Cover The Art & Science of Fragrance event was held in Paris in February 2024 (Photo: L’Oreal Groupe)
The Art & Science of Fragrance event was held in Paris in February 2024 (Photo: L’Oreal Groupe)
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Tatler Singapore was flown in for the exclusive event and spoke to Karine Lebret, head of scent science and fragrance design for L’Oreal Groupe, and Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe, on innovation and sustainability
There’s an exquisite and mysterious aura that surrounds the iconic Louvre museum in the heart of Paris. It is, after all, home to a treasure trove of masterpieces including some of the most canonical artworks in the world. While secrets and myths about the Louvre will always remain, there was something especially different about the air in central Paris on one fine morning in February. And that’s because French beauty giant L’Oreal Paris was holding a special, not-so-secret fragrance event right beneath the Louvre, in Carrousel du Louvre.
Organised by the L’Oreal Groupe, ‘The Art & Science of Fragrance’ event saw members of the media and social media influencers from around the world in attendance including Tatler—the only media title invited from Singapore. The fragrance showcase, reportedly the first of its kind held by the L’Oreal group, took place over four days for guests.
Attendees went on guided tours in small groups of five to six people and started with an introduction at a wall filled with fragrances within the L’Oreal group’s portfolio that it has been building since 1964—from classics such as Miracle by Lancôme and Acqua di Gio by Giorgio Armani to newer scents such as Paradoxe by Prada and YSL Libre. The fragrance showcase featured four different rooms dedicated to specific brands, namely Lancôme, Prada, Yves Saint Laurent (YSL)—and a secret room featuring new scents that will only be revealed later this year.
In each room, guests were able to interact with fragrance experts and the teams that worked on some of the perfumes by L’Oreal Luxe to discover more about the creative process and unique stories behind each scent.
From the original idea to the final moment, the creation of a fragrance is a collective journey that can be several years in the making. Did you know? It took seven years of work and more than 1,500 trials to achieve the contemporary scent that is Libre by YSL. This is just one example that displays the pursuit of emotion and olfactive harmony that involves talented perfumers and experts who are committed to the art of fragrance making.
Above Osmobloom is a new way of extracting flowers
Osmobloom is a new way of extracting flowers
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Unleashing creativity through innovation
As the world’s largest cosmetics company, innovation is key to the company’s growth and success. In November 2023, the L’Oréal Groupe announced an exclusive partnership with Cosmo International Fragrances to bring a Green Sciences-based extraction process, Osmobloom, to revolutionise the art of fine fragrance creation. Developed by Cosmo International Fragrances and made exclusively available to L’Oréal, the technology is a waterless, low-energy, slow extraction process that reveals the exact smell of an ingredient while preserving its integrity.
“20 years ago, we were more thinking about this notion of a [fragrance] blend; today, we are more driven by the quality of the ingredients. So we are completely focused on innovation in terms of ingredients,” shared Karine Lebret, head of scent science and fragrance design for L’Oreal Groupe, in an interview with Tatler at the event. “Osmobloom is a new way of extracting flowers ... and it is a dream for perfumers because you will be able, for example, to smell Tuberosa exactly as it smells in the field.”
The inaugural application of this innovative process—an exclusive tuberose extract—will soon be in an upcoming luxury fragrance by the beauty giant.
Read more: 5 travel destinations across Asia perfume lovers should add to their bucket list
Above Karine Lebret, head of scent science and fragrance design for L’Oreal Groupe
Karine Lebret, head of scent science and fragrance design for L’Oreal Groupe
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The future begins
Sustainability in beauty may seem like a new concept for some, but not the L’Oréal Groupe. In 1992, Mugler became the pioneer of refillable fragrances. The bottles were game-changers and introduced an avant-garde movement.
“For me, it's highly critical that consumers change their behaviours and start consuming more responsibly through refills in France but also in skincare. One of our skincare collections, Absolue by Lancome, for instance, is selling almost 30 per cent of its volume in refills already,” Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe, told Tatler. “It is a very important way of consuming, and we must educate the young generation if they are not used to doing it.”
Above Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe
Cyril Chapuy, president at L’Oréal Luxe
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2023 was a historical year where L’Oréal Luxe accelerated the development of refills, including those for its blockbuster fragrances and major launches. Today, all fragrance brands from the L’Oréal Groupe are committed to making refills the new normal. After all, L’Oréal works closely with top glassmakers to create exceptional bottles that can be kept forever. Whether minimalist or bold, each perfume bottle tells a story. From the emblematic shape of Lancôme’s La Vie Est Belle to the star of Mugler’s Angel, these bottles make beautiful objet d’arts.
Credits
Images: L’Oreal Groupe
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).
