NEOMA Alumni Mag - N°14 - Mars 2018 - 14

PROFILS - ENTRETIEN -

CÉLINE BAREL (PGE 01)

THE FRENCH "NOSE"
OF NEW YORK CITY

CÉLINE BAREL DID NOT EMBRACE THE TRADITIONAL JOB OF A BUSINESS SCHOOL
ALUMNA. INSTEAD, SHE BECAME A PERFUMER. WE HAVE MET THIS SMILING, ENTERTAINING
AND TALENTED LADY IN HER OFFICE AT INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS AND FRAGRANCES (IFF).

Have you always wanted to become a "nose"?
When I was 7, I saw an ad on TV for the Diva perfume by Emanuel Ungaro. I was immediately fascinated. I fell in love with the amber bottle and the
haute couture dress-they were so beautiful!
From then on, I knew I wanted to work in the fragrance industry.
You started working at International Flavors
and Fragrances right after your diploma...
Yes, I started in Milan for two years. After that I got
enrolled in the IFF Perfumery School, a selective
program for promising employees. I studied there
for three years. We learnt to smell raw materials
and to "speak" the olfactive language, then we
were taught how to create accords and how to
formulate an olfactive story. During the last year,
we spent three months in the French city of
Grasse (where I grew up) to refine our expertise
on naturals.

- 14 - NEOMA ALUMNI mag MARS 2018

What does it take to become a perfumer?
You obviously need to have olfactive skills, but not
only. You have to be a good listener to understand
your client's request. It also requires patience and
perseverance-you have to be combative.
Why?
It is actually a paradox. I am intuitive and creative,
I connect to my emotions, which makes me vulnerable-but at the same time I am "on the ring"
every day. Each time I receive a client brief from
Estee Lauder, Calvin Klein or any other brand, I
know that I am rivaling with competitors... and also
colleagues! The selection process looks like Game
of Thrones: the client is narrowing down his list. I
am fighting all the time to go to the next round. It
can take up to several years to win a fragrance! I
often feel like a survivor... And there is no second
best.

Table des matières de la publication NEOMA Alumni Mag - N°14 - Mars 2018