Mireille Picard

“I grew up in a French castle in the Loire Valley. As a child, I was always interested in smelling everything, amazed by the magnificent aromas of the flowers that grew in my mother’s garden. The scents I can remember today are magnolia, lilac, freesia, primroses, primaveras, wisteria, lilac, laburnum, roses, peony, honeysuckle. In my adolescence, I was hypnotized by men’s fragrances and I wanted to know more about the mystery that made them so wonderfully diffusive and seductive. The fragrances I kept around me were Kenzo Pour Homme, Fahrenheit, Drakkar Noir, to name a few. I discovered that there was a school of perfumery and decided that this was for me. After completing all the required chemistry courses to enter, I joined ISIPCA. I trained in Provence, advanced through the various stages of creation, and learned about thousands of smells before finally joining Quintessence in 1998, and with joy I continue to learn and discover new aromas to this day. Recently my father discovered that his great-great-uncle was Georges de Laire, the first chemist to create some of the chemical ingredients most used in today’s perfumery: heliotropine, terpineol and phenethyl alcohol. Now, along with fragrances, I’m also passionate about dancing, and I like to mix my passion for Brazilian dance with the fragrances to give a unique Latin touch.”