Jean-Michel Duriez, behind perfume, the memory of the senses

Sometimes all it takes is the smell of coffee upon waking, a familiar perfume encountered in the street, or a crushed flower between the fingers for a long-buried memory to resurface. For Jean-Michel Duriez, a French perfumer-creator who worked at Jean Patou and Rochas, this ability of the sense of smell to awaken emotions lies at the heart of the profession. For nearly forty years, he has explored this boundary between material and memory, with a conviction that sums up his approach: “I do not create perfumes, I make memories.”

Now an independent perfumer within Atelier JMD, he continues this work for various houses, including C_Ray, a brand for which he developed seven compositions brought together by a shared accord, called Fleur de Cuir.

From childhood to creation: the journey of a perfumer

Jean-Michel Duriez grew up in Amiens, far from the Provençal landscapes readily associated with French perfumery. His interest in scents appeared very early on. As a child, he liked opening the bottles used by his parents, rediscovering their fragrances, and observing these objects that accompany the ritual of perfume.

His vocation became clearer when he discovered that it was possible to turn this curiosity into a profession. He joined the Institut supérieur international du parfum in Versailles, which has since become ISIPCA. After a first year, he felt that the training left too little room for creativity and chose to continue his apprenticeship in Grasse, with the composition house Roure, now part of Givaudan.

In 1986, he obtained his first position at Études et Diffusions Olfactives in Paris. He worked there as the company's only perfumer, an experience that quickly required autonomy and responsibility. Three years later, he joined the Japanese group Kao Corporation, where he remained for eight years. This first part of his career enabled him to acquire concrete knowledge of composition and its constraints.

Photo by Stéphane de Bourgies

Jean Patou and Rochas: learning the craft of an in-house perfumer

In 1997, Jean-Michel Duriez joined the Jean Patou brand. He succeeded Jean Kerléo and took charge of the house’s olfactory creations, as well as licenses such as Yohji Yamamoto and Lacoste. He also became perfumer for Rochas in 2008.

This period taught him to think about perfume on the scale of a house. The formula must express an identity, respect a heritage, and meet a precise set of specifications. The role of the perfumer also includes selecting raw materials, controlling quality, overseeing production, and presenting creations to sales teams and the press.

His creations include Yohji Homme for Yohji Yamamoto, Enjoy and Sira des Indes for Jean Patou, as well as Eau Sensuelle, Eau de Rochas Fraîche, and the Les Cascades collection for Rochas. His career also led him to work for Dolce & Gabbana and Escada.

This experience in the major houses gave him in-depth knowledge of the demands of the international market. It also nourished his reflection on the place of the creator in the industry. In his 2020 interview with the Fragrance Foundation France, he expressed his admiration for Frédéric Malle and Francis Kurkdjian, who helped make perfumers more visible to the public. He too wishes to be able to fully claim authorship of his creations.

The independent perfumer

In 2015, Jean-Michel Duriez left Procter & Gamble. The following year, he launched his own brand, Jean-Michel Duriez Paris, with the desire to develop a personal expression of his craft. He was then involved in the creation of the fragrances, the marketing, and the development of the bottles. He later founded Atelier JMD, an independent structure dedicated to creating perfumes for brands and private individuals.

His work also extends to gastronomy. In 2012, he co-authored the book Au cœur du goût with Pierre Hermé, devoted to the relationship between flavors and fragrances. He also collaborates with several figures from the culinary world, including Hélène Darroze, Éric Fréchon, and Frédéric Bau.

These projects reflect his interest in the connections between sensory disciplines. Perfumery and gastronomy share the same challenge: working with raw materials, balancing accords, and provoking a reaction in the person discovering the creation.

Today, Jean-Michel Duriez works as an independent perfumer-creator. His Paris workshop enables him to pursue bespoke projects and collaborate with houses of varied identities. For the production of concentrates, Atelier JMD works with Givaudan.

An olfactory signature guided by emotion

For Jean-Michel Duriez, creation begins with a dialogue between two dimensions: technical mastery and that more elusive part which transforms a composition into a sensory experience. He describes a process in which the idea becomes a formula, in which materials combine into accords, and then in which the perfumer’s work consists of giving an olfactory form to an emotion.

His search gradually turns toward memories. A scent can bring forth a presence, a place, or a period of life with an immediacy that images do not always possess. He notably evokes the perfume worn by his mother or by a loved one, whose chance encounter is enough to revive an old emotion.

He sums up this conception in another phrase: “Perfume is a fluid emotion.”

Perfume exists materially in a bottle, then disperses as soon as it is sprayed. It then continues in the experience of the person wearing it and in the memory of those who encounter it.

This approach is reflected in his work for C_Ray. The house’s seven compositions are linked by a shared accord combining mate, osmanthus, oakmoss, and a vegetal leather facet. Depending on the proportions, this accord appears subtly or asserts itself more strongly in the composition. The brand named it Cuir de Fleur.

Discover the fragrances created by Jean-Michel Duriez

With C_Ray, Jean-Michel Duriez expresses the same olfactory signature through seven compositions. Cuir de Fleur explores floral and leathery nuances; Pear & White Sandalwood emphasizes the dialogue between fruit and wood; the other creations develop their own accords around this shared imprint.

SCENTISSIME invites you to discover these fragrances through detailed olfactory descriptions and its personalized recommendation tools, to help you choose a fragrance that matches your tastes and sensitivity.