But the notion that female perfumers are less legitimate than their male counterparts still persists — though perhaps in subtler, more nuanced ways. “I think it’s unconscious, but I definitely encounter it,” says Mathilde Laurent, the olfactory trailblazer and in-house perfumer at Cartier. It’s possible, she says, that male perfumers continue to exude a certain “seductive” mystique, while women are viewed as consumers of fragrance rather than creators. This mentality can sometimes leave one feeling invisible.
— Read more at Women in Fragrance Are Finally Getting the Recognition They Deserve at Allure.
This is such an interesting article, which I would have missed — thanks for posting it!
BTW, Robin, I don’t believe Dora Baghriche is in NST’s list of perfumers. Here’s an interview she did for Fragrantica:
https://www.fragrantica.com/news/Dora-Baghriche-the-Curious-Perfumer-8922.html
Now I’m curious to seek out her creations.
No, she isn’t in the list (like many younger or lesser known perfumers) although she does have a tag:
https://nstperfume.com/tag/dora-arnaud/
Not that I am complaining about having too few perfumers, since I am already so far behind.
(FYI to anyone who is looking for her on Fragrantica, if you look under Dora Bagriche-Arnaud, there is only one fragrance listed, whereas she has 25 listed under Dora Bagriche.)
What a great interview. Thank you. I liked the links between writing and perfume very much. Like you, i want to find her creations as I only know Mon Paris and Still Life
Thanks Robin. What an interesting article. Not so much surprising as sobering, i guess.
I do think it’s worth keeping in mind, as they point out, that *most* perfumers still are invisible, male or female. I’ve no doubt it’s worse for women, but it’s also true that most perfumers work in obscurity. And it now matters not only what gender you are, but how photogenic you are and how well you come across on camera / video. These things didn’t use to be issues but now they are.
Good point