In partnership with Aesop

Perfumery is an intimate pursuit; to create something that occupies the space between two people. For Céline Barel, it was fate. Born in Grasse, she was enamoured with fragrance from the start, leading her to become one of the industry's most sought-after noses. She has a portfolio full of beautiful fragrances, including two for Aesop: Tacit and, most recently, Aurner. She's one of two perfumers who have created fragrances for the house (the other being Barnabé Fillion).

Aurner has been a particularly interesting move for Aesop. It sits on the periphery of their usual androgynous, herbaceous, edgy scent profile. Aurner is softer, creamier — a floral, but not without the distinctive Aesop signature.

Inspired by music, sounds and colour, it's a symphony of magnolia leaf, chamomile, pink pepper and altered woods. To celebrate the launch, RUSSH sat down with Barel to learn about its creation. Find the complete interview below.

What's the earliest scent-related memory you can recall?

In Grasse, my grandfather's garden—I loved the smell of his orange flowers. I also loved the scent of mimosa, which bloomed in winter, right before the annual February carnival. There were parties; it was magical as a child and my favourite time of year.

What about perfume, specifically — was there a moment in time that made you feel as if it was a world you wanted to work in?

From a young age, I wanted to be in the industry. France in the 90s was a time of mesmerising fragrance advertising campaigns. I would wait on Wednesdays for the person changing the posters at the bus stop, begging him to let me keep the fragrance ones. I was fascinated by them. I thought I wanted to invent the image, I suppose to be within the marketing team (though at the time I didn’t know what that was).

You collected the advertising posters?

Yes! I loved them. The best I have is Jerry Hall for Mugler Angel… I loved collecting miniature and vintage bottles, too. I still have them: CHANEL, Baccarat, Nina Ricci, Lalique. They were like sculptures.

Tell me about your formal training, and where you studied perfumery?

I studied at business school and went to intern at a competitor of IFF—that's how I discovered the role of the perfumer. I was obsessed and wanted that job, not marketing or image-making. Because I was so passionate, IFF in Italy gave me a chance. I got into the perfumer school out of hundreds of applicants. I trained for years between Hilversum in the Netherlands, New York, and Grasse. It’s a very long process where you learn the basic principles; it’s five or so years until you are able to work on simple formulas alone. The training is very rigorous.

Did you have a mentor?

Pierre Wargny (IFF). He was very famous for his masculine fragrances. Many of his scents are considered among the best of all time: Guy Laroche Drakkar Noir, YSL l’Homme, Givenchy Very Irresistible for Men...

What is it about the Aesop approach to fragrance that speaks to you as a perfumer?

Whatever they do, they do it in a very unconventional way; everything is very edgy, and because it's a true quiet luxury brand, there is elevation, there is a purpose. It’s very important to me as a perfumer to work on meaningful projects.

What about Aurner?

The creative process was quite complex, actually. It started with a marvellous brief. Aesop really values literature, music, and all types of art. We tapped into synaesthesia, where the senses overlap. The team gave me a song by Nina Simone, Lilac Wine—she's singing about both love and fury. It’s not necessarily about the lyrics; it has to do with the tension you can feel in the song, in her voice. We also looked at a piece by the Chinese poet Li Qing Zhao that explored love and intimacy—she was very subversive for the Middle Ages. Tension exists between these two pieces of work. The third aspect of the brief was colour, a very specific shade of jade green. I was drawn to raw materials in Asia, which eventually led to magnolia. But rather than work with the flower, I landed on the leaf as it felt unexpected and more attuned to Aesop’s version of a floral.

Can I ask if you experience Synaesthesia?

Yes, I do. Before even creating a fragrance, before discovering its smell, I will, for sure, see the fragrance. I see it first in colours but also texture. I can hear the fragrance, too. Aesop is never noisy, actually. I think that’s why the fragrances always feel quite personal and nostalgic.

I have always wondered if all perfumers experience the phenomenon, or if it’s just some people?

I don't know, actually. I think we are all different.

How would you describe Aurner to me in a sentence?

It’s an unconventional floral with a defiant bloom.

How long did you spend on the fragrance — did it go through many iterations?

I don’t know the exact number, but I can tell you it was several hundred. We spent around three years working on this fragrance. As a perfumer, I like to start from scratch, not with something I already have in my drawer. Everything is made to measure because the brief is so precise.

What story are you trying to tell with the notes in Aurner?

The magnolia leaf is definitely the signature; it’s very particular. But I wanted to build the tension that was specified in the brief. I created a woody accord with classic notes like cedar and vetiver, but that isn’t very new or interesting, so we played with the distillation and extraction. It almost allows you to slice a note and keep what is of interest. I removed the dryness, brightened it up a little so that it was luminous, creamier, and thinner—fewer sharp edges. It is still aromatic, genderless, but softer.

I was feeling quite blocked on the formula for a while. One evening, I was applying the Aesop Blue Chamomile Hydrating Facial Masque and realised the missing element was chamomile; it’s a forgotten flower, not used as often in fine fragrance as it once was. It was the edge the scent was missing. There is a quote that inspired me, by Charles Baudelaire: “Strangeness is a necessary ingredient of beauty.” It was the missing piece. We pushed it quite far, and it was perfect; chamomile is very close to Aesop's botanical DNA.

Do you think that in order to be a perfumer, you need to be born with a heightened sense of smell, or is it something that can be developed?

I'm not entirely sure of the answer. I mean, I don't know if musicians are born with a good ear, or if it's something they work on. I suppose it depends on your education and upbringing. My dad and grandfather, for example, would always encourage me to listen to nature with all five senses. My grandfather was a gardener, and he would always explain that you need to touch, see, hear, taste, and smell. I grew up very conscious of that. It's like food or wine—I like to experience things through all my senses.

Finally, do you wear perfume yourself on a daily basis?

I don't wear perfume from the market because I need to keep my arms free so that I'm able to work. But it is a treat to wear my samples home at the end of the day and live with them. Saturdays I usually go into the city, where I like to try what's new. That just leaves me Sunday... But my signature for the last few years has absolutely been Aurner. 

Aesop Aurner 

Images: Aesop