DOMINIQUE ROPION

Dominique Ropion is the perfumer behind the Eaux de Parfum 1979 New Wave and 1992 Purple Night for Les Bains Guerbois.

Dominique Ropion discovered the world of perfumery at an early age through several experiences at Roure. He later joined the company’s perfumery school in Grasse, where he trained under Jean-Louis Sieuzac and Pierre Bourdon. In 1984, he created one of his first major fragrances, Ysatis for Givenchy. After Roure, Florasynth and Dragoco, he joined IFF’s fine fragrance team in Paris in 2000, where he became a Master Perfumer.

Dominique Ropion approaches perfume as an olfactory form. He often begins with a central theme or raw material, then builds volumes, textures and contrasts around it. His style combines outstanding technical mastery with a constant search for new olfactory architectures.

His career was recognised with the International Perfume Prize in 2008. In 2012, he was appointed Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. IFF later awarded him the title of Master Perfumer, a distinction reserved for the house’s most accomplished perfumers.

THE FRAGRANCES BY DOMINIQUE ROPION FOR LES BAINS GUERBOIS

1979 NEW WAVE

For 1979 New Wave, Dominique Ropion captures the energy of the first new wave nights at Les Bains Douches. Spearmint and peppermint bring a vivid, unexpected freshness, contrasted with iris and Virginia cedar. Sandalwood, amber woods and musks extend this magnetic and avant-garde composition.

1992 PURPLE NIGHT

With 1992 Purple Night, Dominique Ropion evokes a legendary concert night at Les Bains. Calabrian mandarin gives way to a sensual tuberose paired with Egyptian jasmine. Tobacco, suede and Indonesian patchouli give the composition its provocative and sensual depth.

SOME ICONIC CREATIONS BY DOMINIQUE ROPION

Dominique Ropion has created or co-created some of the best-known fragrances in contemporary perfumery for major international houses. His creations include:

• Ysatis, Givenchy, created in 1984 and one of the first major successes of his career.
• Alien, Mugler, co-created with Laurent Bruyère around sambac jasmine, cashmeran and an amber accord.
• La Vie Est Belle, Lancôme, co-created with Anne Flipo and Olivier Polge around iris, patchouli, vanilla and a gourmand accord.
• Flowerbomb, Viktor&Rolf, co-created with Olivier Polge, Carlos Benaïm and Domitille Michalon Bertier, and now one of the house’s signature fragrances.
• Lady Million, Rabanne, co-created with Anne Flipo and Béatrice Piquet.
• Portrait of a Lady, Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle, an iconic composition built around rose, patchouli, sandalwood and incense.

APHORISMES BY DOMINIQUE ROPION

In 2024, Dominique Ropion opened a new chapter in his career with Aphorismes by Dominique Ropion, his first personal fragrance collection. Free from the constraints of a brand brief, he revisits the great families of perfumery through contemporary constructions and a demanding selection of raw materials.

The original collection brings together six creations: A Rose is a Rose, Crazy Garden, Encens Insensé, Innocent Tuberose, My Clémentine and Oud à l’Amour. Through them, Dominique Ropion continues a quest that runs throughout his work: finding new forms from materials and structures deeply rooted in the history of perfumery.

From Givenchy to Mugler, Lancôme, Viktor&Rolf, Rabanne and Frédéric Malle, through to Aphorismes and Les Bains Guerbois, Dominique Ropion has developed over several decades an olfactory style defined by precision, contrasts and the construction of materials.