Mathieu Nardin of MANE is 35 years old @Mathieu Dortomb
Born and bred in Grasse! Tanneron hills covered with mimosa were my playground. The fragrance industry is a family passion: my grandparents are fragrant flowers producers and several members of my close family are perfumers.
It’s early morning end of July, the right time for the flowers, Mathieu is harvesting jasmine in his grand-mother fields in Grasse. Circa 1994/ photo Mathieu Nardin
My very first olfactory memories have been enriched by the fields of rose, jasmine and verbena. My grandmother let me participate in the harvests. I was looking at the harvesters (les cueilleurs) picking up, from early morning, the delicate flowers, admiring the way they were weighting the collect and then rushing to bring it to the workshop, before the flowers get spoiled. Extraction workshops, at very short distance from the fields, are an incredible olfactory journey. They exhale strong, humid and warm smells, a blend of ingredients from years of activities.
In the fields, roses just behind Mathieu, jasmine in the background.
The whole process was a fascinating ceremony and a pure joy for me. This is where my passion for fragrances comes from: through the beautiful ingredients growing from the soil, blooming, extracted and then blended – from the field to the bottle.
The machine covers the jasmine plants with soil to protect them from low temperatures in Winter. The same is used in Spring to uncover them. photo Mathieu Nardin
In Grasse, you cannot escape from fragrances. My middle school used to be a fragrance factory. Even if no fragrances have been produced there in the past 50 years, the flowers and their extraction were still in the air. Especially, when it was raining, the courtyard, where flowers were left to dry, exhaled wonderful scents. In France, at the age of 14, you are sent for a week as a trainee to discover a professional environment. Of course, I’ve spent mine in a maison de composition. I was dreaming of what was happening behind these doors, how people were working and creating.
Obvious paths
It always seemed obvious to me that I would be a perfumer or work one way or another in the fragrance business. I had first a degree in chemistry from Nice university and then, headed to study at ISIPCA, like most French perfumers today. At the Versailles school, the conversation among students is very much driven around perfumes. I was puzzled, I did not have that culture, did not know the classics and all market trends like they did. But actually, I knew already a lot about ingredients and raw materials. I wanted to know more about the creative process, how to reveal the most beautiful facets of a flower, a resin or a wood. I believe that if I would not make it as a perfumer, I would have been very happy to work in ingredients sourcing. This education has profoundly defined my creative approach; because I knew raw materials from my tender age, far before compositions, the inspiration often comes from the ingredients themselves. Today, I cultivate a deep love for flowers, citruses and natural woods.
Mathieu Nardin was appointed a perfumer at just 23 and living his dream at Robertet
Perfumer at 23
I started my internship at Robertet in 2007, in Grasse, with my godmother, Michele Saramito. Two years later, I was appointed perfumer at 23. Then in 2013, Christophe Maubert offered me to work in the NYC office. I was thrilled. It was a fantastic opportunity to discover the American market and the vibrant culture of the city. But I kept deep roots in Grasse. I was still working with the headquarters and Michele Saramito, half of my creative projects were European. Deeply attached to the place, I could not miss any rose centifolia harvests in May. Each year, I was coming back and reconnecting with that fundamental family moment, that meant so much for me.
Creating a strong connection with brands, building new olfactive structures, emphasizing the beauty of ingredients, this is why, lucky me, wonderful perfumes brands, like Goutal or Miller Harris, trusted me to create their new compositions.
Mathieu Nardin in NYC
Inspirations
I am very attached to the atmosphere of artisan workshops where raw materials are transformed into unique and luxurious objects, where craftmanship and creativity are making wonders. I deeply admire Marina Abramovic’s performances, where she unbelievably pushes her physical and mental limits. They are food for thought and questioning. Like many of us, I can’t wait to visit an art exhibition again…
Stories around briefs
In 2018, when Miller Harris wanted a fragrance inspired by a passage from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night. Sarah Rotheram came with the idea to hand the text to Bertrand Duchaufour and me and, that’s it. No olfactive direction, no concept, just simple literary inspiration. Luckily, I am passionate about reading and the concept it resonated with me. The most amazing: we did two radically different compositions.
100Bon perfumes courtesy of MANE
Key encounters at work
Collaboration with 100Bon has been so exciting. Being part of the foundation of a brand with a strong statement, from scratch, was incredibly challenging. It was a wonderful opportunity to work on 100% natural fragrances on a larger scale.
A similar experience was with Bastide, the brand created by the energetic Frédéric Fekkai and Shirin Bon Wulffen. I created the olfactive aspect of the whole range: from body care to skincare, from home scents to fragrances. It has been wonderful to deep dive into the creation of a brand with solid roots and insure the consistency of its olfactive signature. In 2018, I met Samantha Mane. This meeting has been instrumental to my decision to join Mane group. It meant so much to me that Mane is both a French and Family owned company.
