Exclusive Interview with Michel Roudnitska

07/24/09 15:34:05

By: Michelyn Camen

Michel Roudnitska is the loving son of the great perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, the dear friend of the
perfumer Jean-Claude Ellena, an artist, and a man of intellect, vision, ethics and courage. In this enlightening
interview, Michel reveals private moments and memories that I do not believe he has shared before. It is with
great humility that I write that Michel is not only my ‘friend in fragrance’, but one of the most special people
one can ever hope to know.

You grew up the son of perfumers. As a child were you aware that your family was not like your friends?

Michel Roudnitska: To be a son of perfumers in Grasse was not that special and at that time my father was not
as famous as he became at the end of his life. What made me feel different were the ethics and the philosophy
of our family: a high expectation for quality, uniqueness and beauty without compromise.

And as a follow up, at what age did you know you wanted to create perfume?

Michel Roudnitska: As a teenager I never truly asked myself if I wanted to be a perfumer, as it seemed so
evident… My environment and the family pressures I felt were pushing me towards that specific direction even
though I was personally more attracted to sculpture, photography or architecture. I however only truly chose
this profession at the age of 40, after having left the family’s home for ten years and as I came back from Tahiti
where I had created a publishing house.

I have read your father start training you in the Art of perfume at age 7. How intensive was this
training?

Michel Roudnitska: At the age of 7 I was indeed playing around pleasant scents in the family’s laboratory, but
my real training only started at the age of 24, once I was done with my business studies.

It lasted five years and was extremely difficult because I was alone and had to work for several months on the
same olfactive family and had reconstruction exercises with mixtures of 20 to 30 different ingredients, created
specially by my father, I therefore had to find exclusively with my nose the exact proportions at 1% close!

There was no way I was going to use chromatography! It was a very good way to know intimately raw
materials and the way they interact. I only learned about the art of composition later on, by myself.

At what age did you create your first ‘perfume’ and what does it smell like?

Michel Roudnitska: It’s at the age of 40 that I created my first “real” perfume; it was composed around a
dominant note of jasmine. It will be used later on by therapists as a meditation fragrance since it apparently had
the ability to open the “third eye”.
What was your first commercial perfume and what inspired its creation?

Michel Roudnitska: The perfume that truly started my commercial career was Noir Epices it was created in
1998 from an olfactory illustration in my first multisensorial ballet Quintessence for the 1996 Avignon
Theater Festival.

I wanted to give an odor to the theme of fire and to the Spices route; after seeing the success it got I decided to
make it a very feminine and sensual perfume. It’s a year later that Frederic Malle came to visit my mother and
I to obtain the right to release Le parfum de Therese, he asked me to show him my creations. While smelling
the very spicy perfume he immediately asked if I could supply him for his new brand which was still a project
at the time.

This perfume of which we chose the name together was launched without alteration with the exception of a
light increase of the vanilla.

Please describe the home and gardens of your family?

Michel Roudnitska: I was one year old when my parents settled down in 1949 in Cabris in their new
(workshop) studio. It was a dry and desert ground, lost on the heights of “Grasse” that was transformed in the
course of the years into a vast botanical park thanks to its considerable amount of soil, water, the construction
of kilometers of walls and the plantation of hundreds of trees and rare plants. I grew up with this garden, the
cedars which now measure more than 15m are my age. I am very attached to it as it is for me a source of
happiness and permanent inspiration even if it also represents a very important amount of work for
maintenance. My passion for Japanese gardens led me to introduce this style in several parts of the park. It is a
constantly evolving place.
What is your favorite of all your father’s perfumes? Did you ever collaborate on a fragrance with you
father?

Michel Roudnitska: It is Le parfum de Therese which marked all my childhood because it is practically the
only one my mother wore. I think it represents the quintessence of my father’s writing; the alliance of the
sensual wealth of his first perfumes and the audacious simplicity of his last ones. When he created it (around
1960?) it was really a revolutionary perfume, to say that it was necessary to wait 40 years for it to be released
on the market!
I was regrettably not able to collaborate with my father on the creation of a perfume because to him it was "a
reserved domain". The exchanges which we had only consisted in seeking sometimes my opinion on the tries
which he was working on.

