ÇaFleureBon Young Perfumers: Julien Rasquinet of IFF + Naomi Goodsir Parfums Draw

julien iff

Julien Rasquinet of IFF

I am 35 years old and grew up in Paris, but spent every weekend in the countryside, in Normandy. Although I now live between Dubai and Paris, I am a countryman, and escape anything that looks like a city as soon as I can. When I think of my childhood, what comes to my mind is the smell of Normandy. So many scent memories…the fresh cut grass, the rose garden, the Butterfly bushes, the smell of rotten apples on the ground in October, the wet soil in the forest in autumn, and the chimney fire in winter, the smell of my horse, and of the room where I hung her saddle, the smell of mint nearby the river, and the smell of earth as I tended my vegetable garden  when I was 11 years old.

AromaticsElixirAd

Clinique Aromatics Elixir was created by Bernard Chant  also of IFF in 1971

The first perfume I remember really loving was the one my mother was wearing, of course. I was fortunate as she has very good taste and her signature scent was "Aromatics Elixir”! One of the greatest marvels of perfumery! I cannot say I always intended to become a perfumer. The sure thing is that when I was a teenager, I fell in love with Fahrenheit, Kenzo pour Homme, and  CHANEL Egoiste Platinum and with those fragrances, perfume took a very important place in my life.I didn't know that the job of a perfumer even existed and didn't realize the complexity and beauty of it. I only realized what it entailed when I joined IFF for a marketing internship in 2003, and became fascinated with the work of perfumers such as Dominique Ropion, Olivier Polge, and all the "hall of fame" now in Neuilly.

Pierre Bourdon Julien Rasquinet cafleurebon

Master Perfumer Pierre Bourdon holding Julien Rasquinet's son 

 I owe my career and much more to one man, the great Pierre Bourdon. There is a funny story about how we  began our relationship.  Pierre and my father met in an airport, they had already met before at some dinners, but my dad had no idea what kind of a humongous star Pierre was. So after they met at the airport, my father gave me his contact card telling me "I met this guy, he does something in perfumes, and maybe it's interesting for you". When I saw the name on the card, I jumped to the ceiling, and after I had stopped bouncing off the walls, I called him. We had lots of meetings, phone calls, discussions, dinners, during which I never had the courage to ask him all I wanted to know. I was too shy and believed I didn't have the necessary background, as I graduated from a business school, not from ISIPCA. But it finally came from him; he told me before his retirement he wanted to train two young perfumers. He had already chose Julie Masse, and then chose me too. I was so surprised and shocked I was unable to answer, and don't even remember the end of our discussion. I think I replied with the most stupid sentence: "I will think about it"! I didn't sleep a single minute and called 50 times the next day between 9h00 and 10h00 until someone picked up the phone; I told him it was a dream come true and  for the rest of my life I would be loyal and grateful to him.

Julien Rasquinet Dubai creative center

Julien Rasquinet Labo at NOTE DE COUER

When Pierre retired, I created my own company, NOTE DE COEUR, with which I had a success that even surprised me, again with the great help of Pierre. I had been working with international customers, from the German shopping TVs, to mass market, and niche brands. I was also working part-time as the "ghostwriter" of one of the oldest and renowned niche houses.

Dubai offices-IFF

Dubai Offices of IFF photo IFF

 Since 2014, I joined IFF (International Flavors & Fragrances) one of the leading perfume creations companies, in the Dubai creative center, I wanted an experience in the Middle East, as it is for me a great idea laboratory, a place of intuition, of excess, and it gives the rare opportunity to talk directly to the owners of beautiful perfume brands. It is also something I used to appreciate a lot in the European niche. It is key today for a perfumer to understand this booming market, in terms of business, as it’s a source of inspiration for the rest of the world, and also in terms of a perfumery with strong identity. I am not so worried about IFRA for new creations, as I believe we have enough creative resources and expertise in developing new molecules innovation to create new olfactive forms.

NaomiGoodsir Renaud Coutaudier

Renaud Coutaudier and Naomi Goodsir (photo Julien)

My clients are also my friends. I have a very special relationship with the milliner and designer Naomi Goodsir and her partner Renaud Coutaudier, as they trusted me at the very beginning of their amazing scent adventure, when no one had even heard of me. Now their brand has garnered success with the perfume connoisseurs. I hope we will continue the work we've started with "Bois d'ascese", "Cuir Velours" and this year’s "Iris Cendre".

