Arnaud Poulain: The nose and mind behind Les Eaux Primordiales
Les Eaux Promordiales is one of the more recent additions to our shelves at Heaven Scent, and the perfume house, founded by Arnaud Poulain was founded in 2015. Smelling the perfumes, however, gives you an impression of revisiting a collection long-time classics. The scents are well-balanced, elegant yet inventive in a way that is hard not to like. While the heavy, black, white and golden perfume bottles makes me think of chic Parisian bathrooms from the 80s, there is nothing old-fashioned about their contents. From laundry detergents form his childhood northern France to a very special book he once was gifted: the scented universe of LEP’s founder and perfumer, Arnaud Poulain, is a mix of the technical, the emotional and the autobiographical. Read our interview with the exciting and gifted perfumer.
Beginning with the beginning: What did your childhood smell like?
The smell that reminds me the most of my childhood was the barrel of laundry detergent at my grandparents' house, who were both farmers. We washed our hands with Bonux washing powder. At that time, there was always a toy gift at the bottom of the box, so I was always excited to dip my hands in and find it. The smell of the laundry detergent remained on the skin for a long time. When I made Couleur Primaire, the perfume was created around this memory.
Poulain grew up in the countryside among a family of artisans. His father was a metalworker, his uncle a carpenter and his grandparents farmers who handed down their values of hard work and craftsmanship. As a teenager, he was fascinated by science and studied mechanical engineering, and around the age of 20 he was introduced to the world of perfume, which put his life and career on a new path.
You grew up in Arras, an industrial town of northern France, in a family of few immediate ties to perfume. Your father being a metal worker, and your grandparents farmers, which lead you to an education in mechanical engineering. Where did your interest in smells come from?
I believe in synchronicities a lot. Sometimes destiny creates paths for you, and then you got to have the audacity to go there. At age 20, I met someone very passionate about perfume, and their scented world immediately captivated me. He offered me a book written by perfumer Jean Claude Ellena, and I was mesmerised. There was no way back, I decided to dedicate my life to perfume.
Jean Claude Ellena is a French perfumer, who has created Heaven Scent classics such as L’Eau de Hiver from Frédéric Malle and Rose Poivrée for A Different Company — a perfume house he also was involved in creating. He has also worked as a house perfumer for Hérmes for years, and created some of their most famous scents. He is known for his discreet yet memorable scents, having said “As I see it, perfume whispers to our noses, speaks to us intimately, makes connections with our thoughts.” Ellena is also the founding member of the Osmothèque, an international scent archive based in Versailles.
You have already mentioned it, but do you feel like your family heritage exists in your scented work? Your most recent scent, Iris Palladium, is described as a ‘combination of flower and precious metal’ - is that an ode to your father being a metalworker?
Iris Palladium smells like a silk scarf touching the skin, both soft and sensual. The perfume has a base of woody notes and vanilla against the floral and metal-like facets of iris makes it smell unique and elegant.
What makes perfume-making interesting to me is the necessary play between chemistry and fantasy. Considering your background, do you see yourself as a technical or emotional perfumer?
I definitely mix the two. There is both high technicality and a perfect notion of olfactory balance in my work, but with a unique, different and daring olfactory bias which is more emotional.
You have previously spoken about perfume in very painterly, visual terms, comparing notes to colours that go well together. Are there any particular paintings you have looked at when creating your scents?
Yes, absolutely. Making Magnolia SUPERCRITIQUE, I was inspired by a painting by Douanier Rousseau called Le Rêve – the dream in French – which speaks to me a lot. He painted an exotic paradise in a utopian and fantasised way. I tried to give a smell to this scene and to this flower in the foreground, which looks a lot like Magnolia.
Making scents for a living, how do you wear perfumes yourself? Do you have a signature scent?
I change it up every day, sometimes even several times a day. I am a real enthusiast and consumer so I spend a lot of time putting on perfume and testing it. I try all the perfumes for several months before launching them on the market. I analyse everything about the scent, and observe them in different situations in order to understand the perfume, and how it interacts with the its surroundings. So I don't have a specific perfume, but I often wear Ambre and Vanille. I like opulent and suave perfumes.
To take a step back from perfume, and instead consider smells in general: What is your favourite smell?
I like woody notes, I like the smell of wood, it reminds me of the smell of my uncle's cabinet-making workshop. I bought it and we use it today to create our presentation furniture, installations and pop up stores.
Which of the LEP perfumes represents you the most as a person?
Cèdre SUPERFLUIDE. It is a discreet but daring perfume — a passionate, courageous and balanced fragrance, combining spices and woody notes with rose. I love this perfume!
