NOTABLE NOSES
thought of becoming a perfumer. “Heck yeah I
have!” I wanted to say.
Finally, a good friend of mine, Cécile le
Cerf, encouraged me to send applications
everywhere rather than lamenting over this
missed intranet opportunity and gave me the
names of some contacts.
It just so happened that Takasago USA was
looking to start an internal perfumery school. I
flew in for a 48-hour interview in the summer
of 2004, started training that November, and
never looked back.
DANGELICO: As a perfumer, what’s your
approach or philosophy for problem solving
and collaborating to achieve success—both for
your clients and your team?
NADAU: “Don’t say it can’t be done unless
you’ve tried and failed and failed and failed,”
is one of my mottos. I am a “fixer”—I’m natu-
rally extremely detail-oriented and find a lot of
meaning in fixing problems and helping others.
This comes up in my dedication and consisten-
cy to rework and perfect fragrances technically
until they perform, no matter the final base they
go in. Deadlines generally save me from going
on forever. I’m actually currently still working
on a fragrance type today that is from a project
that first started in 2013. This has to be the
most trickled-down fragrance in the history of
home care!
The thing is, perfumery is all but an exact
science. Everyone knows and talks about
the ethereal and artistic part of it—which is
undeniable—but in home and personal care,
there’s a lot of solid technical work that goes
into creation. This combo of soft creation and
hard science means there’s never a dull day
on the job. Things can work in very obscure
ways—1 plus 1 sometimes equals 3, and
sometimes zero.
It can be really hard to not get discouraged
when you try and try and try again and it still
does not work. You have to have very thick
skin as a perfumer, because 99 percent of your
creations will be criticized and/or rejected.
First, it’s not strong enough, woody enough,
fresh enough, pretty enough, floral enough,
diffusive enough. Then, once the smell is good
enough, maybe your cost has gone up because
there’s a raw material crisis affecting the one
ingredient you have included 15 percent or
more of… So, like I was saying, never a dull
day.
As far as team work, I am very fortunate
because the perfumery team at Takasago USA
is comprised of wonderful individuals, who
each bring their own strengths. That makes
collaboration easy because everyone pulls their
own weight. I trust fully that whatever issue I
am struggling to solve, there is someone I can
get honest help from—just like my colleagues
come to me for particular issues with their own
fragrances. This very healthy balance of give
and take makes this team extremely strong.
DANGELICO: As the industry works to
address concerns among the general public,
legislators, and the media about fragrance and
fragrance ingredients, how can perfumers help?
NADAU: I personally believe that clarity and
openness are paramount. Everyone wants
transparency and expects it. As an industry, we
agree that common-sense transparency is need-
ed, and we’re figuring out how to best share
and address consumer’s needs without creating
undue alarm. But that’s a trend that is not going
away, so I believe we have to adapt. Perfum-
ers are great at coming up with solutions to
complex problems and coming together to find
solutions, so we certainly have a role to play.
Addressing misinformation about
fragrance and fragrance ingredients is just
as important, if not more. So endeavors like
The Fragrance Conservatory—the consumer-
facing site Fragrance Creators is developing,
and which Takasago USA is supporting—are
key. For several years, Takasago USA has
hosted a day for 8th grade students from
a local school to come and learn about the
industry. We explain to them that “chemical”
does not equate “bad,” and some names are
just that, names, and nothing to be worried
about. Relentlessly teaching and patiently
explaining is key. People fear what they do
not know: It is our responsibility to make
perfumery more accessible so that our
audience understands there is nothing to be
afraid of. Perfumers being at the heart of
understanding what fragrances entail naturally
have a responsibility to speak up and be more
engaged with the public.
DANGELICO: You’re actively involved in Fra-
grance Creators’ efforts to uncover and share
the importance and benefits of fragrance in our
lives. Why this is work important to you?
NADAU: I’m encouraged to see this is a multi-
disciplinary, industry-led effort, which aims
to promote the positive aspects of fragrance in
everyday life. We will be gathering information
and stories that support this and looking to
uncover potential new areas for research.
The most important aspect that I see about
this work is the involvement of health and
wellness professionals. From what I know,
the involvement of medical professionals has
traditionally been more as an independent third
party—for example, the Research Institute for
Fragrance Materials’ Expert Panel—present as
safeguards to ensure the industry is employing
ANGÉLIQUE AND
HUSBAND ANDREW
AT THE PIKES PEAK
SUMMIT IN 2018
Issue 1, 2019 | FRAGRANCENOTES.ORG | 15