Meet the perfumers

Douglas Morel & Charlotte Jullien

Meet the perfume experts behind our new Eau de Parfum Naturelle: Douglas Morel and Charlotte Jullien. Two talented French perfumers based in Amsterdam, bring unique perspectives to their craft.

Douglas, initially drawn to the culinary world, discovered his passion for perfumery at age twelve after encountering the scent of "Lolita Lempicka for Her." Mentored by Francis Kurkdjian, he transitioned into the fragrance industry, blending his love of ingredients with scent creation. Charlotte, inspired by her pastry-chef father, pursued perfumery after studying at ISIPCA (Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire) and has honed her craft ever since, working her way up to perfumer.

Together, Douglas and Charlotte share a deep respect for the art of perfumery, blending creativity with tradition as they craft beautiful, memorable scents. Read the full interview to discover the artistry behind their latest creation – our Eau de Parfum Naturelle.

Could you briefly explain the concepts of a scent pyramid and sillage?

C: ''The scent pyramid describes how a perfume evolves over time. It’s divided into three layers: Top, Heart, Base.''

D: ''In the Top notes, you will find raw materials which are volatile and will stay from 1 to 5 minutes on your skin. Heart notes are the body of the fragrance, built around flowers or spices and will stay until few hours on your skin. And finally, Base notes are the foundation of the fragrance, the notes which will stay for several hours on your skin or fabrics, and are ususally made from woods, musk and resins. It’s the base notes that will help the fragrance to have a good sillage. You have to image the sillage like olfactory imprint you let behind you after visiting a place.

C: ''A perfume with strong sillage will be noticeable from a distance as you walk by, while one with soft sillage stays closer to the skin.''

Eau de Parfum Naturelle was a collaboration between you and Marie-Stella-Maris. Which perfumes did each of you create?

C: I created Flower Water and Amber Haze.

D: I worked on Rose Fumée and Terre Fertile. 

Could you elaborate on the development process behind these fragrances?

C: ''For a perfume to express a story, it's important that the original idea is strong and precise. It’s also very important to respect the DNA of the brand. As Marie-Stella-Maris has a foundation related to water projects it was important that our creations respect this engagement. That’s why all the fragrances from the collection are inspired by water. The key words we had in mind while creating was naturality and quality.

Could you share more about the key notes in each fragrance, and how they contribute to the fragrance's unique identity?

D: ''For Rose Fumée, the key ingredients are rose, osmanthus and patchouli. They help to bring this duality between the freshness of the tose and the leathery facet brought by the osmanthus, linked with the woody, earthy facet from the patchouli. It gives this chiaroscuro effect which represents this fragrance the best.

The key notes of Terre Fertile key are iris, tonka beans and warm spice, smoked woods. Terre fertile is the interpretation what water bring to an arid land. So, it had to be wild and sentient. The combination between iris and tonka beans make it very addictive, and smoked woods are there to make a contrast with what the landscape looked like before water arrives.''

''Rose Fumée gives this chiaroscuro effect which represents this fragrance the best.''

Douglas Morel

C: ''What makes Amber Haze so unique is the daring combination of ambrette seeds with cumin and black pepper, blended with a floral heart of neroli and jasmine. It’s all wrapped in a sensual base note of sandalwood, tonka bean, balsams and vanilla evoking tranquillity and serenity. The ambrette seeds allowed me to bring a musky, powdery, comforting feeling to the fragrance without using synthetics musk. Fresh spices helped me convey the idea of a ‘cold’ morning.

I loved the concept of Flower Water because the idea was to create a tribute to the Dutch heritage. After leaving for seven years in the Netherlands, I’ve been immersed in the Dutch culture. I travelled throughout the country, experienced the different landscapes and smells, saw the famous tulips fields, the canals, and more. So, for me, it made perfect sense to mix flowers with water. I enjoyed working on its complex floral heart. A blend of tulip, magnolia, violet, peony, cyclamen, waterlily and rose awakened by zesty, bright citrus notes. The vetiver adds sensuality and character to the fragrance.''

How is Eau de Parfum Naturelle different from Eau de Parfum?

D: ''Working on natural fragrance is bit different from working on a regular one. You need to be more meticulous, because oils, resins or absolutes are already complex on their own. It’s like working with some fragrances already made, you have to mix. So, finding the good balance is the biggest challenge, all drops count! You also have to find the good combination to stay modern and not to old fashion.''

C: ''What makes our Eau de Parfum Naturelle different is their high amount of natural ingredient ranging from 96% to 99%. The formulation is different because our palette of ingredient is limited, so we had to be creative in finding new combinations to make our fragrances modern, unique and long-lasting. We were also able to use more luxurious natural ingredients thanks to the creative freedom we had.

Another challenge was finding the right balance between the ingredients. A single oil can contain around 100 olfactive molecules, so when you blend essential oils, you have to ensure they interact harmoniously.''

How do you balance the use natural and lab-made ingredients in your creations?

D: ''Nature is beautiful on its own but has also some limits. We used lab-made ingredient to amplify this beauty.''

C: ''Lab-made ingredients help us enhance the longevity, sillage, and complexity of the fragrance. They work in harmony with natural raw materials, complementing and supporting them. Even a small touch can make the difference.''

Could you explain the concept of perfume layering? Are there any specific rules, and what scent notes tend to layer well with each other?

C: ''The principle of layering is to combine two or more fragrances to create a unique, personalized scent. People usually like to do layering because they can customize their fragrances and tailor it to their preferences, mood, or occasion.

There are no rules in perfume layering, however we recommend to start with a fragrance that serves as the foundation, often one that is subtle and fresh and the second fragrance should complement the previous one. You can layer similar scent families or experiment by combining different types.''

D: ''A good example would be to use No.12 Objets d’Amsterdam Body Cream with No.20 Flower Water. The freshness and floral facets of those two, work very well on their own but can also be complementary.''

Lastly,we’d love to know—what is your personal favorite fragrance from this collection?

D: ''If I must judge with my personal tastes, I will choose Terre Fertile because I am big fan of woody and spicy notes. I like this combination of tonka beans next to iris. It makes the fragrance addictive with a fantastic sillage. And when you smell it for the first time, you want to do it again and again.''

C: ''I love them both equally for different reasons. I love wearing Flower Water on a sunny day. It matches my energy and makes me glow. I prefer to wear Amber Haze on a greyer day because it brings me comfort and warmth. I may have a slight preference for Amber Haze because it’s the most natural of the collection, which makes it truly unique.''

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