Olivier Polge

Wikipedia

Olivier Polge
Born (1974-07-30) 30 July 1974 (age 51)
Grasse, France
OccupationPerfumer
EmployerChanel (2013-present)

Olivier Polge (born July 30, 1974) is a French perfumer. He is the house perfumer for Chanel and has created fragrances including Misia, Boy, and Chanel's No. 5 L’Eau.[1][2][3][4][5]

Polge's father is perfumer Jacques Polge, who served as Chanel's perfumer for 37 years.[6] When Polge was a child, he wanted to be a classical music pianist, but was not a "good pianist."[7] Polge became an intern at Chanel while studying art history. He worked for International Flavours and Fragrances, where he co-created Dior Homme and Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb. In 2012, Olivier Polge, in collaboration with perfumers Dominique Ropion and Anne Flipo, created the famous fragrance La Vie Est Belle for the Lancome brand.[8] In 2013, Polge became a perfumer at Chanel. His father retired in 2015, and Polge took over as head perfumer.[6][7]

In 2018 Polge created the Bleu de Chanel Parfum, a new version of the fragrance Bleu de Chanel, originally created by his father.

Biography

Before embarking on a career in perfumery, Olivier Polge studied art history. He began working at Charabot, a factory in his hometown of Grasse specializing in the processing of ingredients for perfumery, then joined ACM in Geneva. From 1998 onwards, Olivier Polge worked at International Flavors & Fragrances, a perfume creation company in New York City.[9] He returned to France in 2003, still with IFF, where he created his first designs, including the Dior Homme fragrance in 2005 .[10]

In 2009, Olivier Polge won the International Perfume Prize,[11] for five of his creations .[12] The prize was presented to him by William Christie (musician), president of the jury .[13]

In 2012, Olivier Polge participated in the creation of SpiceBomb by Viktor & Rolf, La Vie est belle by Lancôme, and Repetto for the eponymous brand in 2013. In September 2013, he joined Les Parfums Chanel. There he joined Christopher Sheldrake, director of research and development at the laboratory, as well as his father Jacques Polge, who had been working there as a perfumer since 1978. Olivier Polge succeeded his father at Chanel with the aim of “preserving a unique olfactory heritage and innovating ” at the beginning of 2015.

In 2015, he created N°5 L'Eau, an eau de parfum derived from N°5.

In 2018, he created the fragrance version of Bleu de Chanel.[14][15]

References

  1. Bischof, Felix (28 February 2019). "Olivier Polge: a conversation with Chanel's master of scent". The Week. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  2. Williamson, Nicole (14 August 2019). "BEAUTY: How House of Chanel's perfumer-creator reimagined the brand's latest scent". Daily Maverick. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  3. Kennedy, Laura (4 February 2019). "1957: Chanel's new fragrance is as subversive as Coco herself". The Irish Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  4. March, Bridget (17 October 2019). "From flower to fragrance: the craftsmanship of a Chanel perfume". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  5. Tuschman, Sari Anne (13 October 2016). "Olivier Polge devises a light, modern companion to the classic Chanel No. 5". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
  6. 1 2 Venison, Alexandra (24 July 2019). "Discover the Story of Chanel Perfumer Olivier Polge". Vogue. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  7. 1 2 Shapiro, Bee (5 February 2015). "Meet Olivier Polge, Chanel's New Fragrance Creator". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 September 2019.
  8. "Лучшие духи Lancome - Популярная парфюмерия Ланком - Самые известные ароматы Lancome". aboutlancome.ru. Retrieved 2025-03-26.
  9. Le parfumeur Olivier Polge arrive chez Chanel Elle.fr, 8 juillet 2013
  10. Qui est le nouveau nez de Chanel ?, Madame Figaro, 9 février 2015
  11. Elodie Bousquet, Olivier Polge rejoint les parfums Chanel L'Express Styles, 5 juillet 2013
  12. Un Français gagne le Prix international du parfum Le Parisien, 22 octobre 2009
  13. Le lauréat 2009 : Olivier Polge Prix international du parfum
  14. "'Bleu de Chanel' channels strength and elegance in new Parfum-strength fragrance". Fashion Network.
  15. "Bleu de Chanel Parfum Chanel cologne – a fragrance for men 2018". Fragrantica.