Patricia Choux Senior Perfumer at Mane

I grew up in Burgundy. My sister  and I spent vacations at my grandparents'. My granddad had a huge vegetable and fruits garden where he  grew lettuce, potatoes, green beans, tomatoes – nothing better than a fresh tomatoes. I also have vivid memories of the redberries and the blackcurrant so typical of the region that we would pick up to make jam. My first olfactive memories come from this garden. It was so tasty and delicious and the true smell and taste from the nature…something that we lost a little nowdays I found. We would also go to the farm next door and drink fresh cow milk– which today Osmanthus absolue always remind me of.

Young Patricia  (5 yrs old) with her sister

My first interest in fragrance began when I fell in love with the perfume ads (my bedroom wall was covered with them). I would imagine new perfumes, give them names and draw bottles.  My first olfactive perception/contact with perfumery as an industry was at the age of 10 or 12.  When I went with my parents to Cannes for the summer and one day it was raining, so we went to Grasse and visited Fragonard. It was then a revelation for me…discovering the alembic and the process of creating perfumes.  I was now obsessed about fragrance and that day forward, I wanted to become a perfumer.

My first perfume was L’Air du Temps offered by a friend from the family at the age of 14. I was so proud of the beautiful bottle and of my first “adult” scent. But the first perfume I fell in love with was Silence from Jacomo I wore it for years until I switched to Guerlain Mitsouko.  I still am partial to chypres. This last year after giving birth to my daughter,  I can only wear Elie Saab Le Parfum, which on me seems to be very chypre in style with a beautiful orange blossom used in its creation.

Patricia and her classmates in Cassis France where they met  the great Edmond Roudnitska

I studied chemistry / biochemistry at University before joining ISIPCA.I began studying at ISIPCA in 1993. It was in 1993 that ISPICA began partnerships with major Flavor and Fragrance companies.  It was harder then before to get into the school because you had to pass the various exams and then be accepted in a company to be able to graduate.

Patricia Choux at ISIPCA  (there's Daphne Bugey of Firmenich)

So I joined Florasynth and the time there where some of the best in my life. During my first year, I was working in chromatography lab and my mentor was Dominique Ropion. I would do my job in chromatography lab and then after hours I would formulate. I was so in love with the creative process that I even skipped some of my chemistry classes to stay in the lab and compound formulas. After a year of asking over and over to Dominique to be trained as a perfumer, my dream came true.

It's Bertrand Duchaufour!!!

I have been very fortunate to have great mentors during my early work life like Dominique Ropion, Jean Louis Sieuzac, Bertrand Duchaufour and later Maurice Roucel. They all had one thing in common… they studied the fantastic Jean Carles method, where you must really understand your raw materials and  use them only if they are bringing something to your perfume, a way to create with shorter formula, the quintessence of the perfume with no artificiality. I remember this philosophy each time I create perfume.   When Florasynth merging with Creations Aromatiques and later Haarmaan & Reimer, I was sent to Germany to complete my training. I was reluctant to move to this tiny city in Germany but somehow I had a great time learning German, meeting people from all over the world (people I am still friends with to this day) and most of all having a solid training in all fields from personal care, household and fine fragrances. I do believe that everything in life happens for a reason.

After 2 years, H&R sent me to London where I stayed another two years, I was living at the time in Kew Garden  with the beautiful flower gardens and  to be able to smell them in the field. In the UK office I was the only perfumer and I was involved in everything from consumer good, bath, hair care products to fine fragrance. My first real fine fragrance creation was two of the first Clive Christian’s perfumes, interesting to see how well known they are now.

Maurice Roucel with Patricia Choux and Patricia Biladeau at Symrise NYC

Back to Paris.  I worked for another couples of years mostly in personal care before spending three months is in New York working with Maurice Roucel  on  fragrance line extensions. I felt in love with the city and my goal was to return. Again luck was with me when Maurice called me back in 2006 to work with him in fine fragrances’ studio on 59th street. I learned so much during these years with Maurice and I started creating perfumes expressly for the American market like Celine Dion Chic, Michael  Kors Very Pretty and  one of the better known scents from Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cocoa which was ahead of its day; I pushed the boundary by working a chocolate in the back and create a kind of unisex fragrance.

 I reflect back and now understand what an exciting challenge this time was. Not only was I  coming from personal care  but learning a new culture…  but I adapted quickly and learned flexibility  as I had already lived in four different countries!

Patricia Choux (middle) with Pauline Rochas and Carol Beaupre of COOLIFE

In 2009 I joined Takasago New York. It was a smaller team there with other challenges but it gave me a great exposure to niche market and I am blessed to have been able to create for some of these niche brands like Coolife. Their concept is really different than the usual customer and for Le Premier Parfum I had to create with not more than 7 raw materials. A big challenge but I have to say it is one of the perfume collaborations that I am very proud to be part of it. To succeed  when your have limits is always a personal reward.

