Pierre Negrin

Pierre Negrin is an acclaimed French perfumer who was born in Grasse, in the south of France, where he developed a passion for fragrances at an early age. His two grandparents were merchants of products and plants for the creation of fragrances, and Pierre fondly recalls discovering a world of aromas in his workshops. Initially, Pierre aspired to be a photographer and was fascinated by the work of Robert Capa and Henri Cartier Bresson of Agence Magnum, as well as by the landscapes of Ansel Adams. However, during his studies of physics and chemistry, a friend offered him an internship in a perfumer’s workshop, and that is where he discovered his true calling. "Suddenly I realized that, instead of expressing myself through light, I could express myself through fragrance," he says. Pierre did not learn perfumery in a specialized school, but in fragrance laboratories, and in the early 1990s he left France to work in Mexico, eventually relocating to the U.S. In 2008, he joined the ranks of the accomplished perfumers of the New York Fine Fragrance Center of Firmenich. Pierre has designed major fragrances for a series of notable brands, including Calvin Klein Encounter and Ralph Lauren Blue, but he is perhaps best known for his work with Amouage. Some of the brand’s most beloved scents include Interlude Man, Journey Woman, and Portrayal Man. For his excellence in creative perfumery, Pierre was awarded the International Creation of Fragrances Prize by the French Society of Perfumers in 1990. He is a perceptive, refined, and reserved man who is also a connoisseur. He celebrates the small pleasures of life and is drawn to a life of discipline, practicing cycling daily and yoga regularly. He does not appreciate ostentation or excess, preferring what is simple and minimalist. Pierre’s love for his hometown of Grasse is evident in his olfactory memories of the area. He is particularly attached to earthy notes and firmly believes that the earth itself is the material and the true origin of the fragrance industry. "I always have it in mind. Your head can be in the clouds as long as your feet are on the ground!" he says. Pierre compares his work to writing and is fascinated by images and how fragrances are perceived. He believes that even the most humble ingredients can result in a work of art if they are composed in the right way. Pierre’s talent as a perfumer is matched only by his wisdom, and he remains one of the most respected and sought-after perfumers in the world today.