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Gerald Ghislain of Histoires de Parfums

Another great collaboration is with  Gerald Ghislain of Histoires des Parfums, who also became a friend. I often see him in Dubai, and respect his talent, in fact I am sometimes frightened by the 20 ideas he can have in a minute. He can be hyperactive, which I am not,  but we find a way! Recently we created "Fidelis" and "This is not a blue bottle". Again, I believe we have many more fragrances to create together in the future!

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Riccardo Tedeschi and Alessandro Brun of Masque Milano

Then, I also love working with my Middle-East customers, who are not necessarily well known in Europe and US, who have a great intuition, expertise, talent, sensitivity as much as a great sense of humor, warmth and generosity. I must say I feel extremely comfortable in this culture I really didn't know before. I enjoyed my collaboration with Laurent Laclos, working with the great independent Japanese Fashion Designer IRIE with who we created "I.D. est" "Post Scriptum" and "Nota Bene", who has been a great and respectful person.  I enjoyed working with Alessandro Brun and Riccardo Tedeschi, of Masque, for whom I signed "Russian Tea".

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Langue de bois by Irina Rasquinet

But my inspiration comes mostly from my personal life, which I share with my wife, the Russian artist Irina Rasquinet. With each encounter, each sentence, each moment of the day there is a purpose of creation. And I am surrounded at home with her masterpieces which give me amazing energy.

COTY chypre

Coty Chypre

You ask which fragrances I wished I had created. A way to estimate and value a masterpiece is by how influential it has been in relation to other creations at the time. The biggest influencers of all time were, of course done by Francois Coty. "Chypre" and "L'Origan" have set modern olfactive families like never before. Another perfume I wish I had created is "Cool Water" by Pierre Bourdon for Davidoff. It was also a trendsetting fragrance, with an overdose of Dihydro myrcenol. It was the first fragrance to have such an amazing fresh strength, which later inspired hundreds of others.

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Perfume Ingredients collage by Pierre Benard

Since you've asked me which my favorite raw materials, Michelyn,  I keep thinking about this question! I know it sounds like a simple question! I like perfumery that has a certain richness and texture, and I believe this is doable with most of the olfactive families. I first wanted to answer: cistus-labdanum, patchouli Heart N*3 LMR, Turkish rose oil LMR and leather, but I also love green notes, gourmand or fruity, as long as they are evocative. Some people say I have a hand with for spices, some others say for incense and smoke. But for me, the only thing that matters when I am writing my formula, is that the raw material is relevant to the story of the fragrance. I have chosen each raw material like choosing the right word to tell a story. It only depends on the message and the brief. I don't want to keep telling the same story!

There are three things I would give as advice to young perfumers: patience, rigor, and hard work.

Julien Rasquinet  in Dubai

Julien in Dubai (photo Irina Rasquinet)

Patience first, because it takes years before you are able to bring into reality the ideas you might have had in the beginning of your career, when you still don't have the technique, the experience, and the needed determination to take risks. It takes a good 10 years for a perfumer to be really able to master his art. The first three years of your apprenticeship will probably be the most questioning and difficult time of your life. Learning, exploring and remembering 1500 raw materials and trying to use them to imitate fragrances that shaped the perfume history is certainly comparable to the complexity of learning solfege in music and playing your first accords. But it is also such a joy, such an achievement when you complete your first nose matches and your first accords!

Rigor, then. If you don't have the moral exigency to do things with perfection, if you can bear approximations and you are not passionate enough to question every raw material you used in a formula as well as their proportions, then do not follow this path!

Hard work is close to the previous idea, but I believe very few perfumers are lazy. I believe, that for most of us, talent is nothing without hard work. We are like writers, I would never want to see one of my "draft copies" on the market. We need to cross out or reduce raw materials, to sleep on an idea and come back to it the next day, to rewrite and sometimes discard,  to question each raw material like each word would be questioned and finally to make sure it  is the best expression of the olfactive story.

