Violaine Collas | Perfumer

A visual imagination, expressed through scent

Violaine Collas decided she wanted to become a perfumer at around twelve. She trained at ISIPCA and developed her craft alongside creators including Dominique Ropion and Maurice Roucel. Her career has included work at Symrise and Mane, with fragrances for houses ranging from Amouage and Lalique to Atkinsons.

Color and visual memory play a practical role in her compositions. In a 2015 interview, she explained that a painting, a remembered image or a mood board could help shape an idea. She also described the excitement of creating something that might become part of a person’s life on the other side of the world.

Collas’s portfolio includes Amouage Honour Woman and work for BDK Parfums and Maison Margiela. Her accounts of the profession emphasize attentive smelling and continued practice. A project may resolve quickly or require years of development, depending on its demands and the dialogue with the brand.