CAMILLE GOUTAL

" My favourite smells are those of toasted bread on a Sunday morning..."
Camille Goutal was a decoration and studio photographer before turning her hand to perfume. She “uses all her senses at once”. She learned to become a nose alongside Isabelle Doyen, initially by weighing her formulas in their shared laboratory. She has a “very visual approach to creation” and has overseen the artistic direction of Voyages Imaginaires. All the photographs are hers. With Isabelle, she has created many perfumes for Goutal, including Songes, Mon Parfum Chéri and Ambre Fétiche, which she is particularly fond of.

EMOTION

“My favourite smells are those of toasted bread on a Sunday morning, my daughters’ skin when I kiss their cheeks and my grandfather’s home in Aix, where I used to spend my summer holidays as a child with fifteen or so cousins, surrounded by scents of rosemary and of dusty stones warmed in the sun. I also love the smell of ether and petrol, which are impossible to describe but evoke within me a parallel and paradoxical world, both dark and iridescent.”

sound

“The wonderfully comforting sound of the rain when you’re at home, warm and cosy with a book under a blanket. It carries me away in a smell of asphalt and storms, loaded with the earthy scents of Parisian parks. In terms of music, I’d have to say Cigarettes & Loneliness by Chet Faker, it’s so hypnotic that it refocuses me, it clears my head, and helps me concentrate before weighing my formulas.

intimate

“When I smell ylang-ylang it evokes freedom, fundamental to me. My first memory dates back to when I was 3, which was when my obsession for travelling began, leafing through one of my father’s Geo magazines on Polynesia. I’d spent so much time imagining the fragrance of tiaré and frangipani that I literally recognised them when I smelt them in my thirties in real life. It was insane. I felt like I was exactly where I should be in the world. I have quite a complex relationship with time, I can watch it stretch away for hours, days, even weeks sometimes, then get caught up in an effervescence that will give me wings to discover an endless succession of new things and explore new horizons...”

INTIMATE

“When I smell ylang-ylang it evokes freedom, fundamental to me. My first memory dates back to when I was 3, which was when my obsession for travelling began, leafing through one of my father’s Geo magazines on Polynesia. I’d spent so much time imagining the fragrance of tiaré and frangipani that I literally recognised them when I smelt them in my thirties in real life. It was insane. I felt like I was exactly where I should be in the world. I have quite a complex relationship with time, I can watch it stretch away for hours, days, even weeks sometimes, then get caught up in an effervescence that will give me wings to discover an endless succession of new things and explore new horizons...”

LITERATURE

“While the works by Proust and Baudelaire are very descriptive in terms of smells, JK Rowling describes the old grimoires and the castle and forest so well in her Harry Potter books that it’s as though I can smell everything between the lines. It was this saga that inspired Isabelle’s Mandragore perfume for Goutal.”

destination

“I’d have to say London, which is my second home, in particular the banks of the Thames. I love the atmosphere of the docks, a mix of modern buildings, no man’s land and seagulls. It’s slightly mysterious and smells like the sea.”  

destination

“I’d have to say London, which is my second home, in particular the banks of the Thames. I love the atmosphere of the docks, a mix of modern buildings, no man’s land and seagulls. It’s slightly mysterious and smells like the sea.”

IDOLS

“I’d like to create a perfume for Joey Starr, magnetic, wild and indomitable, it takes me right back to the fantastic madness and effervescence of the hip hop era of my teens. Rather than composing something too obvious and animal, I’d propose a great perfumery classic, a bit like Eau Sauvage by Dior. Fanny Ardant also inspires me, for the same reasons but in the body of a woman. She’s incredibly mysterious and sophisticated, of a rare elegance. She likes oriental scents, so I’d suggest an amber or smoky, spicy fragrance.”

MYTHICAL FIGURES IN PERFUMERY

“I could name three. Mitsouko by Guerlain, a fascinating example of abstraction. Then Eau Sauvage by Dior, which is such a beautiful fragrance. It hasn’t aged at all, it’s still magnificent, even on a young fifteen year old. And finally Nuit de Bakélite by Naomi Goodsir, a smoky tuberose leather created by Isabelle, elegant and with a strong personality. Now that’s what you call perfume.” 

MYTHICAL FIGURES IN PERFUMERY

"I'll name three. Guerlain's Mitsouko, a fascinating monument of abstraction. Eau Sauvage by Dior, so beautiful. It hasn't aged a day and remains magnificent, even on a fifteen-year-old. Finally, Nuit de Bakélite by Naomi Goodsir, a tuberous smoked leather composed by Isabelle that reconciles elegance and strong personality. It's a heavyweight. »

CREATION RITUAL

“I find inspiration walking alone through a city, or looking through a plane window for hours on end. Although most of my ideas seem insane on landing...”

SENTIMENTAL FRAGRANCE

“Joy? When I bury my nose in the mane of my mare on Île de Ré. Tender, soft and warm. I feel free, and can forget everything. Love? The smell of my flat in Paris. An indescribable mix of cats, our daughters, blown-out candles, perfume testing, flowers and plants.”

SENTIMENTAL FRAGRANCE

“Joy? When I bury my nose in the mane of my mare on Île de Ré. Tender, soft and warm. I feel free, and can forget everything. Love? The smell of my flat in Paris. An indescribable mix of cats, our daughters, blown-out candles, perfume testing, flowers and plants.”  

FAVOURITE WAKES

“I wear mostly Azahar from the Voyages Imaginaires collection. I’m crazy about neroli, maybe partly because my uncle brought me some back from Tunisia. Also La Couleur de la Nuit. It moves me a lot, although I can’t explain why

EMOTION

“My favourite smells are those of toasted bread on a Sunday morning, my daughters’ skin when I kiss their cheeks and my grandfather’s home in Aix, where I used to spend my summer holidays as a child with fifteen or so cousins, surrounded by scents of rosemary and of dusty stones warmed in the sun. I also love the smell of ether and petrol, which are impossible to describe but evoke within me a parallel and paradoxical world, both dark and iridescent.”