Cover Antonin Khalifé
Antonin Khalifé
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The perfumer behind Henry Jacques’s latest launch Il y Avait un Jardin... speaks about reviving private family formulas, the unpredictable beauty of raw ingredients and why simplicity can be the most complex creation of all
For scentmaker Antonin Khalifé, the perfumery journey began not with a grand vision but with small vials—fragments of memory, really. The grandson of Henry Cremona, founder of French luxury perfume house Henry Jacques, recalls carrying raw materials with him on holidays as a child. They were both playthings and talismans; gateways into a world of scent quietly and persistently shaped by family.
“Each one of them would trigger a potential new creative door to open for our perfumes, which, after some time and hard work, became a reality,” shares Khalifé in an email interview with Tatler. Now a fully fledged member of Henry Jacques’s bespoke creation team, Khalifé is no newcomer to fragrance. His first release, Rose Azur, emerged from the house’s Collection de l’Atelier in 2023. But with the new Il y Avait un Jardin..., the perfumer enters more intimate territory, drawing on formulas that had remained within the family for generations.
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Translated from French as “There was a garden...”, the new collection marks the house’s interpretation of cologne—a category often viewed as utilitarian, even ordinary. But not here. Its two fragrances, simply named I and II, and presented in generous 250ml green laboratory‐style flacons that come wrapped in kraft paper, are naturalistic compositions rooted in sunlit citrus and aromatic herbs, softened with florals, woods and amber. They are intended to be splashed on—not dabbed or misted—a small but meaningful departure from the luxury brand’s traditionally formal perfume gestures.
“What I wanted for this collection was to preserve and keep the outstanding beauty of these formulas, as a tribute to my family. Yet, I believe that a good perfumer should never be 100 per cent satisfied, and that curiosity should be leading [the collection’s] creative spirit,” says Khalifé.
That curiosity brought him and the house to a Calabrian family producing citrus with what he describes as a uniquely intense olfactive identity. This family shares the maison’s respect for tradition and visionary spirit, and has been producing some of the world’s finest citrus for generations.
Above The new Il y Avait un Jardin... collection is composed of two fragrances, simply named I and II
The new Il y Avait un Jardin... collection is composed of two fragrances, simply named I and II
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It was love at first sight for both parties. “Each one of these raw materials could already be a perfume on [its] own,” notes Khalifé, “[but when] blended with precision, [they become] a masterpiece.”
Blending them proved both a joy and a challenge for him. “Using alive and rare natural ingredients is the most elegant and sophisticated way of creating a fragrance, yet [is] the hardest to master,” he shares. “I must say that the most intense form of resistance Iface [comes] from the raw materials themselves, since [they keep evolving and changing over time] after being blended. The beauty of creation as a perfumer comes from anticipating and shaping this trajectory.”
That ethos—hands‐on, patient, precise—is perhaps what separates Henry Jacques most clearly from the broader fragrance world. “When creating and producing at Henry Jacques, time and patience are [allies, whereas] in the mass industry, [they are] more often than not [enemies],” Khalifé shares. “This only further illustrates that [our brand] doesn’t affiliate itself to the perfume industry as we usually know it, and naturally stands apart thanks to its unique creative spirit and know‐how, which made me fall in love with fragrances.”
The result is a collection of fragrances that feel disarmingly simple, even humble, but reveal their structures slowly.
Above The composition named I opens with lemon, bitter orange and rosemary before giving way to orange blossom and lavender
The composition named I opens with lemon, bitter orange and rosemary before giving way to orange blossom and lavender
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The composition named I opens with lemon, bitter orange and rosemary before giving way to orange blossom and lavender. II is more herbaceous and earthy, teaming mandarin with nutmeg, tonka bean and vetiver.
“These beautiful [scents], part of our private life as a family for generations, can now be shared [with] the world [in] their most refined [forms]. Being able to witness our clients making these beautiful creations their own and seeing their surprise the moment they first experience the fragrances give a very special meaning to my work,” Khalifé says. “It fuels my desire to keep inventing, creating and playing with raw materials.”
The feedback, he notes, has been rather positive. “What I particularly love about this collection is the way our dear clients react before experiencing the scents; they often expect something familiar or predictable based on the listed notes,” he says. “And yet, the surprise is always there. The quality and the unique olfactory identity of these harmoniously blended raw materials speak for themselves.”
It would be easy to assume that Khalifé’s path was preordained. But the way he tells it, his spot in Henry Jacques’s creative team was something he had to earn. After studying at France’s top perfume school, he returned to the maison’s laboratory not as a protégé but as an observer. “After working for some time [in] the laboratory and acquiring a deep knowledge of the [Henry Jacques] processes, I slowly started to attend as a quiet ‘spectator’ during meetings with the creation team,” he shares. “For the creation of our Collection de l’Atelier 2023, I started creating a perfume composition I had in mind, based on our own rose absolute and know‐how. My sample was selected by the jury of creation, and that was how Rose Azur, my first creation, was born. Entering the creative team based on my work and personal approach, and not only on my status, was key for me.”
Khalifé is also proud of the bespoke scent the maison developed for The Penthouse by Harrods, an exclusive by‐invitation‐only private shopping service reserved for the most distinguished clients of the British luxury department store. “Creating a timeless and truly unique scent was a real challenge, and after months of work with our creative team and dozens of adjustments, we finally reached the result we were aiming for,” he says.
Above After studying at France’s top perfume school, Khalifé returned to the maison’s laboratory not as a protégé but as an observer
After studying at France’s top perfume school, Khalifé returned to the maison’s laboratory not as a protégé but as an observer
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There are, of course, more ideas in progress. “Ideas are constantly flowing,” Khalifé offers, “and I fully intend to bring them to life through personal creations, bespoke [ones] and the many upcoming collections we’re preparing for our dear clients.” He further shares that he remains most compelled by the pursuit of transformation. “What remains my greatest challenge,” he says, “is how to continue creating that sense of surprise and addiction when people discover my fragrances. I want each perfume to evolve and deliver an experience similar to that of a theatrical performance, where clients not only smell but also truly feel the fragrance over several hours, with the same lasting fascination.”
With Il y Avait un Jardin..., a collection shaped as much by restraint as by ambition, Khalifé is not just adding to his growing portfolio, but also offering a view into Henry Jacques’s private past, filtered through a young perfumer’s sensibility and shared, at last, with the wider world.
Andrea Saadan is the Senior Digital Editor of Tatler Singapore. She oversees all digital content for the website and currently leads the Beauty and Lifestyle verticals. As a child, she had always enjoyed reading and writing but it was only after she joined her college newspaper, The Spectrum, in Buffalo, New York, that she considered a career in journalism. Her love for all things beauty started from the age of two—when she was caught playing with (and damaging) her mother’s YSL lipstick. On top of her day job, she is also an unpaid beauty consultant for friends and family. Besides make-up, her obsessions include the wizarding world of Harry Potter, podcasts, ice-cream, her walking pad and watching endless re-runs of The Office (US).
