People
The people behind the bottles
Eight perfumers, and the fragrances of theirs we cover.
A fragrance has a house on the label and a person behind it. The house decides what it should be and how it should sell; the perfumer — “the nose” — decides what it actually smells like. Most people know the houses. Almost nobody knows the noses — even though, of the 1,998 fragrances we review, just eight perfumers are credited on 421.
Across the fragrances we cover we can name 197 perfumers. These are the eight who appear most often. Choose one.
Alberto Morillas
95 fragrances · 1996–2025 · 12 houses
Jacques Cavallier Belletrud
67 fragrances · 2008–2026 · 3 houses
Daniela Andrier
62 fragrances · 1998–2024 · 5 houses
Bvlgari
Maravilla
2014
Etat Libre d'Orange
I Am Trash Les Fleurs du Déchet
2018
Etat Libre d'Orange
La Fin du Monde
2013
Giorgio Armani
Emporio Armani She
2020
Giorgio Armani
Emporio Armani Lei
1998
Giorgio Armani
Pierre de Lune
2004
Guerlain
Angélique Noire
2005
Prada
Luna Rossa Ocean Eau de Parfum
2023
Francis Kurkdjian
52 fragrances · 1995–2023 · 7 houses
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Baccarat Rouge 540
2015
Jean Paul Gaultier
Le Male
1995
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Grand Soir
2016
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Oud Satin Mood
2015
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Gentle Fluidity Gold
2019
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Baccarat Rouge 540 Extrait de Parfum
2017
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Aqua Universalis
2009
Maison Francis Kurkdjian
Amyris Homme
2012
Quentin Bisch
39 fragrances · 2015–2025 · 13 houses
Jacques Polge
38 fragrances · 1981–2015 · 1 house
Olivier Polge
37 fragrances · 2004–2025 · 9 houses
Dominique Ropion
35 fragrances · 1984–2025 · 8 houses
Lancôme
La Vie Est Belle
2012
Yves Saint Laurent
La Nuit de L'Homme
2009
Frédéric Malle
Portrait of a Lady
2010
Yves Saint Laurent
Y Eau de Parfum
2018
Frédéric Malle
Carnal Flower
2005
Frédéric Malle
Vetiver Extraordinaire
2002
Frédéric Malle
Superstitious
2017
Frédéric Malle
Geranium Pour Monsieur
2009
The most prolific
Alberto Morillas appears on 95 of the fragrances we cover — more than anyone else — working for 12 different houses between 1996 and 2025. The best known of them here, by number of ratings, is Versace Dylan Blue.
The house is the name on the bottle. The nose is the reason you remember it.
Why it is worth knowing
If you love one fragrance, the perfumer is the most reliable clue to the next. A nose has habits — materials they return to, a way of balancing a composition, a signature you start to recognise. Follow the person rather than the label and you will often find you already know what you like.
Jacques Cavallier Belletrud has 67 with us; best known here for Bvlgari Tygar. Daniela Andrier has 62 with us; best known here for Bvlgari Maravilla. Francis Kurkdjian has 52 with us; best known here for Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540.