Julien Rasquinet, Perfumer at IFF

silk andrea maack parfums

Complete Listing of Julien’s Fragrances: K n°2 Korloff  (2008), Plaisir de Frederic Frederic Haldimann (2010) Flowers of the Valleyé Judith Williams (2010) Glamorous Jasmine Judith Williams (2010),Vibrant Patchouly Judith Williams (2010), Majestic Lily Judith Williams (2010), Oriental Mandarin Judith Williams (2010), Spirit of Sparkling Miracle Spirit (2010),  Silk Andrea Maack (2011), Weekend Inès de la Fressange (2011)

 

 Arabian Oud Judith Williams (2013), Poésie de Frederic  Frederic Haldimann (2013), Flower Princess Love More (2013), Narcotic Magnolia Judith Williams (2013), Spirit of Sweet Glamour Spirit (2013),Strawberry Champagne Judith Williams (2013), Flower of Eden Essential Garden (2013) Luxury Diamond Judith Williams (2013) Bois d'Ascèse Naomi Goodsir (2012) Caressing Cardamom Judith Williams (2012)

russian tea masque milano perfume

Russian Tea Masque Fragranze Milano (2014) Post Scriptum Irie (2014) Nota Bene Irie (2014), Id Est Irie (2014),This Is Not a Blue Bottle Histoires de Parfums (2015), I, II, III Maxim’s Pierre Cardin (2015), Fidelis Histoires de Parfums (2015) Jette Red  Jette Joop (2015), 4, 5, 6 – Real Madrid Collection Real Madrid (2015) Mémoires – Carnet de Voyage L’Arc (2015) Iris Cendre Naomi Goodsir (2015)

iris cendre naomi  goodsir

Note from Naomi Goodsir and Renaud Coutaudier:”It is quite amazing how Iris Cendré, which was finalized beginning of 2013 and launched in September 2015, found such an audience. I mean, nothing was planned, excepted to find a way, along with Julien to express a beautiful raw material "in our own way”. We feel blessed & proud!"

russian tea masque milano julien rasquinetfidelis hdp julien rasquinetNaomi Goodsir Parfums cuir velours Bois d'ascese

Iris Cendre was a top 25 perfume and top 5 perfume for CaFleureBon in 2015 Best of Scent. I first became aware of Julien through hearing he created Silk for Andea Maack. But it was his work for Naomi Goodsir that made me ask "who is this perfumer",  beginning with Cuir Velours". Last year Russian Tea for Masque was another top five award winner and Fidelis is off to a great start in 2016.

naomi goodsir perfumes

Photo:Naomi GoodSir Parfums

Thanks to the amazing  generosity of Naomi Goodsir Parfums we have a WORLDWIDE draw  (their first, so many thanks) for a registered reader  (you must register to be eligible) of your choice of Bois d'Ascèse Cuir Velours or Iris Cendre  be eligible please leave a comment about what you found fascinating about Julien Rasquinet (a quote perhaps or something you learned), your favourite perfume from his body of work, where you live and which of the Naomi Goodsir perfumes you hope to win.  Draw closes 1/23/2015

We announce the winners only on site and our Facebook page, so like CaFleureBon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will just be spilled perfume.

 

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51 comments

  • I found the entire post fascinating. But, I must quote this- “the smell of rotten apples on the ground in October, the wet soil in the forest in autumn. . . ‘
    These rich scent memories make for a truly rich nose.

    I would love a bottle Iris Cendre! My favorite of his so far is Russian Tea.
    In the US.

  • My goodness, what a list is that body of work, I love to know more about the creators of fragrances.
    This is also a wonderful story of the serendipity of meeting Pierre Bourdon, who then transormed julien Rasquinet’s life. Fabulous.
    I would love to win Bois d’Ascese and live in Australia

  • fazalcheema says:

    This is too interesting an article. I really envy Julie and Julien that Bourdon chose these two as his final students. Pierre Bourdon, is without, doubt one of my favorite perfumers besides Guy Robert and Francoise Caron. I will always be grateful for Kouros. Julien did the right thing by establishing his own company and targeting Middle East has also proven to be a smart business idea. Julien’s relationship with Naomi Goodsir reminds me of how MDCI betted on Stephanie Bakouche. It is always a great story when someone bets on a new talent who surpasses expectations. My favorite of Julien’s creations is Bois D’Ascese and my choice for this draw will be Cuir Velours.

  • What fascinates me most about Julien Rasquinet is where he gets his inspiration from his wife. I love his advice for new perfumers for patience first rigor and hardwork. my favorite perfume of his is Andrea Maack dark.
    I am James Weaver From America
    I would love to win cuir velours.

