Dora Baghriche’s work has been part of my own fragrance wardrobe long before we ever spoke. From the years I wore Mon Paris to her work for Narciso Rodriguez, which remains one of the most cohesive modern perfume lines, her compositions have had a quiet but lasting presence in my rotation.
Today, she serves as Master Perfumer at Luzi , a position that reflects decades spent inside one of the most technically rigorous industries in beauty. Her path there began with an early interest in journalism before she chose to pursue perfumery formally at ISIPCA. That background still shows. There is a narrative intelligence in the way she builds a fragrance.
Born in Algiers and shaped between the Mediterranean and Paris, she approaches materials with restraint. Nothing feels added simply for effect. Whether working on a global release or a more intimate composition, there is a consistency to the way she builds: balanced, controlled, and attentive to how a perfume lives on skin rather than how it performs in a brief.
Her range is wide. From Fame and the now-iconic Glossier You to work for Chopard and Infiniment Coty Paris she has moved easily between scales of perfumery while maintaining a recognizable point of view. Many of these fragrances have lived in my own collection for years, worn not for review but because they hold up over time.
I came to this conversation as someone who has lived with her work for years. Not as a critic discovering it for the first time, but as a wearer who understands how these perfumes hold up over time.
Q&A with Dora Baghriche
Elevated Classics:
You trained within the classical French perfumery system at ISIPCA before entering one of the most technically demanding creative industries. Looking back, what did that education truly give you beyond technique, and what did you have to discover on your own once you entered the lab?
Dora Baghriche:
Perfumery training has two pillars. The first is non-negotiable: learning raw materials, basic chemistry, extraction techniques, recomposing the classics. This foundation is essential.
The second part cannot be taught. Creativity, endurance, intuition, vision. It takes these two not only to stay and survive in the industry, but to create a path, to be inspired and inspiring.
EC:
Perfumery is not an obvious professional path. What first drew you toward studying scent formally, and what convinced you this was where you belonged creatively?
DB:
I followed my intuition. At ISIPCA, I knew only a few would make a career as perfumers. Yet somehow, and this is unusual in my life, I had no doubt I had my place. I belonged to this métier.
My Mediterranean roots, my nature driven by dreams and curiosity, my hunger to communicate through creation and creativity pushed me forward. I wish I had that same self-confidence again today in other fields of my life.
EC:
Do you remember the first perfume that made you aware of scent as something emotional or transformative?
DB:
Yes. Hiris by Hermès. When I first smelled it, I thought I was smelling a masterpiece. I wrote about it in an article shared by Nez.
In that reflection, she described how the encounter shaped her relationship with materials:
“Barks, rhizomes, seeds — I draw incredible strength from them. Ever since Hiris, I’ve had a passion for these earthy, protective, high-energy materials, bearers of life and renewal: roots and seeds, iris, carrot, angelica, ambrette — like the conviction that the most beautiful things are always buried.”
You can read her full reflection on Hiris here.
EC:
You entered perfumery at a time when the path into the industry was very structured and often familial. What was it like entering that world as a young student, and how did working under senior perfumers shape your technical confidence and creative independence?
DB:
I had great mentors such as Harry Frémont, with whom I learned a lot. He is a perfumer and human being I deeply admire, and we are still in contact.
He was very generous, very supportive, and very proud of my first success without ever wanting to take the credit. He taught me that empowering people is true leadership.
Authorship
EC:
At what point did you begin to recognize your own olfactive handwriting emerging within your formulas?
DB:
Honestly, I never thought about it this way. I am a “white page” person. In perfumery and in my life, if I do not innovate, if I do not look for what has not been seen before, I feel I am being dishonest to my mission.
It is always difficult to say, “Voilà, I found my style.” But I would say I am quite unrestrained with my ideas, and artistically I love being where I am not expected.
EC:
You’ve created across designer, prestige, and niche spaces. Does your creative approach shift depending on the house, or does a consistent signature remain intact?
DB:
I think I am in constant evolution, but always faithful to my values: sincerity, trust, hard work. I love to adapt to the houses I create for. Adaptation is intelligence and brings many learnings.
That being said, the final result is often halfway between my style and the house’s wishes and expectations.
Construction
EC:
When beginning a formula, are you thinking first in terms of emotional atmosphere, structural architecture, or performance on skin?
DB:
Beauty and creativity come first. Performance comes second. That does not mean I can do without performance. It is key. But I do not care about a performant perfume if it does not smell good.
EC:
Your florals often feel illuminated from within. How do you technically construct that sense of radiance without heaviness?
DB:
This was taught to me by Harry Frémont. He is passionate about flowers, and I learned from him how to take the best of florals without heaviness.
Technically, it requires first knowing the one or two ingredients that will make you shift from a jasmine to a tuberose to a gardenia. Working on florals is the most demanding and difficult exercise in perfumery. Few perfumers truly master their secrets and know how to make them fly in the air. I do not pretend to be among them, but they inspire me.
Materials
EC:
How do you determine when a natural raw material is irreplaceable, and when a synthetic offers a more precise expression?
DB:
Naturals and synthetics can both be irreplaceable. A synthetic is always more precise and more predictable. Naturals bring richness, something true to life. They carry memories.
EC:
From inside the lab, which materials feel overused today, and which deserve renewed exploration?
DB:
Vanilla, praline, red fruits, among others. I would love to see violet and leather more.
Industry
EC:
How has the increase in fragrance releases altered development cycles and experimentation?
DB:
Too many launches obviously alter development. Time is key to establishing a fragrance, especially if it is innovative. The increase of launches gives poor chances to real creativity and disruptiveness. If everything goes too fast, we follow the current.
EC:
Do you ever encounter moments where narrative storytelling is built before the formula is fully realized?
DB:
When the story comes before the fragrance, it is not a problem. The issue is when the wrong story is associated with the wrong fragrance, or when the fragrance is not telling its story. Storytelling is great when it is sincere, not a marketing trap.
EC:
Have you challenged briefs that felt misaligned with technical integrity or authenticity?
DB:
Honestly, not so far. But I feel some briefs go too far in the search for perfection: clean, safe, renewable. And they forget about the artistic part.
Reflection
EC:
When you smell your fragrance on someone else, what do you notice first?
DB:
Sometimes I do not even notice that it is my fragrance. Skin can reveal different facets of a perfume. I love to say they reveal what we want to hide.
Future
EC:
After so many compositions, what continues to excite you about perfumery today, and what no longer holds your interest?
DB:
I am excited by smaller projects and bigger people, if I may say. More than before, I work directly with founders and families. At this stage of my career, time, trust, and intimacy matter much more.
Listening to her speak, the throughline becomes clear. Patience. Material intelligence. A refusal to confuse speed with relevance. In a market saturated with launches, perhaps the true luxury is authorship.
If you’ve worn one of her compositions, I’m curious which one stayed with you.
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