Pierre Guillaume: Chemistry and Alchemy

one of the most thoughtful and interesting itnerview on this great company. I have already sampled papyrus and ciane and it is a lovely green woody scent,but i do love une crime exotique for winter

There is definitely no perfumer more gorgeous (breathtakingly so !), nor perfumes more magnifi(s)cent than the perfect compositions of Monsieur Pierre Guillaume !!! ... Every single one of his creations a veritable masterpiece !

If I were forced to choose only one perfumers scents to wear for the rest of my life, PG would be my one and only choice (without even a moments hesitation).

Thank you sooo very much Monsieur Pierre, for all your "magical elixirs" !

In one word : "Incomparable" !

I got my samples! I change them on my skin every day and haven't decided yet which I prefer better, they all are so amazing! I test a lot of fragrances, and very often it becomes routine, but PG fragrances are a wonderful finding of the year!

I am very grateful to PG house for the opportunity to try them, can't stop sniffing myself! They are not only beautiful, they are unique, odd, unusual. Of the highest quality, with incredible longevity.

Such an interesting approach to perfume. nice to read about a perfumer who doesn't cut corners. and yes, as Mr. Guillaume states we need to stop using so many chemicals. everything from our laundry soap to our car's air fresheners and our dodarants are scented. Too MUCH. and its bad for the environment

Another killer interview! Don't know how you do it Michelyn. Now all I need to to do is go out and smell/ samples/ purchases some of Pierre Guillaume's fragrnaces. Splendid insight into another great artist.

what can I say.... I love thee interviews. I learn so much from them. I have not tried any yet.... but my wife loves circe. I see it on her dresser. I looked on the website adnd think I saw three that have my name on them. great interview

A very fascinating interview. Thank you both...All of my senses were aroused. I am intrigued about the 8th art comment.

Great quote: How do you define a great fragrance?
 A fragrance you love.



I totally agree with Pierre Guillame, that for each composition, the ideal concentration will be different. Excellent interview. I'm very intrigued by both Monssieur PG and his creations after reading this. I'm glad to see that they are offered at The Perfume Shoppe in Vancouver.

Fascinating interview. I love that he thinks that perfumes must be tried because they are a unique individual result of the personal chemistry and the myriad of natural ingredients.

I wish I understood what drives him to continue creating perfume when he is an accomplished chemist where his work product would have a far less subjective audience! His "always the next one" comment about what is his favorite is interesting but why continue? What is he chasing?
Gigi

Fascinating! Not overly familiar with the line but I remember enjoying Iris Taizo.
Makes me want to try them again.

This exceptional interview between two fine talents who share great synergy is a delightful read that I have shared with several friends and colleagues.

Besides being an exemplary chemist and perfumer, Mr. Guillaume is refreshingly confident, witty and candid. As an independent perfumer myself, I wholeheartedly concur with and appreciate Mr. Guillaume’s sensibilities regarding mass market perfumery, the need to incorporate more gorgeous naturals, and his witty encouragement to question the marketing messages of big corporations.

Mr. Guillaume’s candid disclosures regarding the artistic process were thoughtfully insightful and generously revealing. Sir, you have my admiration. Best wishes for your launch of “Papyrus de Ciane” and your much anticipated new conceptualization of the 8th Art.

Sincerely,
Shelley Waddington

Fascinating interview; it really brings out the perfumer's unique character and perspective. Informative and great questions.

Very Nice interview. I am intrigued about the "8th Art" comment and looking forward to seeing what he means. Thank you Michelyn as always for your interesting questions.

yes a truly beautiful man and interview... I enjoy the cadjmere in winter. Also the brulere de roses all year long. Such an articulate discussion of perfumery. I am fascinated by these perfumes . now I understand why. thank you Mr. Guillaume and Michelyn

this is perfume. Ms. Camen is correct. Pierre Guillaume is the future of perfumery. I own 5 of his fragrances, rose brulere, circe, coze, querelle, and felanilla and can't wait for his new one. If I could only wear one perfumer's fragranes it would be his. A perfect storm of an interview.

A wonderfully crafted article, not only in terms of the interview but also in terms of the juxtaposition of visuals and content. Beautiful and appealing to look at; lively in the reading. It made me want to go out immediately and try Guillaume's perfumes, which I have not yet tried!

An excellent interview! Very insightful and eloquent! Thank you Pierre for the wonderful works of art that you create and thanks Michelyn for the interview.

