Portrait: Mathilde Bijaoui​

Perfumer for L’Artisan Parfumeur, Mathilde Bijaoui creates fragrances like true elixirs of joy. Her compositions reflect her generous and luminous personality, with seductive, vibrant harmonies. Inspired by music, dance, and the way the body moves, the vivacity of her passions enliven all her creations. ​

For La Cérémonie de l’Encens her latest fragrance, she celebrates the spiritual aura of incense, revealing its olfactory facets by pairing it with a daring duo of pepper and cedar. A meticulous blend with infinite evocative power. ​

What was your inspiration for La Cérémonie de l’Encens?​

I was inspired by kōdō, the ancestral Japanese art dedicated to the appreciation of incense. Kōdō embodies a subtle balance between spiritual awakening, inner purification and deep calming. Using this approach, I wanted to revisit the multiple dimensions of incense – spiritual, sensory and emotional. My goal is to invite everyone to discover or rediscover incense in a new light, by revealing all its richness and depth.​

What was your creative process?​

I used three qualities of incense, each with a distinct nuance. The intention was to create a ‘Japanised’ formula: short, simple and refined. An overdose of cedar brings a woody, textured effect, while the leafy freshness of cypress balances the ensemble. Vetiver, meanwhile, infuses a more earthy depth.​

To enrich this carte blanche with L’Artisan Parfumeur, I worked on a duo of Pure Jungle Essence™ black pepper and elemi, which add a fresh touch. Pepper reinforces the spicy dimension of incense, while elemi enlivens its resinous accents.​

La Cérémonie de l’Encens celebrates the mystical soul of incense, are you attracted by the spiritual connection with scent, yourself?​

Certain scents recharge me, like the smell of wood in traditional saunas, or wild mint, which grows in the fields at my parents' house. These are the scents of my well-being, they soothe me. Incense, on the other hand, recentres me. I think of it more as a form of meditation than spirituality. ​

Finally, what is your connection with L'Artisan Parfumeur?​

I have always dreamed of collaborating with L’Artisan Parfumeur, with whom I took my first steps in the world of perfumery. From the age of sixteen to twenty, I wore Mûre et Musc, which is now a real Proust’s Madeleine for me. ​

And what does being an “Artisan Parfumeur” mean to you?​

An artisan perfumeur is someone who creates a new fragrance from raw materials. This has always resonated with me: playing with raw materials to create new shapes, colours and textures. A profession on the edge of art and craftsmanship.