Miya Shinma
A Japanese perfumer based in Paris, drawing on music, poetry and memories of nature for her independent house.
Japan
About Miya Shinma
Miya Shinma is a Japanese perfumer from Shizuoka who works from her atelier in Paris and leads MIYA SHINMA PARIS. Nature, poetry and memories of the seasons provide recurring starting points for her work. A musical education begun in childhood also informs the way she considers individual materials and the larger composition they form together.
Career
After studying French in Kyoto and moving to Europe, Shinma learned perfume creation with Lorenzo Villoresi in Florence in 1995. In 1997, she continued her training with Monique Schlienger at Cinquième Sens in Paris, developing the practical vocabulary of fragrance composition. Her own house began in 1999, with early perfumes followed by collections exploring ukiyo-e, traditional colours and the culture of incense.
Creative Style & Philosophy
Shinma treats perfume as a presence that can remain close to skin, paying attention to restraint, precision and emotional resonance. A plant name may invite a study of nature, while colour or poetry allows a more abstract interpretation of remembered light and atmosphere. Musical and literary associations become relationships between sweetness, freshness, wood and floral texture, with space left for the wearer’s own experience.
Signature Works
- *Hana* — Rose, ylang-ylang and iris suggest the passing beauty of flowers and the trace they leave in memory.
- *Tsuki* — Bamboo, raspberry and white flowers connect moonlight with the emotion of a night spent waiting.
