Josephine Catapano

About Josephine Catapano

Josephine Catapano (1918–2012) was an American perfumer based in New York. She worked at IFF and its predecessor company and is remembered as one of the pioneering women in American perfumery. Her creations for Estée Lauder and Shiseido became part of the fragrance histories of both the United States and Japan.

Career

Trained in chemistry, she worked in a hospital laboratory during the Second World War before joining Van Ameringen-Haebler, a company that later became part of IFF. There she learned from Ernest Shiftan. IFF highlights her 1953 creation for Estée Lauder in its account of American perfumery: introduced as a bath oil, it helped Estée Lauder bring fragrance into everyday life and encourage women to choose scent for themselves.

Creative Style and Philosophy

Her best-known works span different brand identities, from the rich presence of her early Estée Lauder creation to the floral, mossy character of her work for Shiseido. These perfumes give distinct settings to flowers, woods and warmer textures. The Fragrance Foundation France also recalls her long career at IFF and her influence on younger perfumers, including her early recognition of Sophia Grojsman’s talent.

Signature Works

• *Youth Dew (1953)*: an early Estée Lauder fragrance whose introduction as a bath oil helped expand everyday fragrance use.
• *Zen Original (1964)*: Shiseido’s first Zen, distinguished from later fragrances bearing the same name.