Rosendo Mateu | Perfumer

A Spanish master whose craft became a family legacy

Rosendo Mateu was born in Arenys de Mar in 1945 and died in Barcelona in 2022. His career helped shape modern Spanish perfumery, spanning more than four decades at Puig before the development of a personal fragrance collection. His namesake house carries that experience into a project shared with his son Joan.

His professional education included learning from Marcel Carles in Grasse, Arturo Jordi Pey in Geneva and Max Gavary in Paris. The Academia del Perfume recognizes both his international career and his importance as a mentor, notably to Elisabeth Vidal and Gregorio Sola. That transmission of knowledge forms a significant part of his legacy.

Mateu’s independent work drew on art, travel and ancient civilizations, translating ideas into compositions intended to be worn without gender boundaries. The numbered fragrances and Olfactory Journey collection offer ways to explore that personal vocabulary, alongside the designer fragrances represented in his wider portfolio.