The art of perfume

Cécile Zarokian – The perfume artist

CÉCILE ZAROKIAN

Perfume is an art and, like any art, is above all a lifetime passion and learning curve! Cécile Zarokian began her studies at the prestigious Higher International Institute of Perfume, Cosmetics, and Food Flavouring, founded by Jean Jacques Guerlain in 1970. She then embarked upon a long apprenticeship in Grasse, at Robertet, renowned for the quality of its natural raw materials and later, joined the great perfumer Michel Almairac in Robertet Paris. It was at this time that she defined her palette of scent ingredients – those with which she loves to work because they give out, project her real emotions and allow her to develop her own style.

Since 2011, Cécile Zarokian has had her own laboratory, composing perfumes for Haute Parfumerie brands with her supplier of scent ingredients from Grasse. She enjoys working on original projects, which are not in line with the more rigid mindset of perfumery today.

Moreover, she has no hesitation in imparting her own vision of perfumery. She thus launched the [IP]01 project, together with illustrator Matthew Appriou, in 2011. Its ambition was to create six illustrations and six fragrances which would totally correspond to each other. This is a striking example of the meeting of two art forms to create emotion.

The composition of a fragrance involves a long process of reflection on the story behind the perfume – what it describes, what it represents, what it seeks to make us feel. Each fragrance is a message from SULÉKÓ. Once she has immersed herself in the world SULÉKÓ seeks to create, Cécile begins by selecting a few key scent ingredients which will lie at the heart of the fragrance. These ingredients will be enhanced by all the notes, allowing us to gradually discover their different facets and variations as the scent takes hold. These ingredients, most of which are natural essences, will be combined to produce the intense emotions sought by SULÉKÓ, projecting those who wear the perfume towards both their past and their future. SULÉKÓ seeks to create a fragrance which lies at the border between the known and the unknown.

Cécile works with the finest natural ingredients and synthetic molecules. She also insists upon the importance of maturing the final composition and a long maceration in alcohol, so that each component can unleash the full power of its fragrance.