Working on more Niche fragrances gives me more freedom and more connection to the client (such as Anja Rubik who I worked with on her perfume Origina)l. She is such a nice person, so down to earth and very interested in fragrances. We really worked together to create her fragrance and it was a one to one sessions all the time and nobody to interact in between us and I have to say that in our work format in the last years this is something I do miss not seeing the final person you are creating for.I like challenges and some of these fragrances I created are more out of the box and you need to be more creative in a sense that can be also from a technical matter. For example I developed with Serge Normant the scent for his hair-care collection. His client loved it so much he asked me to create a personal perfume, Avah. Perfect example of a trickle up creation and not a trickle down.

At Takasago, I also worked in tandem with Francis Kurkdjian on Carven for Men,  and it has been a pleasure working with him,  as he's a true believer in the quality of the raw materials and the minimal formulation style.

Patricia Choux (her dress is made from champagne cork tops muselets!!!)

Last May, I joined Mane and I am ready to take another challenge with this young energetic growing team. Challenges are essential to success. As a marathoner I understand the meaning of focusing, staying strong and never let it go till the end (even if sometime the end seems far away)!!!. 

Tahiti is one Patricia's places to visit. She loves Tiare Flowers (also known as Apethi)

Often I’ve been asked where do you get your creativity and I say from the world around me, the different cultures, the various cuisines and lifestyles. My sister is a purser flight attendant and I have been blessed to be with her and travel the world. I always taste the food and of course am enamored each cultures’ native flora. Everywhere I go, I love smelling different flowers which I  bury my nose in to capture the scent. On every trip I try to see a real vegetable and food market, I found so many unusual smell there from good to bad one. There is no rule, boundaries in perfumery and I believe every smell has an interesting facet that can be used.

Patricia Choux, Sr Perfumer 

Our generation is restricted by regulations which can be very challenging. I guess they are here for a good reason and we just have to deal with it. But again it forces us to think differently to be creative and us others raw material in our palette. I just wish the older classical fragrance could stay untouched so the next generation would still be able to smell the real original perfume, the way in was done in the 20th Century. Talking about the young generation, my recommendation for them is to be strong, to focus and to work really hard, My advice is don’t burn any  bridges, travel, discover the world, and look  at what is around you. The path is long and the competition is fierce nowadays but if you truly have the passion go for it  is so worth it.

Patricia Choux, Senior Perfumer at MANE

Fragrances by Patricia Choux, Chronological Order

1872 for men (2000 – Clive Christian), X for women (2000 – Clive Christian,  Linked women (2005 – O’Boticario Brazil), Marc Jacobs Splash Orange Created with Maurice Roucel (2006 – Coty), Marrons Glaces (2006 – Laura Mercier), Blue Agava and Cocoa Jo Malone (2006 – Estee Lauder), Very Pretty Michael Kors (2008 – Estee Lauder), Baby Phat Seductive Goddess (2008 – Coty), Celine Dion Chic (2009 – Coty), PC1 and PC2 (2009- biehl. parfumkunstwerke Biehl Thorsten), Revolution (2010 – Lisa Kirk)

 Derek Jeter Driven Rush, (created with Cleber Bozzi 2012 – Avon), 300 km/h adrenaline (Created with Cleber Bozzi 2012 – Avon Brazil), True life for men (2012 – Avon ) Attractive in love for men, (2012 – Agua di Cherio Brazil), Gold  night for women (2012 – Agua di Cherio Brazil), Beach destination for women (2012 – Agua di Cherio Brazil),  Avah for women  Serge Normant (2012 – June Jacobs),  Le Premier Parfum by Coolife (2013 – Coolife),  Attache moi 55 (2013 – Iconofly) , Bebe wishes and dream (2012 – Interparfums FiFi Award Arabia 2013 for International popular appeal female), Bebe Nouveau (2013 – Interparfums), Gap Established 1969 Bright for women (2013 – Interparfums), Brook Brothers Blue for men (2013 – Interparfums), (Carven for men Created with Francis Kurkdjian 2014 – Bogart France), Original Anja Rubik (2014) 2015  – Ulric de Varens France, Coolife Le Deuxieme Parfum, (2015), Coolife Le Troisieme parfum (2015), Clean Classic for men (2015), Clean Reserve for life Warm Cotton (2015), Carven for Men (2015), Nomenclature  orb_ital (2015), iri_del (2015)

Editor’s Note: I first learned of Patricia Choux when interviewing Geza Schoen in 2008, before I started CaFleureBon. It was Geza who told me that Mme Choux created the sexy fruity chypre Clive Christian X for Women which I had so loved. Geza also was part of the olfactive team for Thornton Biel of biehl. parfumkunstwerke- MC

We have a draw for our registered readers (do this please) offered in support of Mme Choux as follows: There will be three winners.

 USA AND CANADA:  Merci  Creative Directors Pauline Rochas and Carol Beaupre! Your choice of 50 ml of Le Premier Parfum by Coolife, Le Deuxieme Parfum or Le Troisieme Parfum

WORLDWIDE: Danke Thornton Biehl Creative Director of biehl. parfumkunstwerke your choice of PC01 or PCO2

USA, CANADA and EU:  Thanks to Creative Directors Karl Bradl and Carlos Quintero your choice of 100 ml of orb_ital or iri_del

Please leave a comment with what you thought of Mme Choux as a young perfumer, a quote that you liked or something you learned, where you live and as many of the fragrances you would like to win that are being offered. Draw closes 1/9/2016

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.