Gaël Montero

About Gaël Montero

Gaël Montero is a French-Spanish perfumer at Givaudan. Raised in Madrid, he first moved to France to study cinema before redirecting his interest in art and the senses toward perfumery. His path through Madrid, Montpellier, Barcelona, Paris, and Dubai has given him a deliberately international point of view. Rather than treating those locations as decoration, he uses their different habits of scent and style as practical creative material.

Career

Montero studied perfumery at Montpellier University. A position in Barcelona led to two formative years assisting Jordi Fernández, whose mentorship combined generosity, experimentation, and close attention to raw materials. Montero then entered the Givaudan Perfumery School in Paris and chose fine fragrance as the field that felt most natural. Moving to Dubai deepened a long-standing interest in Middle Eastern perfume culture, from highly luxurious niche compositions to the broader regional market.

Creative Style & Philosophy

Woods and musks are recurring anchors in Montero's palette, but his larger interest is cultural crossover. He borrows language from architecture, thinking in terms of foundations, construction, proportion, and the clarity of a finished structure. Middle Eastern richness can therefore meet European minimalism without either being reduced to a stereotype. He also questions the assumption that impact always requires greater strength, exploring subtler scents that remain distinctive close to the skin. Client relationships and careful listening help him translate local expectations into a recognisable signature.

Signature Works

• *Cavort* — a sensual composition balancing spice, florals, and polished woods.
• *Emerald Royal* — a luxurious green-woody fragrance with depth and architectural presence.
• *Madurai* — an atmospheric interpretation of South India through jasmine, fruit, and spice.