Against mystical vagueness: Maurice Roucel's frank sensuality

16/08/2025

(c)DR

He remembers "airy, animal" scents on freshly-drawn sheets, the cold of metal and a flash of skin: this sensory shock would become a way of composing, between technical precision and assumed sensuality. One day, faced with a question about beauty in perfumery, he cuts short the incantations: for him, no mystical mist; a clear definition, criteria, an emotion that is measured by the real impact on the wearer. This frankness is part of his charm. Now a master perfumer at Symrise, Maurice Roucel has created a number of landmark fragrances - from 24, Faubourg for Hermès to Musc Ravageur for Frédéric Malle, from Tocade for Rochas to Iris Silver Mist for Serge Lutens - while retaining a marked taste for sensual risk-taking.

Early inspiration, from apprenticeship to consecration

Born in Tours, he joined the Chanel laboratory in 1973 as a chromatography technician. The precision of the instruments, the analysis of materials, the discipline of the laboratory: this "scientific" gateway to perfumery was to shape the way he listened to a formula.

He learned on the job, trained with demanding profiles and then joined IFF, Quest, then Symrise (ex-Dragoco), where he built his international career. In 2002, he was awarded the Prix François Coty, a major recognition of the French ecosystem. This self-taught scholar's journey from the columns of a chromatograph to the construction of chords lays the foundations for his style: sensual, direct and highly readable.

In the course of his stories and interviews (which he rarely gives), we sense the influence of a very concrete view of reality: the street, bodies, the light of a winter café in Paris, a glass of wine that he likes to compare with perfumes to talk about balance and texture. In his exchanges, he defends the idea of an aesthetic that is assertive, free of facile picturesqueness.

His olfactory style

Maurice Roucel composes like one sculpts fleshy matter: clean volumes, a tension between tactile softness and luminous flashes. His scents include :

- Musk and amber sensuality: Musc Ravageur doesn't use musk, according to Roucel; it's an animated oriental, built on sensuality through the warmth of spices and balms. This reversal of expectations illustrates his way of shifting codes without blurring them.

- Magnolia as a standard: he has imposed it on the modern palette with a creamy, lemony, almost milky signature that plays the floral oval against a caressing base.

- Flowers with a taut thread: 24, Faubourg superimposes a sunny glow with silky depth; Iris Silver Mist draws an almost mineral verticality; Dans Tes Bras summons a "skin-violet" heliotrope that drifts towards damp earth, proof of his ability to create softness without mawkishness.

Notable achievements

The list is long: Rochas (Tocade), Hermès (24, Faubourg), Guerlain (L'Instant, Insolence), Frédéric Malle (Musc Ravageur, Dans Tes Bras), Serge Lutens (Iris Silver Mist), Helmut Lang (Eau de Cologne, Eau de Parfum), not forgetting niche creations or more mainstream collaborations (from Nautica Voyage to Lalique pour Homme), all of which demonstrate his ability to speak several olfactory dialects without losing his signature.

One anecdote among many: during the Helmut Lang project, the brief was uncommonly clear. Roucel recounts: the designer " wanted the scent of his lover's secretions on clean sheets ", an erotic, musky skin fragrance, refined over more than a year with a highly committed creative director. This frankness of intent explains the sensual strength of both fragrances.

Oversize: the green oriental that wraps you like a large sweater

Designed by Maurice Roucel for the young JUDITH PARIS house, Oversize is a green oriental launched in 2022. It plays on contrasts - the clean freshness of a vegetal green opening, soon melting into a delicate jasmine blossom, tinged with powdery violet, like a subtle caress. This is followed by an ambery, creamy, balmy heart that is both comforting and sophisticated: tonka bean mingles with benzoin and Tolu balsam, while incense and labdanum add depth and mystery, with a musky sweetness that invites closeness. This fragrance recounts the feminine elegance of the 80s and 90s - reminiscent of Dior's Dune or Calvin Klein's Obsession - but in a more fluid, contemporary interpretation that is immediately addictive

Beyond creation: his vision of perfume

Maurice Roucel asserts a de-dramatized approach to perfumery: perfume is a demanding applied art, with criteria, families, constructions, and a goal - to touch the wearer. He opposes esoteric discourses in favor of "objective" beauty: an initial shock, an internal harmony, an outfit that tells something intimate without collapsing. He sees the creator as a craftsman-artist, lucid about his constraints, but free in his choice of emotions. He is often quoted as saying, " Your perfume is your message, your fragrant slogan ". Beyond the aphorism, we understand that each scent says something about us, without useless chatter.

The perfumer behind the bottles

Outside the laboratory, we discover a real gourmet temperament: conversations about wine, a taste for "grainy" raw materials, and an undiminished curiosity for the city and its rhythms. He prefers the precision of words to grand declarations, and speaks readily of texture, light and skin. He often reminds the industry of the need for better briefs and clearer creative direction - a way of defending the time-consuming nature of exploration and the coherence of concepts.

His career has been hailed by his peers: the Prix François Coty (2002), FiFi Awards, and a regular presence at major industry gatherings (World Perfumery Congress), where he exchanges as much as he shakes things up.

Why we follow him closely

At SCENTISSIME, we love signatures that speak clearly to the skin: a language of noble materials, mastered volumes, and legible emotions. Maurice Roucel's writing ticks all three boxes. It offers lovers of niche fragrances compositions that are both sensual and structured, capable of dressing up without saturating, of surprising without gratuitously entertaining. Its ability to move from a radiant floral to a carnal oriental, from a metallic hyacinth to an earthy heliotrope, makes it a benchmark for guiding our customers towards choices that are assertive and deeply personal.

Would you like to feel Maurice Roucel Fernandez's olfactory signature on your skin? Discover the fragrances he has designed on SCENTISSIME. Which one will win your heart?

Creations by Maurice Roucel on SCENTISSIME

Explore these fragrances and many more in our online boutique, and don't hesitate to take our Olfactory Diagnosis to discover the fragrance that will perfectly match your desires. Follow us on Instagram for more real-time news. To enjoy the exclusive benefits of our loyalty and referral program, simply click here: The List.

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