2013)

+ Initio Mystic Experience EDP (2015)

+ Goldfield & Banks Pacific Rock Moss EDP (2016)

+ Valentino Valentina Myrrh Assoluto EDP (2016)

+ Yves Saint Laurent Exquisite Embroidery EDP (2017)

+ Oman Luxury Mariya EDP (2020)

+ Jean Paul Gaultier Scandal Gold EDP (2021)

+ Parfums de Marly Oriana EDP (2021)

+ Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods EDP (2021)

+ Sasva Fruit Du Paradis Phal-e-Jannat EDP (2022)

+ Amouage Opus XV King Blue EDP (2023)

+ Born To Stand Out Drunk Lovers EDP (2023)

+ Liberty LBTY Adelphi Sun EDP (2023)

+ Robert Piguet Rue de Cirque EDP (2023)

+ Widian Rose Arabia Ginger EDP (2024)

+ Kayali Freedom Musk Santal | 34 EDP (2025)

+ Mercedes-Benz Club Black EDP (2025)

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Parfums de Marly Oriana EDP

While his debut fine fragrance in 2011, Parfums de Marly Pegasus EDP, was a hit, the Dubai-based perfumer had been honing his craft for many years as a trainee, and his success was no overnight fluke.

Thirty-years after joining dsm-firmenich, Hamid Merati-Kashani has good reason to be proud of his achievements. With the rise of Middle Eastern brands, he’s become the go-to man for houses such as Adleen, Emirates Pride, Ghawali and Swiss Arabian, among others.

In this interview, Hamid Merati-Kashani speaks about his career development, the resurgence of Middle Eastern perfumery and his style as a perfumer.

Widian Granada Extrait de Parfum
IMAGE: Widian.
WAS IT ALWAYS PERFUMERY FOR YOU? OR DID YOU CONSIDER OTHER THINGS AS A CAREER?

I spent my childhood in Iran, where I was nurtured with many dreams. I wanted to fly by myself, fly my own plane. I guess many children’s dreams are a combination of both power and freedom. To me, as a little boy, a pilot embodied those two wishes. And then the revolution hit and reality suddenly broke most of my dreams.

“Many children’s dreams are a combination of both power and freedom.”

In 1979, we had to leave Iran after the revolution. We moved to Germany, as my mother was German, and I quickly adapted to a new world. We were living in Holzminden, where two famous fragrance houses were located.

I started training as a perfumer at Dragoco in 1984. I discovered the world of perfumery as the fragrance industry truly impacted the local economy. As I discovered the perfumers’ craftsmanship, I naturally fell in love with the world of fragrances. I needed to compete in the race to join the then-renowned Dragoco (renamed Symrise after it merged with Harman & Reimer).

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger EDP, Pacific Rock Moss EDP, Southern Bloom EDP
TOP TRIO: Goldfield & Banks Ingenious Ginger EDP, Pacific Rock Moss EDP and Southern Bloom EDP were all created by Hamid Merati-Kashani.
TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER DEVELOPMENT AT DSM-FIRMENICH.

I joined dsm-firmenich in 1995 after 12 years with Dragoco. At dsm-firmenich, I was first based in Cologne where I spent nine years before I moved to Brazil for six years. The Latin-American immersion also significantly diversified my skills as a perfumer. Then, I was back in Geneva for only a year when I was presented with a new challenging opportunity in my career.

dsm-firmenich planned to open a new affiliate in Dubai. At first there were only five people to settle in the new office, and I was the only perfumer. It was a truly exciting experience for me.

Valentino Valentina Myrrh Assoluto EDP
IMAGE: Valentino.

I confess my Iranian education was key to adapting and understanding the magic of fragrance heritage in the Middle East. Today, I am so proud of how this region has progressed so much.

The Middle East has developed its own olfactive culture. Perfume is at its heart. There is a very different relationship with raw materials. For me, Middle Eastern luxury is a great source of inspiration. Everything is bigger and more beautiful.

Kayali Freedom Musk Santal EDP
IMAGE: Kayali.
THE MIDDLE EAST HAS ALWAYS BEEN KNOWN FOR PERFUMERY. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT ITS RESURGENCE IN THE WEST? 

