Meet Perfumer Emilie Coppermann

Meet perfumer Emilie Coppermann

Emilie Coppermann is one of the most fascinating perfumers working in Paris today. She renowned for her counterintuitive choices of ingredients, a signature full of surprises. “I’ll be where I’m least expected,” she says describing her character. Raised by hippie parents and a grandmother devoted to Chanel, she has a passion for travelling to far-off places, Tanzania to Japan. Often this involves her four children in tow. A Master Perfumers since 2016, she lives and works at full throttle, always with a smile on her face. Wait until you hear her approach to crafting fragrances.

Scent Lodge: What are you go-to ingredients?

Emilie Coppermann: I find it hard to see myself starting a scent without bergamot – that’d be like starting a children’s story without ‘Once upon a time’! As a rule, I’m very fond of wood notes, which I often use as the backbone of my perfumes. They are also great for counterbalancing powerful ingredients like vanilla or tuberose. Wood notes give you a verticality, a counterweight, something that prevents your compositions from slumping. Spices can have the same effect. I’m particularly fond of pink pepper, cardamom and juniper berry as they all give a composition lift and vibrancy. But I’m also a big fan of the natural ingredients developed exclusively for us in Madagascar, things like vanilla, geranium, mandarin and ginger. In the end, all ingredients have a role to play in our palette. What’s important, and this applies to every material we work with, is to always look for a new angle to show it to best effect, a contrast that brings a new dimension, a surprising or unusual pairing.

SL: How would you describe your style?

E.C.: I like to have a response that’s slightly different from what people expect. I don’t often approach things in a literal way. What I enjoy is doing something different with raw materials, working with them in ways that are unconventional or unusual: wood for women, or a warm spice for an eau fraiche. I’m actually pretty minimalist: I start with a strong idea and stick with it. I give it multiple facets and sophistication, but I always stay true to my initial direction. I also try to bring real delicacy to everything I do.

SL: Is the collective aspect of your job important to you?

E.C.: I’d even say I couldn’t do without it. I’m not at all a solitary person – that’s what comes from being part of a big family. When I’m creating, I’m open to all ideas and all criticism: whether I decide to listen to them or not, it’s always interesting. As I see it, other people are a huge source of inspiration, I’m a real sponge. I like to get people around me to smell my creations, hear people talking about perfume. In the end, I really like a win when it’s the result of teamwork. And especially when I succeed in my constant quest to create something that has never been done, something disruptive and unexpected, in a harmonious way.

SL: What would your motto be?

E.C.: I love this Winston Churchill quote, which sometimes seems to sum up our profession: ‘Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.’

SL: Which artist do you feel closest to?

E.C.: The artists I’m most moved by are musicians, and if I had to choose one, I’d say Bach. I play the piano myself. Method, regularity and imagination in a well-defined framework, his creativity which he used to help others, his quest from perfection amidst the chaos of his life full of children – all that speaks to me.

Three Emilie Coppermann Fragrance Triumphs

Oscar de la Renta Alibi Eau So Chic

“In Alibi POP Yellow, I wanted to paint a joyful luminosity and an irresistible radiance that envelops the wearer from the start,” she says. “It leads with effervescent juciness of mandarin Madagascar and bright, invigorating Ginger Madagascar notes that blend effortlessly into a creamy, floral heart of jasmine sambac and magnolia blossom. For lasting warmth and magnetic intimacy, the fragrance is wrapped in a veil of sensual musk and amber crystals to finish in an unforgettable, skin-hugging trail.”

Atkinsons’ Her Majesty The Oud

Atkinsons Her Majesty The Oud is a regal amber-floral fragrance for her that combines notes of pear, citrus and peach with Turkish rose, saffron and powdery iris. Vanilla absolute adds a little sweetness and the agarwood is surprisingly light. The surprising twist is Emilie’s pairing of velvety peach with oud – all done with the lightest touch.

Van Cleef & Arpels Bois d’Iris

This gorgeous woody-floral fragrance for her or him is a careful balance of charismatic ingredients. Emilie starts with powdery iris then layers in driftwood, vanilla, incense, myrrh, sugar, amber, ambergris, vetiver and a little French labdanum. It’s a fragrance that constantly reveals new facets over time.

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