–Mathieu Nardin, MANE perfumer
ALL photos of Mathieu are from his personal collection. They were used for this article and you must ask MANE’s permission to use them outside of CaFleureBon
Fragrances by Mathieu Nardin
100BON
Bergamote & Rose Sauvage
Elémi & Ambre Noir
Oranger & Lilas Capricieux
Violette & Aubépine Malicieuse
The Anglais & Bergamote Boisée
4711 ACQUA COLONIA
Matcha & Frangipani
AEROPOSTALE
Velvet Romance
ANNA SUI
Lucky Wish
L’Amour Rose Versailles
ATKINSONS
44 Gerrad Street
BEBE
South Beach Telset
BASTIDE
Rose Olivier
Neroli Lumiere
Ambre Maquis
Figue Amour
1958
Verveine du Sud
Nue au Soleil
BONTON
Bonton Eau de toilette
In collaboration with C. Goutal & I. Doyen
BROOKS BROTHERS
Red Fleece for Her
BY TERRY
Be Mine
photo by Editor Sebastian Jara
COMMODITY
COMPAGNIE DE PROVENCE
Cologne à L’Eau de Rosée
Cologne Agrumes à L’Eau
Cologne Le Fil de L’Eau
Thé Tonka
ETRO
Jacquard, Shantung, Manrose, Udaipur
FRANCESCA DELL’ORO
Fleurdenya
FURLA
Irresistible
GOUTAL
Tenue de Soirée: Mathieu Nardin in collaboration with Camille Goutal
Nuit et Confidences: Mathieu NardinIn collaboration with Camille Goutal
Etoile d’une Nuit: Mathieu NardinIn collaboration with Camille Goutal
Le Temps de Rêves: In collaboration with Julie Masse (her Young perfumer story is here)
HECHTER
Tobacco Ambre
HOUBIGANT
Iris des Champs
JENNIFER LOPEZ
Enduring Glow
Promise
KALOO
Vanille Chocolat
KENNETH COLE
Blue
photos courtesy of Kierin NYC
KIERIN NYC
10 a.m. Flirt
Santal Sky
Nitro Noir
Kierin NYC Sunday Brunch photo by Kierin NYC
KIOTIS
Vetiver Papyrus
L’OCCITANE
Bois Flotté
Karité Corsé
Olivier Ondé
MARC JACOBS
Cucumber
Mathieu Nardin n collaboration with V. Vanore
MILLER HARRIS
Secret Gardenia
Poirier d’un Soir
Rose Silence
Tea Tonique
La Fumée Alexandrie
Lumière Dorée
Etui Noir
Vétiver Insolent
Le Cèdre
Scherzo
Wander Through The Park
Lost In The City
Peau Santal
Powdered Veil
Violet Ida
Leather Rouge
Secret Gardenia
NOBILE 1942
Perdizione
Café Chantant
PERRIS MONTE CARLO (all photos by Roberto Greco)
PHILOSOPHY
Fresh Cream
Warm Cashmere.
Falling Trees
Glass Blooms
Willows
Gold Leaves
Cacti, Vines
Falls
Shells
Waves
Leis
REMINISCENCE
Rem L’Acqua
Rem Escale à St Barth
ROGER & GALLET
Eau des Bienfaits
Mandarine
XERJOFF
1861 Zefiro
Editor’s Note: I first learned of the talented Mathieu Nardin in 2014, when he was named the perfumer for Houbigant Iris DuChamp. It was such an accomplishment to create a fragrance for the storied House at only 28 years old! Later, I fell for Perris Monte Carlo’s Santal Pacifique and Tubereuse Absolue in 2018. When I read how many perfumes were signed by Mathieu Nardin I marveled; how can someone who is only 35 have composed such a range of Designer, Mainstream, Celebrity and of course Niche and Independent perfumes? Mathieu’s fascination with raw materials is in his DNA and he brings both his and the flowers’ soul to all his compositions with flair and artistry. –Michelyn Camen, Editor-In-Chief
Special thanks to Juliette Allaire-Dervieux of MANE
In support of Mathieu Nardin, both Perris Monte Carlo and Kierin NYC are offering the following:
Thanks to the generosity of Kierin NYC we have a draw for one 50ml bottle of Kierin NYC 10:00 am Flirt, Santal Sky, Nitro Noir, Sunday Brunch for a registered reader in the USA ONLY
Thanks to the generosity of Perris Monte Carlo we have a draw of your choice of Tubereuse Absolue, Santal Du Pacifique or Cacao Azteque for a registered reader in the USA or EU.
To be eligible please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about Mathieu Nardin, his path to perfumery, if you are familiar with any of the fragrances he signed, your choice should you win (please leave one from Kierin and one from Perris Monte Carlo if you are in the USA) and where you live. Draw closes 3/6/2021
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