When it comes to iconic perfumes, Guerlain is a name that needs no introduction. For almost 200 years, the brand has been at the heart of luxury fragrance, capturing the essence of emotions and memories in every bottle. Founded in 1828, the Maison has created perfumes that go beyond just fragrance, making a statement and setting trends rather than following them. Think of classics like Eau de Cologne Impériale and Shalimar—they aren’t just perfumes, they’re legends in a bottle.

Fast forward to 2008, Thierry Wasser took on the role of master perfumer, becoming the first non-family member to lead Guerlain’s scent creations. With his Swiss roots and fresh perspective, Wasser embraced Guerlain’s DNA while adding a rebellious twist. Allegedly, his nose can pick up at least 3,000 scents!

The surprising fact is that Wasser wasn’t even looking to become a perfumer. His initial pull toward fragrance was a sheer accident — a letter sent to a Geneva laboratory on a whim. “I was 19, clueless, and didn’t know what I was doing,” he confesses. “They tested my nose and gave me a spot in perfumery school. Next thing you know, I’m in love with it.” It’s even more serendipitous that as a 13-year-old, Wasser was already spritzing on Guerlain Habit Rouge parfum for men, and still wears it till today.

Wasser is quick to point out that his path didn’t follow the usual routes. “I didn’t go to university for this,” he says. “I learned by doing.” A self-described advocate of apprenticeships, he encourages young people to take alternate paths to success, especially in a world that often prioritises formal education. His own early training as an herbalist, studying traditional medicine, has stayed with him in surprising ways. “It makes sense now, but at the time, it was just a job.” He lets on that if he wasn’t a perfumer, he would love to be an orchestra conductor, “but it’s too much hard work and I’m lazy,” he professes with a laugh.

Fragrance as a Language

At Guerlain, many of their perfumes share a signature note called the Guerlinade, a blend of six ingredients that are: jasmine, bergamot, rose, iris, tonka bean, and vanilla. But don’t expect Wasser to follow a rigid recipe when he makes his perfumes. “It’s not about formulas; it’s about the experience,” he says. He describes his approach as improvisation, responding to memories, moods, and moments. “One day you may want chocolate; the next day you can’t stand it—it’s the same with perfume.”

In newly-launched Patchouli Paris by Guerlain, for example, in-house perfumer Delphine Jelk pays homage to the intoxicating nightlife of Paris and its clubs, cabarets, concerts and music halls. By amplifying the raw, rugged facets of patchouli, Jelk preserves its inherent imperfections, channelling its wildness and earthy sophistication. To tame its unruly edges, she has carefully woven in iris, vanilla, sandalwood and musk, notes that soften and enhance patchouli’s strength, giving the scent a smooth, velvety finish. The result is a fragrance that feels both bold and balanced—a celebration of patchouli’s untamed beauty, encapsulated in true Guerlain luxury.

In a world that often obsesses over ingredients, Wasser reminds us that a scent’s magic lies in its ability to move us, not just impress us. To him, fragrance isn’t about the ingredients, like a grocery list. “Bergamot, rose, jasmine—who cares?” he scoffs. For him, crafting a fragrance is like weaving a story, each ingredient a word, each blend a sentence.

“My words are raw materials, and each raw material has an emotional meaning, but it’s also empirical. It’s going back and forth to the lab and to your office, smelling, until the shape of your story gets to the point you imagined it. You can express a colour, you can express a landscape, you can express a conversation— everything is a source of inspiration. The sparkle of it is everywhere,” he waxes. “Anyone who tells you, ‘Don’t mix this with that,’ ignore them,” he says flatly. “If it smells right, it is right. Just like a conversation.”

In his favourite scent, Mitsouko, he finds that elusive connection. “Why do I love it? I don’t know,” he admits. “And I don’t want to know. There are things you shouldn’t have to explain.” Mitsouko, a blend that’s as much a legend as Wasser himself, embodies the Guerlain spirit: It’s complex, layered, and timeless.

