Meet the Perfumer: Frank Voelkl
We head to Paris to meet the world-renowned perfumer behind Liberty LBTY.’s bestselling Zephirine fragrance
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Meet the Perfumer: Frank Voelkl
We head to Paris to meet the world-renowned perfumer behind Liberty LBTY.’s bestselling Zephirine fragrance
Hypnotic, woody and infused with the sweet scent of fig, Zephirine is the magical Liberty LBTY. fragrance that captivates all who smell it. Inspired by the Eden’s Awakening print from Liberty’s archive, the fragrance was brought to life by Frank Voelkl, the legendary perfumer responsible for some of the world’s most beloved scents. Here, he tells us more about translating the print into fragrance form, his guiding principles as a perfumer, and designing his very own wedding scent.
What were your first impressions from the Liberty LBTY. Fragrance brief?
It was really a special moment for me because I was already familiar with [Liberty] and I'd been there a few times and immersed myself. Beauty is very present there. And so for me, it was a very exciting moment to try to imagine what the DNA of the brand would be like. I was quite influenced by going through the store. There's a lot of wood in there. And then, of course, there's all these colours from the different fashion brands. Somehow, I was thinking already of that woody floral.
How did the print, Eden’s Awakening, inspire you?
Just looking at the print from the archives of Liberty takes you on a journey through this lush fantasy garden, so I wanted my fragrance to take you on that same journey. I was also influenced by the colours, and there's also the fig which became one of the other centrepieces in this fragrance. The fig is fascinating because you don't smell it at first, and then someone tells you it's a fig and you smell again and you're like, ‘of course’.
There’s quite a large amount of fig in Zephirine, but it's also blended with a citrus note – the bergamot – so those two together give you this very energetic, sparkling introduction to the fragrance. I think overall it feels like one message, one idea but at the same time, there's a lot of layers in there.
And how would you distil this ‘one message’ in Zephirine?
I think the message is really to take you on that journey, and to have you travel through this fantasy garden, so every time you walk through it, you discover something new.
I think that's always the very interesting thing about a fragrance, that even though it might seem simple in structure, there's layers, there's tensions, there's contrast. It's almost like the more curiosity you have, the more you experience.
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It's the best-selling fragrance in the entire Liberty Beauty Hall. What do you think gives it that magical quality that draws people in?
That’s always my goal: to be able to create this emotional connection and for a consumer to react to a fragrance and want to go back to it. But it's not an easy task! I think there's some level of intrigue in there, some surprise. It starts out quite fresh, with a tea-like note on top, together with a fig and energised by the bergamot. Then it evolves into a frame that actually has a lot of depth. And I think that's maybe where the hypnotising effect might start off.
There's rich amber, there's the woods, the vetiver, the cedarwood, a hint of patchouli. They're all very powerful. But I work them into this fragrance in a very smooth way. There’s a level of fluidity and softness that creates a high level of comfort.
How do you approach the creation of a fragrance?
Constructing a fragrance is a form of art; I like to use the analogy of a sculptor. There's a technicality to it as well, but as a perfumer, when you start the creative process, first of all you have to think about the ingredients you want to use and then how you want to put them together. You start out with an accord, which is a very simple structure of maybe 10 or 15 ingredients. You start to shape them together, balance them so that every note comes to play in the way you intend. And then you add to it. I like to build my fragrance a little bit more from the back and then build up, so the top note would probably be the last thing I add at the end.
Can you tell me about the early years of your perfumery career?
As a teenager, I had a chance to live in Paris with my family for four years. That’s where I discovered perfumery. In a city like Paris, you have a lot of scent!
In my early years, it was a time where fragrance was quite intense. So I was looking at fragrances like Yves Saint Laurent’s Kouros or R from Paco Rabanne. There was Poison by Dior. It was a very loud type of perfumery.
What’s beautiful here in France is that fragrance is really inherent in the culture. It’s transmitted from generation to generation. Nobody really leaves the house without wearing fragrance. You’re surrounded in the metro, wherever you go. So I got curious, and would spend my weekends as a teenager in a perfume store in the Rue de Rivoli called Benlu – which still exists. I went with my little budget, and I’d buy a soap bar or something. And eventually I was able to buy fragrances
You made your own fragrance for your wedding – can you tell us about that process?
Creating my wedding fragrance certainly was full of love and full of passion. We gave all the guests a little sample, and my wife was wearing it. We got married in French Polynesia, where my wife is from, so everything was inspired by the flowers and the elements that you find there: the ambergris, the Tiare flower, the vanilla. The only problem is that back then was that I was a novice – I think I would have done it differently today!
How do you know when a fragrance is finished?
There’s really no answer… A fragrance is finished when you decide it's finished. It’s your choice to decide when you have reached a level, a moment or a kind of balance and harmony within a fragrance. I don't believe that a fragrance should be completely perfect; I know a fragrance is finished when I have achieved the perfect imperfection.
Do you have any personality traits that show up in your work?
Fragrance is very personal, it's very emotional. I would say overall, I like to be genuine. I like to say what I think. And I think I do the same thing in my fragrance. My ideas or my intentions are not hidden. They're open.
Is staying true to your initial idea important to you as a perfumer?
Yes, it really stuck with me from my experience with Edmond Roudnitska, whom I had the opportunity to have as a teacher in my ISIPCA years. It's easy to get lost, but I think the way I go about it today, after many, many years of experience, is by really thinking about what I want to do before even starting.
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