I was really only able to dedicate myself seriously to the perfume industry after his passing in 1996.
When did you meet Jean-Claude Ellena? You have shared with me that Mr. Ellena is like family… age
wise you would be like brothers. Metaphorically was there ever any ‘sibling’ rivalry’.

Michel Roudnitska: I met Jean-Claude and Susanna, his future wife, for the first time towards the age of 18.
We then each followed our paths to meet again in 1975, when he asked me to illustrate with my images the
nice-smelling raw materials sold by the Maison Lautier at “Grasse”. It was the beginning of my researches on
the correspondences between olfactive forms and visual forms, this experience was very enriching for the both
of us. In the 80s, Jean-Claude regularly met my father to discuss about the art of perfume creation and
sometimes subject him his searches.

I again had the opportunity to realize olfactive illustrations with him within the framework of the publications
of the company Haarmann and Reimer for which he had worked with in the 90s at “Grasse”. This is the time
where we became very close friends to the point that I had asked him to be my best man in my marriage in
1994.

There was really no rivalry between us as far as, for almost 20 years, I essentially dedicated myself to the image
and to the audiovisual performances while JC developed his skills in the perfume industry. That is why we were
very surprised to abruptly find ourselves at the same level when Frederic Malle launched both our perfumes at
the same time.

We keep smelling each other’s researches and we both have a lot of respect for our mutual creations.

Which raw materials is your favorite to work with? Why?

Michel Roudnitska: If I could only choose one it would naturally be jasmine because it is
"The Flower “ sensual and pure at the same time, I think it represents "the smelll of paradise". Otherwise I truly
like the scents of the woody notes (in particular the cedar) which constitutes the base of all my perfumes.

What is your view on ‘natural’ perfumery?

Michel Roudnitska: It is a vast subject on which many false ideas are being spread in the public. It is really
necessary to vary its comments to avoid falling in the Manicheanism: Natural = good, Synthetic = bad.

Everything depends on the point of view which we are taking. I am a burning defender of the natural products,
in particular within the framework of aromatherapy and in every case where the vibratory qualities of essential
oil are implied.

Nevertheless even in this domain, natural products can present numerous dangers of allergy or irritation. The
European regulation is becoming more and more restrictive to the point where they might forbid the usage of
certain concentrations, which represents a real threat to the survival of these natural raw materials which are so
precious in the palette of the perfumer.

In the field of the "Fine fragrance", the approach is different: these type of perfumes would not exist without the
contribution of the synthetic molecules introduced from the first perfumes by Guerlain at the end of the 19th
century. It is about an essentially aesthetic initiative comparable to that of the contemporary music where
traditional instruments meet the infinitely rich sounds of synthesizers.

To want to limit the palette of the perfumer to only using natural raw materials is as if we were going 2
centuries backwards. I truly respect the numerous creators who chose to use 100 % natural materials for ethical
and healthy reasons and who sometimes succeed in realizing wonderful creations. But it does not mean that we
have to be suspicious on all the others who continue to use magnificent synthetic materials which can arouse
just as much deep emotions. Let’s not forget the perfume industry is one of the most controlled industry for the
consumer’s safety.

Which fragrance was the most difficult to create among your perfumes for Frederic Malle, Parfums
 Delrae, Ellie D and Hors la Monde. I know they are collaborations, can you
explain the process?

Michel Roudnitska: Sometimes my clients, like Frederic Malle, adopt free

creations that I made during my life and that without major changes.

But mostly my compositions are the result of co-creation with customers who
already have some idea of the concept they want. It is essential that our tastes are in
harmony and that we speak the same olfactory language.

Often the final result is quite different from the starting point because it is an
evolving and intuitive process, leaving room for the unexpected.

So I like working in that magic, that kind of trust and mutual respect that are possible only with very limited
number of person in decising making.

