François Demachy

Perfumer François Demachy sees himself as an artisan, not a creative genius, and sees dedication and passion to his profession as crucial parts in creating each of his fragrances. Technical know-how and intuition are two other tools that assist him, as well as his talented nose. His professional career was practically born in his cradle. Born in Cannes, the son of a pharmacist grew up in the world capital of fragrances: Grasse. After a few detours, he began his training as a perfumer in 1971 at the traditional Charabot house, which has been producing fragrances and essences since 1799. After five years, François Demachy moved to Chanel, where he became head of the Research & Development department. In 2006, he was appointed head of the Development Department by LVMH-Cosmetics. There, he was mainly responsible for the fragrances of the House of Dior, which is part of the LVMH Group (Louis Vuitton - Moët Hennessy). François Demachy never shied away from telling the blunt sides of his career when being interviewed. His first fragrance creation, for example, was an attractant for cattle breeding, intended to stimulate the animals' appetite. Today, he can look back on more than 190 creations of world renown (selection):

For Dior:
Sauvage
Escale à Portofino
Dior Homme
Oud Ispahan
Fahrenheit 32
Fahrenheit Absolute
Hypnotic Poison
Midnight Poison
Miss Dior Cherie

For other big names he created:
Miss Pucci, Emilio Pucci
Tiffany, Tiffany
Gelsomino Nobile, Acqua di Parma
Clin d'Oeil, Bourjois
Ombre De La Nuit, Emanuel Ungaro
Fan di Fendi, Fendi
Dahlia Divin, Givenchy
Eau de Givenchy, Givenchy
Kenzo Homme Sport, Kenzo
Stephanie, Stephanie de Monaco

Francis Kurkdjian succeeded François Demachy as Dior's chief perfumer in October 2021. His notable success was "Dior Sauvage," which remains one of the best-selling men's fragrances of all time. He was also able to settle the patent dispute over the legendary "Miss Dior" in favor of the traditional house with a simple trick. His childhood in Grasse was formative for him throughout his life. He always kept his close ties with the worldwide raw material suppliers as an essential key to a successful fragrance creation.