Connecting with Nature and People

Wasser’s work is not confined to an office in Paris; he spends up to 40 percent of his time on the road, sourcing ingredients and meeting the people who grow them. “Perfumers generally don’t do procurement, sourcing and manufacturing of raw ingredients, but we do, and have been doing it since 1828. That was the trade of Jean-Paul Guerlain,” he shares.

From the sandalwood fields of Australia to the jasmine plantations of South India, and patchouli farms in Sumatra, his travels have woven a network of what he calls “brotherhood and sisterhood” among growers worldwide. But there’s a harder side to this work, one he encounters on the faces of people who grow, pick, and extract the essences that go into each bottle of Guerlain. “These are real lives,” he says. “When you fight for survival, you’re not worried about buying the latest iPhone.”

“I want people to understand that each bottle holds more than fragrance; it’s filled with love, hope, and humanity. The growers and gatherers who work in difficult conditions to harvest these materials are doing more than a job—they’re earning the extra income that helps them support their families, put their kids through school, and create a better life. For them, this work isn’t about luxuries but about survival and dignity.”

He recalls a humbling encounter in the Amazon with a tribal leader. Wasser proposed a plan to preserve certain trees for future extraction, but the elder only asked him one question: “Why?” It’s a query that still lingers with him, a reminder that his desire for sustainability and preservation doesn’t always align with the people living on that land. “Who am I, telling people what to do with their forests?” he wonders. It’s a sentiment echoed in his work, a quiet respect for the natural world and the hands that labour within it.

Authenticity Over Trends

Wasser’s disdain for fragrance trends is another aspect that sets him apart. While many brands chase mass appeal and seasonal fads, Guerlain remains steadfast in its mission to create timeless scents. When asked about his prediction of future perfume trends, he raises an eyebrow, chuckling softly. “I can’t tell you. I left my crystal ball at home,” he jests. “We don’t do mass market, we don’t do quantities, that’s not our thing.” Instead, his goal is to create perfumes that are personal and enduring, capturing moments in time rather than fleeting fashion statements.

He references Angel by Thierry Mugler, a once-niche fragrance that unexpectedly set a global trend. “It was niche and very experimental. Nobody expected it to explode the way it did,” Wasser recalls. But rather than attempt to replicate such moments, he emphasises the importance of creating without expectation. “You can’t predict what will resonate. All you can do is express your truth.”

As Guerlain’s 200^th anniversary approaches in 2028, Wasser reflects on the journey and legacy of this iconic brand. “Our past is woven into every bottle we create,” he says, referencing the signature Guerlinade as the foundation for future innovations. Yet, even as Guerlain celebrates its history, his focus remains firmly on the present moment. “You have to engage with life fully,” he insists. “That’s the only way to create something truly meaningful.”

He can’t share what he’s currently working on—”It’s so secret that even I don’t know what I’m creating” he says—but if he were to create a scent to celebrate the Maison’s milestone, he would use Guerlinade’s six ingredients as its foundation. “What kind of power would I give it? I think I’d let it breathe with woods, and elevate it up to the skies. Those six materials would be the roots to keep you grounded, allowing the woody trunk to grow, grow, grow.”

Thierry Wasser’s insistence on following intuition rather than trends, his deep respect for the people and places behind each raw material, and his belief in the emotional language of fragrance all underscore his unique approach to luxury. At a time when mass-market appeal often overshadows artistry, he offers a refreshing reminder: Perfume is not just about how it smells, it’s about how it makes you feel.

“When you smell a fragrance, why be so rational?” he questions. “It’s true that feeling things is much more difficult because it puts you in a vulnerable spot, and you have to show a little bit of yourself. I’m not saying that when you’re at a Guerlain counter, you have to get naked in front of people to be open to discovering the scent. But, basically, yes. Ask yourself, what does it make you feel?”

This article first appeared on Elle Singapore.

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