Where did you find inspiration for Mark Buxton Perfumes?
The brand’s Black Collection is [a journey] through my career—each fragrance has a story, which I try to capture in a bottle. [The inspiration can come from] a person; a country; two raw materials working together; and so on.

With the Freedom Collection, we used ambrette absolute, which costs €10,000 per kilo; it’s something that hasn’t been used often in the industry, first because of its price and second because it’s not that easy to work with. We based a lot of the fragrances around that, which gave identity to those scents.

Free [one of the scents] is an incense, but [one which] has been broken down to oil, resin and purjeonete, which is a burnt, smoky incense—it’s a lot deeper.

Do you have a mentor or muse in mind when shaping your ideas for a fragrance?
I appreciate a lot of big perfumers, many of whom I have worked with during my career—but I think the most important thing is to create your own style, [which we call] “handwriting”.

Emotions and feelings have a big influence in creating fragrances. Every project is different and challenging. 

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Which were the most challenging and the most enjoyable perfumes to develop?
The most challenging perfume I worked on was the first Commes des Garçons scent I created in 1994. It was also called Commes des Garçons. The challenge was that they kept the identity of the brand secret, so it was like working in the dark.

They didn’t want a regular perfume structure, [which would have] a top note, heart and drydown [lingering element]. It was more like a star, with lots of peaks and elements shooting out at the same time. You don’t have a fluid [progression of scents]—you smell everything at the same time. That was something new at the time.

The idea came as I’d come back from Morocco; there are lots of souks there. I tried to capture the smell, feeling and emotions of strolling through a souk, with the spices, herbs, amber and musk they sell. All these different elements became the first Commes des Garçons fragrance.

The most enjoyable fragrance was Naked Dance for Oddity in 2022. It’s not the best I have ever created, but it was the first time I was approached by [a client in] the Hong Kong market, and I’m really satisfied with the final product.

[The Oddity team] made the most wonderful mood boards with beautiful images—the colours were beige and white, there were feathers and flowers that were slowly dying—but there was a sensuality about them, and lots of textures, with cotton, silk and linen. It was really fun to work on. The exchanges we had were emotional.

What’s the difference between designing perfumes for a major brand and for a niche brand?
There is a big difference. In niche spaces, you have more liberty—you can be more creative and daring [with concepts]. When you create for the mass market, the price of the ingredients is of the least [importance] compared to the costs of packaging and marketing.

It’s difficult to use prestigious products, such as rose or jasmine oil, amber, vetiver or even real bergamot. The fragrance isn’t as rich or long-lasting.

Niche brands’ budgets are much higher. They’re looking for quality and something unique and creative, which will bring something different and original to the mass market. These products are usually priced higher, [because] the brands are willing to invest more.

Any thoughts on what’s trending now in perfume?
That’s a difficult question to answer, because I don’t follow trends—I like to set them. I always feel honoured when I smell a fragrance that smells similar to one I created, and when someone is trying to copy my “handwriting”.

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What are your top five perfume picks?
Féminité du Bois by Serge Lutens is one of the most extraordinary fragrances I’ve ever smelt. It’s so rich and well-balanced and has an excellent formula, filled with natural products.

When [the now discontinued] Fahrenheit by Dior came out in 1988, it was extraordinary. There’s a very special green note—methyl octine carbonate—which smells a bit like gherkins and was very polarising at the time. It had this warm, vibrating, woody, slightly leathery drydown that was a bit like violet wood. There was something both feminine and masculine about it, and it was ahead of its time.

Bois d’Argent, also by Dior, is a great accord [combination of notes]; it’s so long-lasting. This was done with very high-quality products; there is an enormous amount of vanilla and tonka in it. It brought something new to the market. One of my sons wears it, and it’s very unique.

Dead Air by Oddity also brings something new to the market. It has violet absolute, and narcissus absolute, which hasn’t been used much in the industry. It has so many different facets and gives a lot of originality to a fragrance. This was a response to what [Oddity] was looking for with their briefing; very dark, with stones and a black sea. It was fun to work on.

I’d been wearing vetiver fragrances since I was 18, and people said to me I should create one for my own collection. Emotional Drop by Mark Buxton Perfumes has a vetiver theme. Vetiver is one of my all-time favourite natural products. It is a root, which smells woody, like peanuts; and a little dusty, like a potato cellar—but with something grapefruit-like about it.

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