The world of fragrance can be Old World and clubby, so it didn't appear much of a stretch when Chanel appointed Olivier Polge to succeed his father, Jacques Polge, the house's fragrance creator since 1978 and the man behind hits like Coco Mademoiselle, Chance and Allure. The younger Polge, 40, brings his own expertise to the plum spot: He created best-sellers like Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb and Balenciaga's Florabotanica. But will he fare as well in today's changing landscape? Beauty counters are littered with niche brands, and according to the research firm Canadean, the fragrance market in the United States is projected to grow far slower (4.8 percent from 2013 to 2018) than in, say, India (23.4 percent) or Russia (8.9 percent).
During a recent visit to New York, the rakish-looking Polge said he was not overly concerned. Indeed, his first scent for Chanel, named Misia after Coco Chanel's friend Misia Sert, joins the Les Exclusifs lineup of more experimental scents in select stores this week ($160). Smelling of lipstick, rose and powder, it is said to conjure the dressing-room scents of the Ballets Russes. Here, Chanel's new nose explains himself.
Q. You were practically born into the fragrance world. Did you take to it right away?
A. Actually, no. I was interested in classical music, but I'm not a good pianist. Then I did an internship at Chanel. I was put in front of a scale and got to work with raw materials. There's a very crafty aspect to creating a fragrance. And at the end, you create something completely immaterial. That's one of the reasons I liked it so much.
Q. Immaterial, yet there are trends.
A. Preferences change. In the 1990s, people wanted a very light fragrance. Today that's not the case.
Q. There are now so many heady scents, like ouds galore. I've heard that superstrong scents are meant to please customers in places like the Middle East and Russia.
A. That's a reality. Certain stronger scents do better in the Middle East, and Asian countries like their scents lighter. But I try not to be so opportunistic. I care less about geographic territory than spirit territory. Is this scent in the spirit of Chanel?
Q. Some of those niche fragrances may beg to differ. There are so many now.
A. There are too many. Often it's about the marketing and not the fragrance.
Q. What are some of your favorite scents -- specific notes, food?
A. I don't want to smell like what I eat, and I don't like to eat what I smell. Then again, fragrance is very subjective. I like iris. It's very floral and very woody and very powdery. There are many ways to work with it.
Q. Perfumery is such an Old World craft. Has it been at all touched by technology?
A. I'm not on my iPhone all day. I'm working with raw materials. But we're so much better now at extracting oils and refining them. And you can fragment a scent -- say, the oil of the May rose, which is in Misia. You can isolate just one aspect of the flower.
Q. How do you start on a new scent?
A. You start to work without your nose. You're working from your memory, your experiences. Then I like, fundamentally, to go to the fields. I would say my approach is kind of down to earth. Sometimes, there's a tendency to be seduced by concepts and things like that. You don't make beautiful fragrances with very complicated ideas.
High Profile on 02/22/2015