Céline Barel | Perfumer

From fragrance imagery to the art of composition

Céline Barel was born in Grasse, where orange blossom in her grandfather’s garden and the winter flowering of mimosa became early scent memories. As a young fragrance enthusiast, she collected advertising posters and miniature bottles, initially imagining a career on the image-making side of the industry.

Business studies and an internship introduced her to the actual work of a perfumer. She pursued that new direction through IFF’s perfumery school, training across its international network. The change moved her from communicating fragrance through pictures to creating the fragrance itself.

Her collaborations with Aesop include Tacit and Aurner. In an interview about Aurner, Barel described a lengthy creative process involving magnolia leaf, chamomile and woods, with music, sound and colour among her inspirations. She stresses meaningful projects and a close understanding of a house’s identity, allowing a new perfume to offer a different expression while remaining recognisably part of its world.