An intelligent and thoughtful interview.I wear Coze, but now I must order samples of them all! thank you Fragrantica, Mr. Guillaume and Michelyn for insights into "alchemy and chemistry"... I was very interested learning about why there are numbers and names

I really appreciate Pierre Guillaume's work. I have the chance to be now friend with Anne, owner of "Qu'importe le Flacon", a high select perfume store in Montpellier (France), and she loves his work as well. So, I took time, with her, to try every single creation. My favorite is "l'Ombre Fauve", and I wear it nearly everyday... I really appreciate as well "L'Eau Guerrière", "Cuir Venenum", "Musc Maori", "Tubéreuse Couture" and "Cadjméré". And Anne juste received another creation from the Private Collection, "Bois de Copaïba".
Thanks for this great interview, Michelyn !!!

I see everyone is in love with Aomassai (with black stones), Black smoky tea in Rare Matale seems to be my kind of fragrance... What are your favorites from PG?

My samples are on the way to me ;o)))

what a man!
gorgeous!!!

Great interview MC as always. Read it as I woke up this morning. makes me want to skip work and go find Pierre's fragrances. Wonder if Barney's NY sells them in Dallas? Thanks.

Under what rock have I been hiding? Can't believe I was unfamilair with the posrtfolio of this perfumer! Trust me, after your interview I am dying to have my first olfactory introduction. Thanks for the tantilizing tid bits.

Wonderful interview, and what an interesting and beautiful young man he is. I must check to see if I have any samples of his perfumes in my stash of recent swaps, I have so many new ones I have not tried yet, must catch up. And if I don't have any I will have to get some soon!

I MUST smell Corps et Ames, I am a Chypre lover for sure. And I am pretty sure that Eae de Circe' is "calling my name." They all sound intriguing.

Oh - and ditto what darlingbuds said, too. :-)

I really like many of the scents of this line.
Querelle has one of the most unique uses of caraway.
L'Eau Gurriere is also another that I find very special.
Michelyn you did a great job in getting M. Guillaume to talk about his inspirations and aspirations.

Great insite, Michelyn. Now I have to smell it!! Thank you.
Dimi3

Pierre Guillaume is one of the perfumers I most admire for the originality and quality of the PG line, and L'Ombre Fauve and Brulure de Rose count amongst my very favourite scents. He may think of himself as a "chemist" first and foremost, but I find those two scents in particular affecting at a deep emotional level.

Thanks, Michelyn, for yet another fascinating read!

Your interviews never fail to surprise and delight, Michelyn. I think Pierre Guillaume’s perfumes are at the cutting edge of what is truly new and wonderful in the world of fragrance. I feel very lucky to wear a few of them and am fascinated that such intensely emotional scents are the result of such precise analytical processes. But perhaps that is the sign of true mastery of an art form—the seamless merging of thought and emotion. Kudos to Fragrantica for keeping us informed not just about the present but also the future of perfume.

I make it a point to smell everything that Monsieur Guillaume creates; I find each fascinating- and often revelatory.

I find it of interest that Corps et Ames is his mother's choice-
Of the many 'sniffeuses' I know, there are very few- excluding myself and Nasrin of Canada's Perfumme Shoppe-
That adore it as she does.
It is a singularly sophisticated chypre.

I am frequently drawn to the more challenging scents, such as Querelle, which I adore for its caraway vetiver.

Yet others speak to me on a visceral level, like L'Ombre Fauve.

If I may be so bold, I enjoy Monsieur Guillaume's rational approach very much; in many ways, he reminds me of Monsieur Laudamiel, who also sees himself as a chemist [ among other talents !], and taught at MIT ;-)

Thank you BOTH- Michelyn and PG- for your time and care.

It is a great pleasure to read interviews in which both intelligence and talent are clearly visible.

Like Jeca, I'm afraid I've never had the chance to smell Pierre Guillaume's creations. But I can _easily_ find many (Coze, Aomassai, Musc Maori, Cadjmere &c.) which would be great to finally test!

Thanks, Michelyn, for yet again a very nice interview.

I first learned about the brand during a trip to Rome, specifically in Olfattorio - bar a parfums. It made my trip special because the fragrances are really well built and full of personality. I wished I could have brought many bottles with me.

It is really inspiring to read his words. Specially when introduced by this amazing editor.
thank you Michelyn for this incredible piece and thank you Pierre for making the art of perfumery something so beautiful.
Your fragrances are a must to all educated noses!

As French I know parfumerie Generale and it is really difficult to obtain an intervew from Pierre Guillaume. Good questions and of course good replies. Thank you for your contribution.

I haven't smelled his perfumes yet! Catastrophe!!! Sense of seeing guides him, for sure, he has so attractive advertisements for his scents. Handsome man makes very tempting scents ;o))

nice interview - like always. thx Michelyn

Quite inspiring!!! Visually, and verbally! A clean, sparkling article that invokes purity and class. Very glad this one crossed my path.

I'm not sure what I'd rather sniff: his perfumes or the gorgeous nape of his neck.

Beautiful through and through.