The Middle East is shaping global trends in perfumery. Arabian tastes are changing the way the world smells. Smells have different meanings for different cultures.

For example, many Westerners are not familiar with oud or intense dark scents. They are versatile ingredients, but are extremely delicate, especially when you work with the best quality.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Chris Collins Kingmaker Extrait

The rising interest in ouds in mainstream and Western fragrances is driven by increasing globalisation and the desire for unique, luxurious scent experiences. Consumer curiosity about exotic ingredients has opened the market to diverse fragrance profiles, appealing to a broader audience. Additionally, fragrances from the Middle East are becoming more and more trendy, allowing users from all around the world to discover oud’s versatility.

“One of the things that defines my style as a perfumer is that I do a lot of overdosing when it comes to my formulas.”

The use of fragrances has changed to strong and lasting styles, globally. One of the things that defines my style as a perfumer when I create is that I do a lot of overdosing when it comes to my formulas. I also pair ingredients that are not usually used together. This is something that is particular to the Middle East, compared to the rest of the world.

Now, the Middle East is also adapting to the Western style of work and formulation, and it is good to see this balance.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Amouage Opus XV King Blue EDP

Let’s find out more about some of your specific creations. What was your debut fine fragrance? What do you remember about its creation? 

It was Pegasus for Parfums de Marly in 2011. I wanted it to be a bold, signature scent that plays with gender expectations — taking sweet/floral-gourmand elements and reworking them into a masculine, elegant composition.

Clients in the Middle East like this kind of creativity: bespoke fragrances created for them, or exclusive and limited-edition scents. This is why I work more in the niche field now.

In this region, there is no gender when it comes to fragrance, men use women’s fragrances and women use men’s fragrances. So I came up with the idea to twist a feminine fragrance into a masculine one.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Parfums de Marly Pegasus EDP

Parfums de Marly Layton EDP (2016) is one of your huge successes. How does it epitomise your approach? 

I wanted Layton to be a fragrance with character, not too loud in the beginning, but with personality: refined, seductive, modern yet with classical roots.

The apple and bergamot give brightness and freshness; lavender and heart florals give sophistication; the vanilla and woods/spices in the base give warmth and staying power. I like to create strong fragrances as they smell good and are long-lasting.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Parfums de Marly Layton EDP
HIT-MAKER: Apart from Layton EDP and Pegasus EDP, Hamid Merati-Kashani also created Percival EDP (2018), Sedley EDP (2019), Oriana EDP (2021) and Althaïr EDP (2023) for Parfums de Marly.
From Strangelove A Fire Within EDP (2024) to Amouage Opus XV King Blue EDP (2023) and the Kayali Oudgasm (2023) series, you’ve used oud in many of your creations. When was the first time you used natural oud?

The first time I used natural oud was when I started in Dubai in 2010. It was more the oud from India, Bangladesh and Thailand.

Does this ingredient still have the capacity to surprise you? 

Oud has evolved from a traditional Middle Eastern luxury to a globally recognised fragrance ingredient, embraced by both niche and mainstream perfumers.

Its versatility has led to innovative blends with various notes, while concerns about sustainability have prompted efforts for responsible sourcing. The rise of synthetic alternatives is also more accessible nowadays, reflecting a blend of tradition and modernity in perfumery.

Oud is a versatile ingredient and when I blend it with other ingredients, I end up discovering that those combinations can result in wonderful aromas. Perfumery is a magical science.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Goldfield & Banks Silky Woods EDP

Your recent creations for Adamo, South of 5th (2024), Junaillo (2024) and Eden (2025), show your versatility. Is that something you consciously set out to do?

Showing versatility as a perfumer is something that comes with creating for different brands and different clients.

My goal as a perfumer is to impart my signature with brands around the world. My creative imprint is alive in products people use every day. I feel proud to connect with them through these positive emotions.

Adamo South of 5th Parfum
IMAGE: Adamo.
What does your office/laboratory say about you? 

I like it when my space is clean and I have a good overview of everything around me, like raw materials and ingredients. It says that I have a clear sense of direction or idea when I am working, and I want my creative space to reflect that.

When you’re not working, what kind of fragrance do you like to wear?

On special occasions such as birthday party, I like to wear rich, intense fragrances. On a daily basis, I wear Armani Acqua di Giò.