This has actually happened with Delrae Roth and Jessica Dunne. The creation of the perfume Ellie was a
real challenge for me because it forced me out of my usual process. Jessica wanted a perfume with massive
doses of Musk when it is an ingredient that I used previously in very low concentrations. Thanks to an original
arrangement (dressing) with floral and woody notes (including Vetyver), I finally arrived at a result that I could
feel good with.

You are much more multi-sensorial than any other perfumer I have interviewed. Yet our readers do not
know the extent to which you integrate all your senses to compose ART. Please give an example.

Michel Roudnitska: I was a photographer before becoming a perfumer. Very quickly, from the age of 25 years
I had the idea to create "visual compositions" (photo montages) as my father created "scented compositions”.
Then these images were animated thanks to digital video and included in live performances (music concerts,
ballet, opera ...).
 In 1996 I finally managed to introduce this new olfactory dimension in my shows. It was for me a way to
bring my 2 passions and implement the work done for 20 years on the connections between the visual, auditory
and olfactory senses. My first scented ballet Quintessence (1996) was built on the history of perfume from
antiquity to the present day, the 2nd: Sun Stone, created in 1998, was inspired by a poem of Octavio Paz. I
then illustrated with fragrances the Opera Nabucco by Verdi in Rotterdam in 2001 and created in 2002, with
the virtuoso cellist Nathalie Manser, World Scents (Un Monde en Senteurs), a complete multisensorial show
about 8 great traditional cultures that marked our planet and which has been presented in many capitals (Paris,
Moscow, Vladivostok, Perth...).
 I usually plan (conceive) these shows on a global basis, trying to control all the sensory aspects in order to
create coherence and intense emotional impact. The fragrance plays a very important role in this approach
because, like music, it allows the viewer to leave his rational brain for a much more sensitive and spiritual
perception. It is also for the fragrance composer an opportunity for a freer expression, as in the other arts.

Please explain about the company Art et Parfum? Its origin and where it is today? Also about your
mother?

Michel Roudnitska: The studio Art et Parfum was created by my parents in 1946 in a garage at Bécon les
Bruyères in the Paris suburbs. In 1949 they settled in Cabris, near Grasse, thanks to the incomes from the
success of the perfume Femme (Rochas) composed by my father. Since then Art et Parfum has never ceased
to provide the best brands (Dior, Hermes, Rochas, Arden...).
My mother took care of all administrative and manufacturing work while my father managed the raw materials
selection and customer relations. After the death of my father in 1996, I took over the management of this
company to continue this tradition of quality and originality in defending the concept of "parfum d'auteur" and
participating in the emergence of "niche" brands based on this concept as the Editions de Parfums Frederic
Malle in France and Delrae Perfumes in the US.

Today we are entering a new phase with an entirely original concept in the world of fragrance: a pool of
independent perfumers. It actually combines the advantages of an individual and free creative process with a
common marketing and manufacturing structure. We are currently 7 perfumers (including some famous ones),
each with their individual skills but united by an ethical commitment to bring back the foundations of the great
artisan perfumes of the past while using technological advances.

What are your thoughts about the future of perfumery? What are the three most difficult issues? In
which ways is the 21st century’s issues than from previous generations? Is there a crisis?
Michel Roudnitska: The contemporary fragrance market is suffering from three excesses:

1. There are too many similar perfumes, creating a lot of confusion for the public. Even niche fragrances
are now adding to the confusion with their many new brands.

2. Too many products (detergents, household products, etc.) are now scented - not by necessity, but simply
to make them more attractive. The consequence of this is a trivialization of perfume, smelled anytime
and anywhere, which leads to a saturation of the senses, and a lot of chemicals being spewed out into
Nature.

3. The safety regulations necessary for such massive use of these olfactory ingredients are becoming more
and more complex. The consequence is that many genuinely natural products will no longer be available
and composers’ creativity will be seriously compromised.

In the state of economic and ecologic world crisis in which we now live, the fragrance industry is facing a
genuine challenge for the future. There will be a complete paradigm shift in societal values. Sustainable
development and fair trade are being progressively introduced into our industry, but things will have to go
further.

