- the name of the creator is given with the new launches and companies present their photo, even for the less known perfumers
- we see photos of perfumers at PR events
- they give interviews, conferences (Jean Claude Ellena, Christophe Laudamiel) and even video talks for the launch of a new perfume (Elle - YSL, but also for Avon or Yves Rocher)
- they receive awards
- they become in house perfumers (Hermès, Guerlain, Artisan Parfumeur, Rochas)
- they are involved in projects with a strong artistic concept (Le Coffret Mugler, AIDS project)
- we have brands featuring "parfums d'auteur" - like Frédéric Malle or Les Nez
- perfumers launch their own perfumes - Geza Schön, Mark Buxton
- several are already a "star" in the French press - Francis Kurkdjian, Jean Claude Ellena
As it happened in other related domains (I think architecture, design, fashion) something is about to change here and in my opinion it will change the face of the industry. I can only think what happened in fashion (designers were "fournisseurs" and with few exceptions a lady wouldn't seek the company of her couturière). This will affect not only the public perception but also the way perfumers will be paid and treated inside a company. Now as a brand you can still afford the luxury to have Ropion (IFF), Cresp (Firmenich), Maisondieu (Givaudan), Kurkdjian (Takasago), etc working for your brief and in the end you will chose only one. I doubt this will be possible in the future. The era of the perfumer as a worker in a mass production chain (like in the movie Metropolis) is about to change.
Because brands started to give the name of their perfumers a reverse action started to appear. On the internet the list of creation of a perfumer appears as a CV and not everybody is happy to be seen as a "commercial perfumer" doing variations of X or Y famous fragrances. Since a year several companies do not list the perfumer - will it be because of the fear of authorship issues in the future? A similar situation exists in fashion - designers from Zara, H&M, Mango, etc are less known if not unknown (also they have a big team).
I'm sure that in the next future the perfumer will tend more and more to the concept of star. Dior is not only the creations of John Galliano but it is also the image of the extravagant designer.
In the past it was arguable that the image of a perfumer would contrast with the image of the brand (mainly when it is a fashion one). But today with so many perfumes and brands we are lost - the names don't say very much. Some brands have zero image for the younger public as their fashion is no more present - Jean Patou or Rochas.
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Fragrance is the 8th Art - Octavian Coifan - Le Parfum est le 8ème Art
