Mark Buxton

Perfumer

The craftsmanship in perfume formulation

Mark has his own perfume boutique in Paris
He was discovered for his nose in a German TV show
In his head, he can formulate perfume recipes down to the finest milligram

Years ago Mark Buxton appeared on the TV show 'Wetten Dass' in the 1980s where he and a friend bet on their ability to recognise 600 perfumes. Mark handled the fragrances for men, whereas his friend handled the fragrances for women. The scents were all memorised by Mark within a few weeks, categorised into his own mental grids. Mark's friend fainted during the exercise, so the bet did not follow through. However, the perfume company Haarmann & Reimer called him shortly after and offered him training. Over the course of his career Mar has developed fragrances for Givenchy, Versace, Van Cleef & Arpels, Lagerfeld, Burberry, Cartier, Chopard, and Ferré, among others. When he created the Comme des Garçons inaugural fragrance, his daring approach became apparent. In the world of haute parfumerie, Mark quickly gained recognition and has since participated in many artistic endeavours.

Interview

In your perfumery training, what skills do you learn?: In order to become a junior perfumer, you must first memorise approximately 2,000 raw materials. After two years, you learn how to create chords with these raw materials. In the third year, it is all about replicating classics such as Chanel n°5 so that you can understand what classifications such as chypre, fougere, and oriental mean and how they work.
Which techniques do you master?: My head can develop perfume recipes down to a milligram. I once flew to Turkey to pitch the fragrance for Wes Anderson's film Grandhotel Budapest. My team in Paris then implemented the fragrance recipe one-on-one after I familiarised myself with the customer's wishes. The fragrance turned out exactly as I had imagined.
How do you feel about owning your own perfume label now?: Honestly, I have the best job in the world. Having over 25 years' experience in the industry, I founded Mark Buxton Parfum in Paris. It is a small, manageable company with a lot of freedom to get really creative and work on niche markets only.
What advice would you give to young perfumers?: The development of your own signature is important as a perfumer. In order to do so I think one needs to believe in innovation, question existing concepts, and experiment boldly. Playing it safe or even copying scents is counterproductive in my opinion.

Mark Buxton is an expert artisan: he began his career in 1986