  • This is a wonderful read and I especially appreciate Julien’s words about his wife, Irina Rasquinet “with whom each encounter, each sentence, each hour of the day is a purpose of creation.” Such a beautiful expression. I have not tried any of his creations but I am intrigued by the title Caressing Midwest and would most like to win Iris Cendre. Thanks so much for your generosity, Julien, and for the fascinating profile, CaFleurebon.

  • It must have been amazing studying with PierreBoudon as his last student and working in Dubai where culture is so different. I loved Julien saying I will think about it!! My favorite of his work is cuir velour and Russian Tea but I have been dying to try Iris Cendre
    I live in the US
    Fantastic article

  • What a young man with that much experience behind him. What an amazing future he is creating. I can relate to the Aromatics Elixir, it was my first fine fragrance after my jump from “Charlie” and “Loves Baby Soft”……..cringe. I cannot believe Julian would tell Pierre he had to think about the offer. I have not smelled any of the mentioned fragrances, darn. I would love to try the Iris Cendre. I’ve read many positive reviews. Thanks so much and continued success to Julian. I live in the u.s.

  • I like his advice to young perfumers – I think it applies to a lot of different professions as well. It’s interesting to know that a budding perfumer go through the same self-doubt as any of us.
    I have not tried any of his creations but they all sound really lovely. Iris Cendre in particular caught my attention. I do like me a good iris.

    Thanks for the draw. I’m in Canada. If I win, I’d choose Iris Cendre.

  • While both interesting and enjoyable, my favorite part of this fascinating article was Julien’s recounting of how he had come to meet and work with Pierre Boudon, especially in regard to his father’s chance meeting with “this guy who does something in perfumes”. I haven’t had the pleasure to try many of Julien Rasquinet’s creations yet, but I have sampled Iris Cendre and it is beautiful. I would love to win a bottle of it! I live in the US. Thank you and Naomi Goodsir for your generosity.

  • I live in the US and would love to have a bottle of Iris Cendre, which will be my next full bottle in any case because it’s gorgeous and the first iris I have ever loved.
    I am thrilled to be able to read something of the author of Iris Cendre, which is a truly amazing perfume. I love that a fateful connection through his father led him to what is obviously his calling. Also, I’m quite happy to be introduced to his wife’s art, with which I wasn’t familiar. Thank you, Cafleurebon and Julian for the great interview.

  • An amazing article and some really great fragrances!! Our mothers have great taste with Aromatics Elixir as their signature scent. I love that he gets his inspiration from his wife and this is my favorite quote “With each encounter, each sentence, each moment of the day there is a purpose of creation.” It’s powerful and took my breath away! I choose Bois d’Ascese and I live in the US! Thanks for a wonderful article and a great draw!

  • Really enjoyed reading this article, my favourite parts were Mr Rasquinet’s scent memories of Normandy, his love for the countryside over the city (me too!), his wonderful story of finding his mentor Pierre Boudon and his tribute to his wife. I would love to try Iris Cendre and I live in Canada.

  • How serendipitous that he met his mentor via his father meeting him at the ariport! I have to say my favorite is a toss up between Russian Tea and Iris Cendre and I would love to win a bottle of Iris Cendre =) I live in Taiwan.

  • I loved his story about his father meeting Pierre Boudon at the airport! I have not tried any of his perfumes, but I would love to win Iris Cendre (of which I have only heard wonderful things). I am in the US, thank you!

  • So young and so talented?! “There are three things I would give as advice to young perfumers: patience, rigor, and hard work.” … it would work for every kind of jobs! 😉

    Ma fav is “Cuir Velours” and I’d love to win “Bois d’Ascese”.
    I’m in the EU. Thanks for the draw!

  • I simply find it fascinating that a person of his age can be supported and both left free in his work. I fell in love with his work when I discovered Russian tea.
    I’d love to win “Iris Cendré”
    I’m in Belgium, EU.

  • Unfortunately, I have not tried anything from Julien, but I am looking forward to do that! Russian Tea has been on my list since it came on market, but now, reading more about the nose behind it, I am also curious about his other creations as well. I liked very much the part with Pierre Bourdon and I can imagine his surprise and excitement.

    I live in EU and I would go for Bois d’Ascese. Thanks!

  • marcopietro says:

    I did not know Julien Rasquinet biography, I read it with interest. Really funny how he’s connected to Pierre Bourdon. I agree with him about three qualities of a young perfumer: patience, rigor, and hard work. The same I think about attitude of every young professional in the arts.
    My favourite perfume from his body of work is Bois d’Ascese, but I tested only some of all and it would be my choice.
    I live in EU.
    Thanks!