Hamid Merati-Kashani - Initio Mystic Experience EDP

Is there a smell that’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face? 

The smells of my childhood. My olfactive memories linked to the rose fields in Iran are so vivid to me – I feel like it was yesterday. The majestic scent embodying all the treasure from the Orient: rich, exuberant and so generous, intense, sophisticated, colourful, refined, highly luxurious…

All empathic words come to mind when trying to describe them and yet I still have difficulty in accurately describing the emotional scent.

Parfums de Marly fragrances are available in South Africa from Skins.

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Quentin Bisch Parfums de Marly Delina Interview: “I Don’t Create Perfumes Thinking Of Success”

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch

The last time I interviewed Quentin Bisch, in 2018, the Paris-based perfumer was already making an impression with his creations for brands such as Chloé, L’Artisan Parfumeur, Etat Libre d’Orange, Mugler, Ex Nihilo and Jean Paul Gaultier.

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch
IMAGE: Givaudan.

Four years later, the Strasbourg-born Givaudan Perfumery School graduate has become highly sought after, so much so that this follow-up interview almost didn’t materialise due to his non-stop schedule.

IMAGE: Chloé.

Quentin Bisch made his fine fragrance debut in 2010 with Reminiscence Essence EDP. Most recently, he has produced fan favourites Hibiscus Mahajád (2021) and Patchouli Magnetik (2022) for French niche brand Maison Crivelli.

IMAGE: Fragrantica.

His creations for the Parfums de Marly Delina Range – Parfums de Marly Delina EDP (2017), Parfums de Marly Delina Exclusif EDP (2018) and Parfums de Marly Delina La Rosée EDP (2021) – are particularly popular.

When we got the opportunity to catch up over a half-hour phone call, we chat about the pressures of being in demand, the Parfums de Marly Delina line and the trickiness of working with roses. We also go into existential territory, which just adds to my admiration of his authenticity and sensitivity.

You are very in demand and are increasingly referred to as a “star perfumer”. How do you cope with the pressure and expectation?

Please don’t [sighs]. When I hear those kinds of things, I’m honoured and touched.

At the same time, it’s just not talking to me. Maybe because I’m strict with myself so I’m always seeking, doing research, looking at my next goals to achieve. So when I hear those compliments, it’s like people are nice, but that’s it.

“With the pressure, it’s only my pressure, which is quite huge. It’s sufficient and quite enough.”

With the pressure, it’s only my pressure, which is quite huge. It’s sufficient and quite enough [laughs].

I get the impression you’re a perfectionist.

Yes, maybe too much. But my self-engine that pushes me all the time is good like that too. Sometimes it’s a bit tricky. I can get into things in an obsessional way. It tends to take a lot in my life.

I still see myself as someone looking for something I haven’t accomplished yet. I feel young and new and having done nothing yet. There’s a huge gap between sometimes what I hear and what I feel in my head.

Apparently, you used to struggle with chemistry, an integral part of perfumery. How’s that part of the equation going now?

No. No [emphatic]. I have understood with experience you don’t need chemistry at all, in fine fragrances especially. Maybe if you’re working with household detergents and so forth, you do, but that’s not my domain.

You don’t need to foresee the chemical reactions in fine fragrances. You just need to perfume alcohol, which has no smell. I’m more of a chef mixing ingredients than a chemist.

IMAGE: Marc-Antoine Barrois.
You make it sound too easy, Quentin…

You’re right. Anybody can create, with a little training, something that smells good. There are some tricks. If you take vanilla, patchouli and labdanum, it smells amber, which is a beautiful accord. You can learn that trick.

To create beautiful perfumes that are modern, different and expansive is complicated because then you must adapt the art of mixing to the art of feeling what will be good, trendy and suits the brand. That is difficult.

Which would come from experience and intuition…

True. Intuition and lots of work. You need to try and try and fail and fail again to discover something nice and interesting. You need to be very patient. If you’re looking for something that’s rewarding quickly, perfumery is not for you.

“If you’re looking for something that’s rewarding quickly, perfumery is not for you.”

Let’s discuss the hugely successful Parfums de Marly Delina range. How much freedom were you given to create these fragrances?

