How Interparfums bottled Parisian memories in Solférino Paris

Can you bottle a memory? A moment in time, a person, or even a city? For some, these are just abstract questions, but for Philippe Bénacin, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Interparfums, they have an answer: Yes.

This month, Interparfums heavily anticipated Solférino Paris’ boutique opening its doors on Rue Saint-Honoré in Paris, offering not one, but ten fragrances, each one an answer to a different master perfumer’s interpretation of an iconic Parisian place or moment. “The idea was from the office”, explains Bénacin, of the genesis for the line. He is, of course, referring to the company’s spectacular headquarters at 10 Rue de Solférino, a storied Parisian landmark that was built in 1780 as the seat of the Socialist Party. Acquired by the perfume-maker in 2021, this prestigious 18th-century mansion, nestled between Boulevard Saint-Germain and the banks of the Seine River, serves as the starting point and epicentre of the Maison’s creative inspiration.

Typically, the journey of a fragrance from concept to execution is long, involving countless trials and refinements. Perfumers experiment with notes and blends to capture the perfect balance—the sparkle of the top notes that make the first impression, the heart notes that unfold with time to reveal the fragrance’s true character, and the base notes that linger, leaving a lasting trail. “First, you start with the brief in general. And the brief is what we want to convey in terms of the collection, which is Paris,” explains Bénacin. “Then we gave this brief to the perfumer, or in this case, ten master perfumers, and asked them to come back with three versions,” he adds. Following this, Bénacin and his team tested and tweaked each fragrance with their creators to ensure that every layer hit the right notes.

The ability to bring together some of the world’s greatest noses was no small feat, yet Bénacin was undeterred. “After 40 years, we are launching our first in-house fragrance brand”, he announces with pride. The launch represents a purposeful leap into niche perfumery, coinciding with the worldwide drift towards more luxurious scents. “The market has been developing and growing, so we thought the time was right”, Bénacin adds. The result? Ten gender-neutral fragrances that capture the essence of Paris and yet speak volumes about their creators.

First, there’s Rêverie Sur Seine (Daydream on the Seine) 01 by master perfumer Nathalie Lorson from DSM-Firmenich. A delightful mix of aromatic clary sage and refreshing mandarin, it eventually gives way to the softness of ambrox and musk. As Lorson explains, it is “an ode to lightness, symbolised by the sweetness of neroli. An invitation to get lost in memories along the quays”.

Rich oud makes an appearance in Minuit Rue Princesse (Midnight on Rue Princesse) 07, created by Coralie Spicher and Fabrice Pellegrin of DSM-Firmenich, inspired by the vibrant street: “This sumptuous fragrance is the essence of a party venue, where dance steps echo on the noble wooden floors of the grand apartments,” they explain of their ­creation. Here, the pair meticulously blend the warmth of oud with velvety dates, saffron and vanilla, each carefully chosen to conjure up the promise of a sensational soirée in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés. 

Floral notes star in other creations, such as 10, Solférino 02, created by Givaudan’s Antoine Maisondieu, in which the enduring rose is given a contemporary feel when combined with fruity notes and a rich woody base. “Classic yet avant-garde, this majestic rose is a tribute to the splendour of a centuries-old townhouse”, explains the perfumer. Paris Radieux (Radiant Paris) 06 by Yann Vasnier of the same fragrance house turns to fragrant gardenia, coupled with sensuous jasmine and a hint of fresh citrus, to capture the luminosity of the Place de l’Étoile.

The presentation of the perfumes adds a final flourish. Tall and sleek, the bottles echo Parisian architecture—elegant, symmetrical and crowned with golden caps engraved with the sun. The box, too, is luxurious, each depicting an illustration of the corner of Paris that inspired it and finished with a deep green seal and ribbon to represent the iconic front door of Interparfums’ headquarters. Altogether, the packaging is beautiful, and luxurious—much like the building it’s named after.

For a man who now leads one of the world’s largest fragrance houses, his own introduction to scent came not from passion, but from chance. “It’s funny, I didn’t know anything about perfumes when we started,” he recalls of his foray into the industry. “I was making market surveys for different companies while I was finishing business school, and one of the surveys was for a fashion company that wanted to develop a fragrance. It was the first time I had ever even stepped into a perfume store, because I didn’t wear fragrance before,” he adds with a laugh.

From that unlikely first impression grew Interparfums, which he co-founded with Jean Madar more than 40 years ago. Today, the company creates and distributes perfumes and cosmetics under exclusive global licenses for names such as Coach, Jimmy Choo, and Boucheron. Yet despite decades of experience, Solférino Paris represents something entirely new: the house’s first independent collection, meaning that for the first time, every creative decision was their own. “The key decisions in terms of creativity were taken internally and not with another brand. So this was important for us,” Bénacin explains.

His favourite among the debut ten? L’été Avenue Gabriel—or simply “Number Ten”, as he fondly refers to it. “It’s an oriental fragrance with iris and mirabelle plums. It reminds me of summer,” he says, noting that when blended with smoky, musky suede leather and woody nuances, it leaves a luscious rather than overly sweet lingering trail. 

Today, Interparfums has succeeded in capturing more than fragrance: it has captured feeling. And as the notes rise and settle, so too does the sense that perhaps the most timeless luxury of all is the ability to hold a fleeting moment, and keep it close forever.