Olivier Gillotin
A French Master Perfumer who draws on biology and an international career, treating nature as emotion rather than imitation and renewing classics with modern clarity.
France
About Olivier Gillotin
Olivier Gillotin is a French Master Perfumer whose career has crossed Europe and the United States. He understands fragrance not as a copy of an odor but as an arrangement of emotion capable of acting on mood and memory.
Career
Born in Brittany, Gillotin studied biology in Paris and trained at the Givaudan Perfumery School. He spent more than two decades at the company, working from New York as a Vice President Perfumer and mentor. In 2022 he received the American Society of Perfumery Lifetime Achievement Award. Public records indicate that after his long Givaudan career, he began a new chapter as Master Perfumer at Moellhausen in 2025.
Creative Style & Philosophy
Rather than imitate a natural odor exactly, he transfers the emotion, temperature, and bodily sensation of encountering nature. A command of classical tobacco, amber, leather, and floral structures lets him change proportions of light, air, and sweetness for modern definition. He compares creation to composition in music and aims for fragrance that can bring happiness or calm.
Signature Works
- *Tobacco Vanille* — Tobacco, spice, and vanilla held in a dense, smooth contrast.
- *Soleil Neige* — White florals, citrus, and amber balancing cold light with warmth.
- *10 Corso Como* — Woods, resins, and musk arranged with quiet urbanity.
