Ryoko Akatsu

About Ryoko Akatsu

Ryoko Akatsu is a Japanese perfumer at Givaudan, based in Yokohama. As a Consumer Product Perfumer, she specialises in fragrances for fabric and personal care, and she also creates fine fragrances made to be worn on the skin.

Career

When she could not find a perfumery position in Japan, she went to Grasse, in southern France, and studied perfumery there for two years. She has trained in Paris and Switzerland, and has studied and worked in Shanghai, Singapore and Tokyo. Memories of these places remain a constant source of inspiration.

Creative Style & Philosophy

Her love of plants goes back to childhood walks in nature with her grandfather, a biology professor. She likes to learn the story behind each ingredient, and once attended the harvest and distillation of patchouli. On a detergent project, she visited homes in Vietnam where laundry is often still washed by hand, and the visit strengthened her wish to bring a little more pleasure to everyday care routines.

Signature Works

• *Living My Story* (SHIRO) — a perfume built around orange blossom, with lavender, jasmine and mandarin; she softened its slightly masculine lean into a comfortable scent without boundaries
• *White Lie* (Handhandhand) — a perfume that sets bergamot and mandarin over basil, freesia and pink pepper, with a cool, clear freshness