Quite free, I must say. We presented to Julien [Sprecher], the olfactive director of the brand. At first, he didn’t like the note, but we insisted and he reconsidered. He asked me to do one single modification and that’s it.

Delina is powerful stuff. Was that part of the brief?

It’s very important to have that aspect in the whole package. It needed to be powerful and fluid – the way it’s distributed in the air – and transparent at the same time.

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch

How did you ensure Delina Exclusif is different from the original while keeping certain elements?

Exactly. It needed to be a continuation of the first one, like season two. If Delina was roses blooming in the garden at noon, full sun, a beautiful day, then Exclusif would be the same thing, but by night. It’s the same idea but with a different atmosphere.

I see you used Evernyl in the creation of Delina Exclusif. Did you prefer to use this synthetic moss rather than real oak moss?

When a perfumer uses a material, it’s not a basic choice between a natural and synthetic. I used Evernyl for a certain reason. It’s a different material. It’s like if you asked why I used hedione or benzyl acetate in place of jasmine. They’re three completely different materials.

“Creating a perfume is not a battle of choosing between natural and synthetic, good and bad. They’re a range of different ingredients.”

Creating a perfume is not a battle of choosing between natural and synthetic, good and bad. They’re a range of different ingredients.

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch

For example, using a high amount of rose essence oil sometimes is not good. It stinks because it’s too dark, too spicy. It’s a cocktail of molecules when you use the natural. The synthetic allows you to use just one part of the rose, so then you can create your own rose.

I’m enjoying the relative softness of La Rosée with its aquatic vibe. What was the idea there?

I thought it could be the prequel. The same rose, but in the morning and not fully bloomed at that moment. There’s a dewy, wet atmosphere. It’s transparent but still powerful.

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch

Are you surprised by the success of the range?

Yes! And everywhere! In Brazil, the Middle East, America, Russia, France. It’s crazy. That’s very interesting.

You never know if something is going to be a success. I don’t create perfumes thinking of that. Sometimes a beautiful fragrance can be launched at the wrong time and it misses the audience.

Parfums de Marly Delina - Quentin Bisch

All these Delina fragrances feature Turkish rose. Is this an easy ingredient to work with for you?

No, not at all. It’s beautiful but very powerful and can be a bit tricky. If you overdose it, it’s not modern.

For Parfums de Marly, it needed to be the legacy of this olfactory fantasy, tradition and modernity.

It’s really a duet of this rose, from Turkey and which is natural, and Petalia. This captive molecule from Givaudan [the company he works for] is a key ingredient of the modern rosiness of Delina. It keeps the litchi, fresh rose facet from top to bottom.

IMAGE: Givaudan.
Do you have a favourite ingredient to work with?

It changes all the time, like one’s mood. It depends on what you want to do. At the moment, it’s vanilla, because I’m working on something with it.

You know for Jean Paul Gaultier La Belle EDP, it started with le grand cru vanille, a delicious French cake with vanilla in all its states – powdery, dark, leathery. It was very interesting, the first time I was really trying to create an accord around vanilla and all its facets. From that day, I’m a vanilla-lover.

IMAGE: Jean Paul Gaultier.
Are you working on the next addition to the Delina range already? I know these things are confidential…

[Pause] Not for Delina. I can tell you I’m working on something else for Parfums de Marly.

If I read correctly, you turn 40 next year.

I turned 39 one week ago.

Hope it was a good celebration. Does it mean anything to you, as you approach that landmark year? Is this a time of reflection for you?

Definitely, but I’m always in that kind of state [laughs]. I’m always thinking about where I am, what I do, and asking myself: Are you doing the right thing? Are you doing it properly? And if not, change it.

IMAGE: Essential Parfums.

It’s tiring but also good because you’re sure you’re at the right place at the right moment and you’re not lying to yourself and others. I hate, hate not being honest with myself and others.

I can relate. It can keep you up at night, all those questions, especially when there are no answers.

Yes, yes. You can question something without having the answers. And then it follows you in your everyday life and sometimes, suddenly, you will have that revelation: now, I know this is for me, this is not for me anymore. We evolve all the time and I definitely have the feeling I’m not the same as before.

The Parfums de Marly Delina range is available in South Africa at Skins Cosmetics.