Wearing a fragrance should be a “multisensory experience” for consumers, experts say – and it is up to perfumers and marketers to deliver this experience.

This was the topic during a panel discussion organized by Symrise and FGI (Fashion Group International), and sponsored by Cosmoprof North America.

The panel included Chef Roblé Ali, restaurateur and creator of the Clique by Roblé fragrance line; David Apel, a vice president and senior perfumer at Symrise; Kelly Jones, founder of Kelly & Jones, a wine-inspired fragrance line; and Lior Lev Sercarz, founder/Chef, La Boit Biscuits and Spices. The discussion was moderated by Gail Vance Civille, president and founder of Sensory Spectrum, Inc.

Photo Above at the event, The Art & Science of Fragrance Creation: A Multi-Sensory Process.
Pictured, left to right: Daniela Ciocan, director of marketing, Cosmoprof North America, which sponsored the event; moderator Gail Vance Civille; Panelists: Chef Roble Ali; Kelly Jones; Lior Lev Sercarz; and David Apel.

Developing a Fragrance That Will Evoke an Emotion

How could a fragrance engage more than just the sense of smell? And why should a brand want to do this?

Think of how a whiff of a certain scent triggers a visual memory. All of our senses are linked. And when a fragrance manages to engage more than one of our senses, a brand has succeeded in creating a stronger bond with the consumer.

“The idea of creating a multisensory experience with a fragrance is all about hitting on an emotion, and resonating with the user, for a full body experience,” explained perfumer David Apel, Symrise. “If we can do this, then we have created that emotional connection,” he said.

Apel also spoke about how the fragrance development process works, beginning with a mood board. “We will often receive items that include a song, a color, a fabric swatch, and a photograph,” he said, demonstrating that all of the inspirations for a fragrance are ‘multi-sensorial,’ from the start.

Apel continued to explain: “We look at everything a client sends us. The goal is to try to get into a certain emotional state. We ask ourselves, ‘where does it move me?’ And then we think, ‘how can we translate this feeling to the consumer?’ ”

The next step, Apel explained, is to develop a fragrance that evokes the same emotional reaction as the client is trying to convey on the mood board.

“We also have to remember how subjective this all is,” Apel advises, adding, “And sometimes it is frustrating, of course, when the client isn’t moved to feel a certain emotion…especially when we feel that the consumer would be moved.” Then he jokingly added, “And then we try to convince them, which doesn’t always work.”

Creating Menus, Cocktails & Scents

Chef Roblé Ali was also on the panel, talking about how his fragrance, Clique by Roble, is inspired by food. He said that the development process was not unlike creating a menu.

“When you walk into my restaurant, I want you to be comfortable,” he explains, saying that is why he includes very familiar items on the menu. “But then I will add something else that’s unexpected, that most people wouldn’t normally try,” he says, comparing his menu items to his fragrance notes.

Roble mentioned Tom Ford’s fragrances (which Apel developed), saying he admired them – but the brand’s point of view is very different than his own. “You either like them, or you don’t,” he says, referring to Ford’s fragrances, further explaining, “and if you like them, you LOVE them, because they are very opinionated.”

Roble says he wanted his fragrance to smell very familiar to most people, especially at first, so that their reaction is more “comfortable,” rather than “intense.” “But then I like to surprise people with something unexpected, once I have their attention,” he added, saying he thinks about how he can do this when he plans his restaurant menus, and how it was a similar process when creating his fragrance. 

“I have a cocktail with chipotle in it, but on my menu I describe it as just having ‘a hint of spice’ or people will be afraid to try it,” Roble explained, adding, “Sometimes you have to sneak things in, because people don’t always know what they will like.”

The Clique by Roble fragrance opens with cocktail ingredients:  blood orange juice, lime, triple sec, tequila, a pinch of salt and a touch of chipotle peppers. Its floral heart includes wild jasmine, violet, tuberose and precious iris. It finishes with the scent of “French Toast Crunch,” which is one of Roble’s signature desserts. It includes Challah bread, cornflakes, cinnamon, salt, honey, rich chocolate and powdered sugar, which are also the notes that give the fragrance its long-lasting gourmand finish.

Roble states on his website that he worked with perfumer Frank Voelkl at Firmenich for nearly a year to perfect the fragrance “recipe.” Roble says, “Finding the perfect balance to incorporate scents from some of my favorite culinary creations required a lot of fine-tuning and multiple trials.”

Roble also markets a gold nail polish that contains a fragrance – your nails will smell like perfume for 3 days.

Inspired by Wine

Kelly Jones, founder of Kelly & Jones, was also on the panel, and revealed a few details about her new fragrance collection launching later this spring called Reserve.

“I’ve been working on it for almost a year,” she said. The fragrances include a non-alcoholic grape seed oil base, and are being developed with “the very best, extra special essences,” according to Jones.

Kelly & Jones’ current collection is called Notes of Wine, and includes a “flight” – a set of 5 fragrances in rollerball packages. The collection includes these fragrances: Notes of Sauvignon Blanc, Notes of Riesling, Notes of Cabernet, Notes of Merlot and Notes of Chardonnay.

‘Tasting’ Chef Roble’s Fragrance

At the end of the discussion, Chef Roble began serving a chocolate brownie he had made for the event, for a “taste of his fragrance.” (It wasn’t French Toast Crunch, but he said it still compliments the scent.) The dessert included chocolate, vanilla and caramel flavors, which are also important notes in the Clique by Roble fragrance. The dessert was also covered with hand-crushed pistachios and sprinkled with smoked sea salt.

See Chef Roble’s fragrance, Kelly & Jones’ collection, and a few shots from the event in the slideshow above.


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