Meet Quentin Bisch: The Master Perfumer
Remix had the privilege to chat with one of the world's most sought after Master Perfumers, Quentin Bisch. We chatted about his latest creation for Issey Miyake, the inspiration behind the fragrance and his unique ingredient choice.
“L Sel d’Issey is dedicated to every human being, in his universality, in connection with the elements and natural movements inherent in the cycles of life. And more prosaically, a man looking for a perfume perfectly balanced between freshness and sensuality.” - Quentin Bisch
What does it mean to you to work with the Issey Miyake brand?
Issey Miyake perfumes have always been powerful perfumes. I had to respect the brand and live up to it. It is by working on the contrast within the note that I was able to give the salt all its vibration, its momentum, and its strength.
What sparked the idea to focus Le Sel d’Issey around salt?
I wanted to work on the concept of movement, the infinite surf of the waves and salt as a mineral memory deposited on the earth. The idea of working with a large, salty and pure woodiness took hold. We, with the Issey Miyake teams, sought to facet the subject while preserving the singularity of the initial idea.
Can you walk us through your creative process when creating scents?
First, I take notes during the brief. I’ll reread these notes over the next few days and take more notes until good ideas start to emerge. From there, I start scribbling bits of formulas into my phone and when I start to have things that seem worth weighing, I send them to the lab and smell them. I will then select between three to six ideas, take the best ones, rework them and present them internally before going to the client.
Le Sel d’Issey features some unique naturally derived ingredients. Why did you decide to work with these ingredients, and how do they contribute to the fragrance?
Le Sel d’Issey is a scent of salt and wood. It is built on incessant movement, between two poles which are the sea and the land. The marine accord is made up of laminaria seaweed and oak moss with iodised accents, while the earth is embodied in the woods of cedar and sand vetiver. It is in the vibration, the contrast between these opposite polarities, that made LeSel d’Issey.
What is the best way to wear fragrance? Do you have any application tips?
The application of perfume is something very personal but also cultural. Some like to apply it in the hair, others on the wrists or behind the ears or even use specific techniques such as the cloud.
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