Maurice Roucel started as a chemist at Chanel in 1973. He became a perfumer in 1978, and has since worked for IFF, Dragoco and Quest; he is currently with Symrise.

Maurice Roucel was the winner of the Prix François Coty in 2002.

Fragrances by Maurice Roucel

Adidas Natural Vitality (2008)
Adidas Jeremy Scott + Adidas Originals (2015, with Philippe Roques)
Amouage Reflection Woman (2007)
Atkinsons Amber Empire (2015)
Bogart Pour Homme (2004)
Bond no. 9 Broadway Nite (2003)
Bond no. 9 New Haarlem (2003)
Bond no. 9 Riverside Drive (2003)
Castelbajac Beautiful Day (2017)
Castelbajac Castelbajac (2001)
Celine Dion Sensational (2008)
Coty Monsoon
David Beckham Urban Homme (2013)
Dog Generation Oh My Cat! (with Bernard Ellena)
Donna Karan Be Delicious (2004)
Dunhill Fresh (2005)
Frederic Malle Dans Tes Bras (2008)
Frederic Malle Musc Ravageur (2000)
Gabriele Strehne Strenesse
Gianfranco Ferre In The Mood For Love (2009)
Giorgio Armani Onde Mystere (2008)
Gucci Envy (1997)
Guerlain L'Instant (possibly with others)
Guerlain Insolence (2006)
GUESS (2005)
Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers Wicked Style Love (2010)
Hermès 24, Faubourg (1995)
Jaguar Woman (2004, with Bernard Ellena)
Kenzo KenzoAir (2003)
Kenzo KenzoAir Intense (2005)
Krizia K
Lalique Pour Homme (1997)
Lancome Hypnose Homme (2007)
Le Labo Ciste 18 (2006)
Le Labo Jasmin 17 (2006)
Linari Acqua Santa (2010)
Lolita Lempicka Coral Flower (2008)
Lolita Lempicka L (2006)
Marc Jacobs Splash Orange (2007, with Patricia Choux)
Missoni (2006)
Nautica Island Voyage (2007)
Nautica Voyage (2006)
Reminiscence Jammin Vibration (2011, with Lucas Sieuzac)
Roberto Cavalli Oro (2004)
Rochas Man (1999)
Rochas Tocade (1994)
Rochas Tocadilly (possibly)
Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist (1994)
Shalini Amorem Rose (2018)
Shalini Shalini
Shalini Jardin Nocturne (2017)
Ted Lapidus TL pour Lui (with Norbert Bijaoui)
Tim McGraw Silver (2010)

Selected quotes

Perfumes today are often fashion “accessories” that are just tagged on to a collection or the current trend. This wasn’t always the case – just think of the major houses such as Chanel, Houbigant or Yardley, where designers created perfumes that were just as good and important as the fashions they were famous for. The quick turnaround in the fashion industry has made the life cycles of perfumes shorter as well. Nowadays we have summer and winter “collections”, lighter and heavier versions of a scent. The spirit of the time – that inspires me, yes, but fashion? Not so much. — Quoted in INTERVIEW WITH A PERFUMER at Always Inspiring More.

There appears to be general agreement within the fine fragrance world that there are simply too many launches. And for every launch comes consumer tests which are a serious financial burden, especially considering the limited amount of truly successful scents. This fragrance by committee approach, said Roucel, has turned fragrance into a commodity. “Every year you have 300-400 new perfume challenges,” said Roucel. “That’s a huge cemetery.” In the end, Roucel noted, a very small percentage of successful scents are financing the many unsuccessful launches each year, a system that is simply not working. As he put it, “It is possible we are going nowhere.” — From Envy, Insolence and Beyond: a Talk with Maurice Roucel at Perfumer & Flavorist.

Further reading

See all articles on Now Smell This tagged Maurice Roucel.