  • Iuno Feronia says:

    Thanks for this great post – very intersting bio. Although I am not a perfumer I am a perfume Lover and my first Encounter with perfume was with my mom – her signature scent as well is “Aromatic Elexier”.

    Tahnks for the draw. I liev in the EU, Austria. I would like to have Iris Cendré.

  • I always find these stories about the path perfumers take to reach success in their careers an amazing and entertaining read. As a parent of young adults, I especially enjoyed the story of his father’s chance meeting with Pierre Bourdon and the opportuny this presented. This line made me laugh: “I think I replied with the most stupid sentence: “I will think about it”. It sounds like Mr. Rasquinet has become a master of his craft. This article also made me google Judith Williams. The names of some of her perfumes (Champagne and Strawberries!) really caught my eye. I have not sampled any of these perfumes from Naomi Goodsir, but the universal acclaim that Iris Cendre has received make it my pick, should I win. I am in USA. Thanks for the draw.

  • I love perfumes which Julien made for Naomi Goodsir. I have two perfumes in my collection — Bois d’Ascese and Cuir Veloure. Therefore it was interesting to me to read about it. I didn’t know that his wife from Russia 😉
    My name is Valere, I live in Moscow, Russia
    I would like to have Iris Cendré

  • bunchofpants says:

    This is what stood out for me: “I believe, that for most of us, talent is nothing without hard work. We are like writers, I would never want to see one of my “draft copies” on the market.” I know from my own endeavors in life that if I slack off and don’t put forth the proper effort, nothing is as good as it could be. Of his work, I’m afraid the only ones I have sampled are the ones he has done for Naomi Goodsir. I’m hard-pressed to declare a clear favorite–it’s between Bois d’Ascèse and Iris Cendre. For the purposes of the draw I will choose Iris Cendre 😉

    I’m in USA.

  • Very nice review. I very like these sentences: “Hard work is close to the previous idea, but I believe very few perfumers are lazy. I believe, that for most of us, talent is nothing without hard work. We are like writers, I would never want to see one of my “draft copies” on the market. We need to cross out or reduce raw materials, to sleep on an idea and come back to it the next day, to rewrite and sometimes discard, to question each raw material like each word would be questioned and finally to make sure it is the best expression of the olfactive story. ” So memorable. I have never had a chance to try any of perfume from his body of work. If I would win, my choice would be Iris Cendre . Thanks for the draw. I live in Europe.

  • Elizabeth T says:

    I love hearing which perfumes shaped perfumers and perfume lovers in their early years… for Julien, Aromatics Elixir, Fahrenheit, Kenzo pour Homme, and CHANEL Egoiste Platinum. I know there will always be wonderfully interesting perfumer interviews here at CaFleureBon. My favorite perfume from his body of work is Iris Cendre, which I’d choose if I happened to win. Thank you so much for the interview and generous draw!

  • All three sound wonderful. I enjoyed reading how Julien met Pierre Bourdon. I have smelled any creations from this house. I would be thrilled to win the Iris Cendre. 🙂 US

  • Great article. I have never heard about Julien Rasquinet before these last two Cafleurebon articles. I really agree with “I believe, that for most of us, talent is nothing without hard work. We are like writers, I would never want to see one of my “draft copies” on the market.”. I think I have never tried any fragrance from his body of work yet, but fragrances like Fidelis, Silk and Cuir Velours always keeps me very interesting to try.
    The fragrance that intrigues me the most is Bois d’Ascese, I really want to try this one.
    USA

  • “Patience, rigor, and hard work” – these are the most important qualities required in any creative field. And I think this can only grow out of passion. Julien’s fragrances speak for these attributes (the ones I know, such as Russian Tea or the Goodsirs) and I would love to own Iris Cendre. I live in the EU, thanks for the draw.

  • I like to imagine the childhood in France and all the smells that made an impression on young Julien. Fahrenheit is a wonderful fragrance (esp the early versions). I think for this draw I’ll choose the Cuir Velours. USA

  • I was surprised to see how “easy” it was for him to get into perfume creation. It really gives a bit of hope to those who wish to get into that field without having had a specific chemist education.
    I also didn’t know he was such a versatile creator, really Cuir Velours and Bois d’Ascèse (my favourite of his creations) are so good but so very different. It takes someone with talent to excel in such diverging genres.
    I would love to win Iris Cendré.
    I live in Belgium, EU.
    Thanks for the draw!

