CÉCILE MATTON
PERFUMER-JEWELER
PARTICULAR TRAIT:
AN INNATE EMPATHY THAT AMPLIFIES THE ABILITY TO LISTEN TO, UNDERSTAND AND WELCOME OTHERS
IT WAS IN ZAIRE THAT SHE WAS BORN,
in the country of superlative smells that would guide her nose to unmatched pleasures. Her mother was a wise woman there, an independent and committed adventurer. From her homeland, Cécile has memories of vacations spent at her maternal grandparents’ place. Her grandfather, from the island of Réunion, told her about vanilla, whose flower he fertilized to obtain the pod. The idea germinated.
OLFACTORY SIGNATURE:
ADDICTION, ACHIEVED THROUGH OVERDOSES, CONTRASTS AND CAPTIVATING ACCIDENTS
FROM PHARMACY TO PERFUMERY
The call of the materials was heard. At 15 years old, the young woman decided that she would be a perfumer. Yet at the time, pharmaceutical companies dominated the perfumery landscape: logically, she enrolled in pharmacy studies, an education grounded in rigor and exactitude. She became acquainted with materials and molecules through their medicinal properties. Once she obtained her doctorate, it was by way of aromatherapy that she landed at Biolandes through an internship that would culminate in specialized training at the Roure school.
REFINED CREATIONS
Her real initiation into perfumery began with a journey to Grasse in a Renault 4L. There, she followed the method invented by Jean Carles and met Ralf Schwieger. Between them, an enduring bond developed. In Paris, it was under Jean Guichard, her mentor, that she continued her apprenticeship. Next, she discovered American perfumery at IFF in New York. When she returned to Paris, having become a mother, she resumed her other passion: jewelry. She had received an introduction to it through evening classes taken during her pharmacy studies. In this way, she continued her education through two complementary crafts, jewelry and gemology, which she explored at the École Boulle. Through this, she perpetuated a double heritage – from her mother, a lover of antique jewelry, and her paternal grandfather, named the best goldsmith in Nice.
HER INSPIRATION : FREEDOM, ART & LIVING CREATURES
A "bonne vivante", she makes her scientific knowledge and her know-how converge in the domain of the perceptible and the pleasurable. Above all, it has to smell good – and abundantly so. Among her secrets, she has a gift for being able to expertly adjust a character structure so that it features a dimension of skin, a skillful blend of musks and Orcanox™.
In searching for real emotions to bring to fragrance, she has a mantra: “the perfect is the enemy of the good.” She would not know how to conceal under too much ornament the raw and pure beauty of a distinct material, like nutmeg or ginger, fragrances in themselves, gifts from nature. Like rock climbing with bare hands, the perfumer lifts herself up by grabbing hold of the metaphorical rough spots that she encounters. It’s necessary to make use of and cherish olfactory accidents.
Her creativity manifests itself through a mindset, of being open and sharing. It first has to do with an approach to life: a bohemian tendency, inclined to dreams, the desire to flee imperatives. As a common feature of what moves her, there is an immediate feeling, without the need for explanations. It occurs especially in her relations with people or animals that she respects infinitely but also in her love of art, the direct language of emotions.
Returning to the fragrance arena in 2007, Cécile Matton joined MANE, a company whose convivial spirit, environmental and human consciousness, and teams she appreciated.
It was in this context that she deployed all of her talent as a creator, supported by the clients who inspired her: “It’s a genuine partnership that is based on trust. I devote all my attention to a project, to best respond to it and to faithfully translate the universe that it offers.” Her efforts and talent have not gone unnoticed: In 2018, she was named “Perfumer of the Year” by Cosmétique Mag.
With a dual background in perfumery and jewelry,
Cécile has always adopted the approach of an artisan.
Her sensitivity drives her to prefer "seductive imperfections
over executions that are technically perfect but less endearing".
At MANE
In other companies
EMPORIO ARMANI
Stronger with You
Stronger with You Intensely
Stronger with You Leather
Stronger With You Absolutely
Stronger With You Freeze
Stronger With You Only
Stronger With You Oud
Stronger With You Amber
Stronger With You Tobacco
In collaboration with J. Massé & M. Bijaoui
YVES SAINT LAURENT
37 rue de Bellechasse
In collaboration with J. Massé
VIKTOR & ROLF
Bonbon, Bonbon Couture
Bonbon Pastel
Bonbon Spring Summer
In collaboration with S. Majoullier
ARMANI PRIVÉ
Pivoine Suzhou
In collaboration with J. Massé
DOLCE&GABBANA
Velvet Incenso
In collaboration with J. Massé
Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme
Dolce & Gabbana Intense
CHLOE
Orchidée de Minuit
In collaboration with M. Nardin
BIOTHERM
Eau Fusion
SPRINGFIELD
Rewind : The Feeling of the Night
In collaboration with V. Nyberg
ERMENEGILDO ZEGNA
Zegna Forte
DIPTYQUE
Venise
Do Son Eau de Parfum
Tam Dao Eau de Parfum
Candles: Le Redouté, Paris, Berlin, Shanghai, Miami,
Hong Kong, Beverly Hills, New York, Londres, Seoul, Citrouille
BORN TO STAND OUD
L'Animal
TRUSSARDI
La Vie di Milano Champaca
Champaca Edizione Millemisata
L'OCCITANE
Thé Vert
Rose Calisson
With S. Majoullier
ETAT LIBRE D’ORANGE
500 Years
Exit The King
In collaboration with R. Schwieger
THIERRY MUGLER
Womanity
In collaboration with MANE perfumers
POMELLATO
Nudo Rose, Nudo Blue
LALIQUE
Collection Noir Premier
1989, Elégance Animale
THE BODY SHOP
Black Musk
In collaboration with R. Schwieger
Black Musk Night Bloom
In collaboration with R. Schwieger
JILL STUART
Crystal Bloom Snow
Crystal Bloom Moonlight Magic
Crystal Bloom Something Pure Blue
YVES SAINT LAURENT
Baby Doll
In collaboration with R. Schwieger
CARTIER
Must pour homme
In collaboration with N. Feisthauer
NINA RICCI
Délice d’Epices
Belles de Minuit
HER CREATIONS