MICHEL ALMAIRAC

Michel Almairac is the perfumer behind the Eau de Cologne Les Bains Guerbois and the Eau de Parfum 2015 Le Phénix. In 2018, 2015 Le Phénix received the Fragrance Foundation France Experts’ Award for Best Fragrance from an Independent Niche Brand.

Michel Almairac learned the art of perfumery at the Roure perfumery school in 1972, at the age of 19. Over the course of his career, he developed an instantly recognisable style based on short, precise and highly legible formulas. Today, he is a Master Perfumer at Robertet.

Michel Almairac likes to build his fragrances around a limited number of raw materials, each playing a precise role in the composition. Sandalwood, patchouli and rose hold an important place in his work. His style often combines classical structures with more contemporary effects.

THE CREATIONS BY MICHEL ALMAIRAC FOR LES BAINS GUERBOIS

2015 LE PHÉNIX

For 2015 Le Phénix, Michel Almairac translates the rebirth of Les Bains Paris into fragrance. Ginger and cardamom open the composition before a heart of cedar and papyrus, extended by incense, patchouli and amber. A woody and spicy composition evoking the new life of 7 rue du Bourg-l’Abbé.

In 2018, 2015 Le Phénix received the Fragrance Foundation France Experts’ Award for Best Fragrance from an Independent Niche Brand, jointly with Nuit de Bakélite by Naomi Goodsir.

EAU DE COLOGNE

Michel Almairac also created the Eau de Cologne Les Bains Guerbois, developed for the rebirth of Les Bains in 2015. Ginger and cardamom meet patchouli, cedar and papyrus, followed by a base of incense, musk and amber. A woody and spicy Eau de Cologne that reinterprets the traditional codes of the genre.

SOME ICONIC CREATIONS BY MICHEL ALMAIRAC

Michel Almairac has created or co-created several fragrances that have become references in contemporary perfumery for major international houses. His creations include:

• Fahrenheit, Dior, created in 1988 with Jean-Louis Sieuzac and now one of the great classics of men’s perfumery.
• Gucci Rush, Gucci, launched in 1999, a fruity chypre built around peach, gardenia, rose, patchouli and vanilla.
• Chloé Eau de Parfum, Chloé, co-created with Amandine Clerc-Marie in 2008, a contemporary interpretation of rose that became a major olfactory signature of the house.
• Bottega Veneta Eau de Parfum, Bottega Veneta, the house’s first women’s fragrance, created in 2011 around leather, jasmine, patchouli and oakmoss.
• Joop! Homme, Joop!, launched in 1989, an oriental floral composition that became a reference in men’s perfumery.
• Chloé L’Eau de Parfum Intense, Chloé, co-created with his son Romain Almairac in 2024 around rose, raspberry and amber woods.

PARLE MOI DE PARFUM, THE ALMAIRAC FAMILY PERFUME HOUSE

After a career devoted to creating fragrances for major international houses, Michel Almairac also developed his own universe with Parle Moi de Parfum, a family perfume house conceived by his son Benjamin Almairac and launched in Paris in 2016.

Michel Almairac is the house perfumer, creating fragrances freely around his own ideas. Among them are Une Tonne de Roses / 8, Milky Musk / 39, Woody Perfecto / 107, Papyrus Oud / 71 and Wake Up World / ∞.

From Dior to Gucci, Chloé, Bottega Veneta and Joop!, through to Parle Moi de Parfum and Les Bains Guerbois, Michel Almairac has developed over several decades an olfactory style based on simplicity, precision and the strength of raw materials.