  • Your scent memories of Normandy are glorious! Your description reminds me of my Grandmother’s home when I was a child.

    I love the notes of Cuir Velours – I’d love to win it!
    I live in the USA.

  • It is incredible that he is so young and so talented, it is pretty amazing the amount of good stuff he created so far…
    This is my favorite part:
    Hard work is close to the previous idea, but I believe very few perfumers are lazy. I believe, that for most of us, talent is nothing without hard work. We are like writers, I would never want to see one of my “draft copies” on the market. We need to cross out or reduce raw materials, to sleep on an idea and come back to it the next day, to rewrite and sometimes discard, to question each raw material like each word would be questioned and finally to make sure it is the best expression of the olfactive story.
    My favorite from his creations?
    Definitely is Russian Tea!!!

    I live in the US and I’d love to win Iris Cendre.

    Thanks.

  • Julien sounds like a great up and coming prospect in the industry. I’m guessing long term success for him and his own lines sooner than later rather than working for the IFF.
    In his interview he mentions ” the only thing that matters when I am writing my formula, is that the raw material is relevant to the story of the fragrance”. Every fragrance should be this way. That’s why niches are so captivating. They usually have a story behind them.
    They all sound so great if I won 1 it would have to be Cuir Velours. Thanks from Hawaii

  • This is a highly interesting review and I really appreciated Julien’s story the way he received such a generous proposal from his teacher in perfumery to become one of the few to continue his legacy. I loved the whole story his advice for success that applies in all professional fields today: Patience, rigor and hard work.
    Then his true inspiration stemming from his wife’s artistic expression, Irina Rasquinet “with whom each encounter, each sentence, each hour of the day is a purpose of creation.” I find it so romantic and touching.
    Also his love for nature and the countryside instead of the city. I am of the very same opinion and I share the same love for nature’s smells like the smell of the soil during autumn time.
    I have not tried any of his creations but I would love to try Iris Cendre. Thank you very much for your generous present dear Julien, and for the amazing profile review dear Michelyn and CaFleurebon.
    I am a registered reader living with EU.

  • girasole638 says:

    I think these ‘behind the scenes’ interviews are some of my favorite posts on CaFleureBon – you can’t get them anywhere else! I found the story of M. Rasquinet’s start with Pierre Bourdon so interesting, but the part that sticks with me the most from the interview are the three traits he recommends for your perfumers: patience, rigor, and hard work. We tend to think of perfumery as art and abstraction, but it’s good to remember that it is created by good old-fashioned, concrete hard work! I think these traits would serve people well in many careers.

    Choosing the fragrance I’d like to win is hard because all three sound wonderful, but I think I’d go with Iris Cendre. My favorite of his other scents is Russian Tea (I’d have to agree, he does smoke well!). I’m in the US.

  • the most amazing thing to me is that i have not tried even ONE of this perfumer’s creations — particularly since we share a love of aromatics elixir, which is one of my all-time-favorite perfumes (as are many of chant’s creations, from aramis to antonia’s flowers.) i would like to try bois d’ascese, and yes, i am in the u.s.

  • This article was fantastic! Julian seems so humble and was surprised that I own Russian Tea and Cuir Velours! I smile every time I wear either of these two works of art. I could imagine meeting him in a coffee shop and his openness to communication and experience. I loved that he explained creating a fragrance by knowing and using the raw materials to tell a story. I live in the United States and would be honored to win Iris Cendre.

  • Wow – his line “With each encounter, each sentence, each moment of the day there is a purpose of creation.” is so thoughtful and inspiring. I think most of us don’t consider the every day moments anything special to be considered – but what a shame – with that mindset we are literally wasting our lives away.

    It appears I haven’t tried ANY of Julian’s scents but I’d love to try Iris Cendre. It sounds fabulous. Thanks for this incredibly generous draw, I’m in the US.

  • It is good to learn that one can follow an unexpected path to create great things. So much in life can depend on chance, but also hard work. Julien has reminded me that patience is required when great work can take years to come to fruition. I teach music so I see the many years of work it takes for students to create an understanding and mastery of their chosen instrument. It is heartening to find the same is true in the perfume world. Iris Cendre is my favorite of Julien’s work. I live in the US and would love to win Iris Cendre. Je vous remercie pour la chance.

