Perfumery Professions: Françoise Donche, Givenchy’s fragrance expert

Françoise Donche, you are often called Givenchy’s “olfactologist” or “fragrance expert.” Can you tell us what that actually entails? Are you a kind of ‘olfactory orchestra conductor’?
I took that title because I felt that it was a concrete reminder of the fundamental fact that each and every one of us has a sense of smell. And that it’s just as important as the sense of sight (for colors and make-up), of touch (for skin-care products), hearing (for sounds and music) or taste (for gastronomy and oenology). Serving fragrance, its creation and use, means serving the sense of smell first and foremost. That also helps me take the incredible range of expectations and the extremely varied backgrounds of consumers, both male and female, in stride.

The ‘Récoltes’ (Harvests) collection, which now comes back to Givenchy every year, was your idea. What is that collection’s position in the current market? And how are the ingredients that go into the different fragrances selected?
Les Récoltes has found a niche amongst consumers that have strong a strong relationship with nature and what’s natural. You could say that the collection’s scents are the very essence of luxury ‘nature fragrance’. This atypical project shows that “offbeat” creativity can express itself successfully, especially in France. The fact is that this collection is intrinsically “confidential”, as we say in France, i.e. aimed at a very exclusive niche, and presented as a limited edition only. It gets word-of-mouth publicity only: that’s the basic principle of what’s rare and luxurious. In terms of training (i.e. for the sales team), it demanded, and still demands, expert education, which is entirely handled in-house by Givenchy. We have no intention of attempting a broader approach. As for the choice of ingredients, whenever possible, we go to the source to see things for ourselves. We travel within France, and to Morocco, Egypt, India and Turkey. At other times, ingredient suppliers come across an ingredient in the course of their own travels. You could say that for Les Récoltes Givenchy, we head off on a veritable flower hunt.

Do you have any anecdotes, or special memories about the actual harvests?
I do. I was present at the mimosa harvest on the hills of Tanneron*, and I was allowed to climb the mimosa trees. It was an experience that really let me experience the off-the-beaten-trail concept behind the project to the hilt!

Is it difficult for the perfumers to communicate with the house’s other departments when they’re talking about perfume? Do they use different vocabulary? Is the perfumers’ olfactory and technical knowledge an obstacle? How do you help them understand each other?
My method is very simple, and I can sum it up with a single quotation, “The most important thing is love: the love you show designers, the love you invest in designing the product, and the project itself…” When everyone begins to love the brand and the theme they’re working on, communication flows naturally. Communication expresses our enthusiasm, creativity energizes us, as does designing and choosing the bottle, the name, the ad campaign… For the fragrance itself, the perfumer has to keep his or her focus and stay slightly outside the creative team’s doubts. Doubt is intrinsic to conceiving and producing a new creation. It can be constructive and beneficial to finalizing certain projects. It can make for a helpful safeguard. On the other hand, when the artists – designers, photographers or perfumers – are at the top of their inspiration and talent, it’s almost as though they had a sixth sense. When that’s the case, it’s best for the in-house team to pull back a little, to make sure they have the peace and freedom they need in order to create.

Do you take part in consumer focus groups testing new fragrances? If so, how do you reconcile innovation and surprise, while at the same time giving consumers what they want?
I have an in-house group available that I established back in 1995 at Givenchy. They are trained regularly on some 50 or so items, both for men and for women. Personally, I tend to consult them either in the very earliest stages of a project, which lets me capture their emotional reaction, or towards the finalization, to try out different options and to keep track of details like the quality of the trail and its tenacity. This group includes about 150 people who are on the company’s staff.

Consumers seem to be more curious and educated about fragrance than before. But don’t you think that customers at points of sale often take a fairly simplistic tack (“It’s the latest fragrance by…”, “It’s fresh, etc.)? Do you have any ideas for improving the situation?
It won’t be possible to fundamentally improve the client / salesperson relationship until the layout of the sales place has been reinvented. The current self-service arrangement has reached its limits and has become an obstacle to the quality of communication required for selecting a fragrance and deciding to buy it. The idea of impulse purchases is obsolete in many countries. New models, inspired by other sectors, bring hope for a necessary evolution. But I’m optimistic, I believe that fragrance distribution will learn to evolve.
Do you ever go to sales points in order to meet the sales team? Or even customers? If so, does that provide feedback for creating futures fragrances?
Absolutely, I am at a point of sale at least once a quarter. Creation, for my generation, involves close contact with both the clientele and the sales teams. Yes, I speak to customers – both male and female – and their feedback helps me understand their wishes and desires. I also have to take into consideration the necessity for sticking to the fashion house’s image. Not that many fragrance brands have their roots in haute couture. Our latest fragrance, Eaudemoiselle, expresses that concept.
Which essences would you say are most characteristic of Givenchy’s olfactory heritage?
The Givenchy olfactory heritage is very floral and woodsy. That is the connecting theme, the brand’s identity, its emotional register and elegance. Rather than naming specific essences, I prefer to highlight the attachment the fragrances inspire. Givenchy has gradually turned into both a noticeably well-established brand – as well as one that is noticed by new customers – both men and women.
What about you personally, do you have any ingredients you’re addicted to?
I would love to find a successful olfactory creation on a spicy theme: a passionate register… But gastronomes probably master the spicy palette better. As for my addictions, I’m very “green”. I love galbanum, for instance. But I don’t impose my personal tastes on the house of Givenchy.
How do you see fragrances in the future? Do you have any specific hopes for the future?
I’m optimistic about fragrance. Consumers may be buying less, but they’re buying better... They want meaning. It’s up to us to understand how to make perfume evolve so that people will still love to wear it. To keep the fantasy alive. But I am confident, because human creativity knows no bounds.
Let’s wind up with a personal question: what perfume(s) do you yourself like to wear?
I love wearing Hot Couture. It’s a perfume that grabs people’s attention: at the theatre, at dinner parties or even when I’m walking down the street, people often stop me to ask me what I’m wearing. Behind that fruity raspberry note, the woodsy-ambry trail is lush with ambrox**. You can spot the handiwork of perfumer Jacques Cavallier. In France, Hot Couture is relatively unusual, but in Canada and Eastern Europe, it is one of our best-sellers. For me, it’s a dazzling fragrance, a creation that’s both stunning and sexy.

(*) This mountain range in Fracne’s Var region is famous for its mimosa forests.
(**) A synthetic ingredient with musky, ambry tonalities, reminiscent of the scent of ambergris