Paul Guerlain | Perfumer

A family introduction to scent and a close apprenticeship with Anne Flipo

Paul Guerlain grew up in a family of perfumers, seeing his grandfather at work with scented blotters and notes. Although his grandfather did not formally train him, that early familiarity helped inspire his choice of profession.

His professional education took place at IFF, first in New York and then in Paris, where Anne Flipo became his teacher. Their collaboration included Pleine Lune for Bastille, giving him experience of developing a composition through close exchange.

Guerlain describes creation as a dialogue between raw materials: ingredients may attract, oppose or reveal different aspects of one another. He is cautious about treating a personal signature as fixed, preferring the possibility of continued change. In his interview with Bastille, he also considers constraints a useful source of invention, encouraging a perfumer to find a new solution rather than rely on a familiar formula.