Dorothée Piot | Perfumer

Memories of the kitchen and garden, developed into scent

Dorothée Piot traces her interest in fragrance to cooking, spices, aromatic herbs and the garden. A chance meeting with a perfumer revealed that this sensitivity could become a profession.

Two teachers were especially important in her early development. Raymond Chaillan encouraged her appreciation of fine materials, while Martin Gras helped her find the confidence to pursue her projects. Her later work has included compositions for Amouage, Maison Crivelli and Les Bains Guerbois.

For Les Bains, Piot developed the hotel’s Atmosphère fragrance and the perfumes 1885 Bains Sulfureux and 2013 Résidence d’Artistes. In an interview, she described the connection between them through woods and incense, while explaining the different memories and environments behind each one. Her working day includes evaluating the previous day’s trials, checking the dry-down and adjusting balances. That patient process turns an initial atmosphere or recollection into a complete and carefully proportioned composition.