More and more people are becoming aware that we are living on a planet with limited resources (we have
probably already reached the oil peak!) and that it will be impossible to maintain the same rate of production
growth over the next 30 years. As the cost of energy and raw materials (natural and synthetic) used in
perfumery inexorably increases, we must establish our priority: more quality and less quantity.

Our lifestyles and the notion of luxury will have to change drastically: more social relationships and fewer
goods, needs that are more spiritual and less materialistic. Fragrance creation will have to return to its essence:
an artistic expression of beauty and authenticity, meant to nourish the soul.

Now this is very close to my heart… Would you ever consider starting your own perfume company, the
way Kurkdjian just did… the House of Roudnitska fragrances?

Michel Roudnitska: This is actually an idea that many people have already suggested and which deserves
serious consideration. We started up a team for this purpose but the arrival of the economic crisis led us to
delay this project.

Are you working on a new parfum? Can you share any details?
Michel Roudnitska: I have a number of fragrances under development or near
completion for several years that I reserve for exactly this idea of a future

Roudnitska brand.

Note de l'auteur: Michel, je te remercie d'être une source d'inspiration pour moi, pour ton
gentillesse et l'amitié

Michelyn Camen is New York City based fragrance writer and specialist. Michelyn is a Senior Contributor for
Fragrantica. In addition, she is the Fragrance editor for www.fashiontribes.com, a top ten beauty blog, and the
Fragrance Columnist/Diversions for http://www.uptownsocial.net.

Michelyn is the former Senior Contributing Writer for Sniffapalooza Magazine, New in Niche Columnist for
Basenotes and Editorial Director/Fragrance Editor for Beauty News NYC & LA

Ms. Camen is the owner of Fifthsense N.Y.C. which provides personalized fragrance consultations based on
body chemistry, fashion and lifestyle and consults for luxury, media and fragrance companies.

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Article comments:
add comment

Andy Austin
pretty intense article. I started reading it yesterday and just finished it today. Very smart man; informative and
he's led a very rich life. I was especially struck by the latter part of the article. I would look forward to mens
fragrances by this perfumer.
07/28/09 15:01:01

Miss_Nightingale
Wonderful interview and very evocative descriptions of the ideas & process of creating... such an insight for us,
and an honour. What a talented family!
07/27/09 15:15:40

cynthia44
 What a rich and deep interview this is. My favoirte fragrances are by both father and son! Ellie and
Diorissimo."The acorn does not l far from the tree". Kudos to the writer Ms. Camen and to Mr Roudnitska.
07/27/09 13:38:51

gknight
Outstanding interview Michelyn! It was an excellent and interesting read...Very poignant and personal

Thanks Michel for being so candid and allowing us a glimpse into the world of a master artist!
07/27/09 08:46:39

sandrina_bambina
Mr. Roudnitska and Michelyn, thank you so much for a fabulous interview, which I really enjoyed in!
07/27/09 04:43:28

F_A
Thank you for an amazing interview, Michelyn! It is so warm, exhaustive and very professional at the same
time, I really enjoyed reading it. Mr. M. Roudnitska , no doubt, is a GENIUS. I am impatiently waiting for his
futher creations and I am wishing him a good luck in his magical job!

P.S. Mr. M. Roudnitska, nice to see you in Fragrantica!!!

07/27/09 04:18:10

CourtrightHer
How excellent! I raise my (Champagne) glass to you Michelyn (Gosset, 'Grand Rose' Brut)! It's always
fascinating to get insight on the 'wizzard behind the curtain' and your interview is one I will no doubt have will
digest again. Love the graphics. Great guy, great interview!
07/26/09 17:29:17