  • It was touching to read his enthusiasm in how he got his big break as a young aspiring perfumer. I’m a big fan of his Russian Tea Masque Fragranze Milano. It would be a treat to win Bois d’Ascese Cuir Velours, US.

  • I have a secret dream of becoming of perfumer, but I’m not sure I have what it takes. I love Julian’s advice about patience, rigor, and hard work. He makes it sound almost achievable, but I know deep inside it’s easier said than done, and this is a testament to the natural skill and gift of a perfumer.

    I have yet to try any of Julien’s work, unfortunately, so I would love to win Iris Cendre. I live in the USA. Thank you!

  • I loved reading this:
    “I am not so worried about IFRA for new creations, as I believe we have enough creative resources and expertise in developing new molecules innovation to create new olfactive forms.” Looking forward to his future innovations!

    My favorites of Julien’s work thus far are Cuir Velours and Russian Tea Masque Fragranze Milano.

    If I were so fortunate to win, I would choose Iris Cendre.

    I am in the U.S. Thank you for the wonderful draw!

  • It was interesting to learn that he splits his time between Dubai and Paris, and that he was trained by Pierre Bourdon. I haven’t had the chance to smell any of his fragrances, but my favorite Pierre Bourdon perfume is Gianfrance Ferre Ferre. I’m in the US, and I hope to win Iris Cendre. Thanks!

  • What delightful insights into his life, Thank You Julien for sharing your life in “Young Perfumers.” I too am a country lover and loved reading your childhood scent memories of Normandy, so descriptive and allowed me in my mind to experience those memories… along with you. To me there is nothing that compares to the smell of a wet saddle hung on it’s rest to dry to perfection. I loved reading your colllaborations and had a chuckle when you said you were frightened by Gerald Ghislain’s 20 ideas in a minute… The hyper creative mind at work can indeed take some getting used too. It sounds as if you succeded in finding your soulmate in Irina and I love that her creative masterpieces provide an energy for you that sparks yours. Fidelis is a favorite of mine , and would love Bois d’Ascese. I am a registered reader in the US.

  • What an amazing read. I truly enjoyed it all! I haven’t heard of Julien or tried any of his fragrances, so I’ll definitely have to in the future! Overall though its a fantastic article filled with many legendary scents. My choice for the draw would be Cuir Velours. Thanks for the draw and I’m in Canada

  • The following quote was most impressive: “But for me, the only thing that matters when I am writing my formula, is that the raw material is relevant to the story of the fragrance. I have chosen each raw material like choosing the right word to tell a story. It only depends on the message and the brief. I don’t want to keep telling the same story!” That’s a genuine perfumer’s spirit!
    I don’t know any of Mr Rasquinet’s creations, and I am more than curious to try them! I would like to win Iris Cendre. Thank you for the chance!
    I am in Bulgaria (EU).

  • I love the serendipity of his dad meeting Pierre Boudon and then Julien having the courage to phone him. I think the only ones from his body of work I’ve smelt are two Naomi Goodsirs. I’d love to win Iris Cendre. I’m in Australia.

  • pursejunkie says:

    I love that “I will think about it” story: very funny. My favorite of Rasquinet’s work so far would have to be Russian Tea, though I am also dying to try “This is not a Blue Bottle” as well. It’s a tough call as to which I would like to win, but I think I would have to say Bois d’Ascèse. Thank you!
    U.S.

  • Julien is an extremely talented and humble individual. That’s what I enjoy most about the article. He loves what he does and puts 110% into it. My fav fragrance from him is Arabian Oud. Thanks for this draw. I’ll go with Cuir Velours as my choice. I’m a Canadian reader

  • Learning about Julien Rasquinet is fascinating! I loved reading the story of how he became Pierre Bourdon’s protege. Truly a dream come true! All of his subsequent collaborations sound quite wonderful. There are many sentences which I found inspiring, including comparing raw materials to words and using different ones to tell different stories, but I think my favorite is: ” With each encounter, each sentence, each moment of the day there is a purpose of creation.”

    Thank you for this piece and for the draw! I have not yet tried any of his work. I’ve been interested in the Naomi Goodsir line for a while and would love to try Bois d’Ascèse.
    USA

  • I loved reading about everything he learned from Pierre, and how he became his protege. He’s a very talented guy, my favorite of his would be Russian Tea. I haven’t tried anything from Naomi Goodsir, but Cuir Velours sounds very interesting. That would be my choice.

    I’m international (Toronto)