Michel ROUDNITSKA
Thank you Michelyn for giving me the opportunity of expressing so freely my thought about fragrance creation.
I am so touched by all these comments which encourage me to go further on this way.
07/26/09 06:48:41

gblue
Agreed with all the sentiments here, fantastic interview with the amazing Mr Roudnitska. Fascinating to read
about his family life as well.
Thanks, Michelyn.
07/26/09 00:43:12
Somerville Metro Man
Great interview Michelyn, as always.
07/25/09 18:00:53

memechose
Dear Fragrantica friends

Every journalist dreams of Michel Roudnitska. Michel has been a guiding light for me, an anchor in a sea of
uncertainity for the future of perfumery as Art.I read with happiness that he inspires each of you on so many
levels. I am joyous and humbled that this interview may be part of a bigger picture, where the consumer is
educated and SAYS NO I WILL NOT SETTLE for anything less than qualititave perfume.It is in the
Roudnitska DNA, The masterpiece ROCHAS Femme was created admist the horrors of Nazi occupied France
by Michel's father, Edmond. GENIUS AND QUALITY ALWAYS WILL FLOURISH even during the darkest
economic times.
07/25/09 09:29:50

Kterhark
I really enjoyed reading this. This man has clearly taken the higher road in life, and brings his insights
into everything he does. I've read other interviews with perfumers, but so far Roudnitska has been the most
open and generous with his readers. I will now go add his creations to my next sample order :-)
07/25/09 08:27:59

DSH_ArtScent
Wonderful, WONDERFUL interview, Michelyn! Thank you for bringing more intimacy with this gifted and
lovely artist to us and for the incredible images included.

Thank you Michel, for sharing so much for yourself with the world. You are a beautiful soul.
07/25/09 08:17:54

maggiesmeow
Excellent article. This man is the future.

I have noticed a change in quality even in bottles of classic fragrances sold. I had to stop wearing my favorite,
no names, created in 1984, because it had been mutilated to the quality equivalent of air freshener. Why? I
believe it is due to ever-growing mass distribution and the increasing cost and decrease of natural ingredients--
ergo,substitute with cheap chemical versions--and i don't mean the synthetic ingredients that were a part of it
originally. There is too much, there is no balance. Depressing and it must stop.

I'm surprised the perfume industry isn't more loudly engaged in environmental protection.

I'd rather smell like lavender soap. At least I know I have a better chance at it being a genuine scent.
07/25/09 08:12:37
Kathryn
I've always thought your interviews were extraordinary, but this is the best one yet. I really think that you are
charting new territory in explaining how biography, personality, and interrelationships become distilled in
perfumes. I hope not only that Michel Roudnitska will open his own house but that you will publish a
book of your interviews. Brava!
07/25/09 07:52:13

alex12cats
I have "Parfum de Therese" and it is wonderful to read about the connection between Micheal and his father. A
wonderful interview and to revisit.
07/25/09 07:42:10

flittersniffer
I found the interview absolutely fascinating, especially his views on the state of the fragrance industry and the
merits of natural vs synthetic perfumes. As ever, there were excellent supporting illustrations. I am personally
very fond of his creation Debut for Delrae. And while I agree that we all need to scale back on our material
consumption, my burgeoning perfume collection (partly enabled by the good author of this article!) seems to be
bucking the trend! : - (
07/25/09 03:40:07

rebella
Oh, what a beautiful and interesting interview. Thank you for sharing, Michelyn and so interesting to learn to
know the man behind the perfumes alittle better. It´s really add a personal touch with the childhood photos.
07/25/09 01:18:12

WardrobeMistress
Excellent serious interview.I agree with NLS, there is so much to ponder here I will definately be revisiting it.
07/24/09 18:34:27

danna
This may be the best interview I have ever read....so much I learned about Mr Roudnitska.I never knew he was
so multi faceted. So much to absorb...Jean Claude Ellena his best man, about Edmond his father. I WILL
READ AND REREAD THIS. There is so much here. Mr Roudnitska, PLEASE START THE HOUSE OF
ROUDNITKSA SOON.
07/24/09 18:19:43
NebraskaLovesScent
Wow! Mr. Roudnitska made so many intelligent and insightful comments in this interview! I think it merits a
second or third reading. The photographs of his family were a nice touch, too. Excellent job, Ms. Camen!
07/24/09 18:18:02