Aurelien Guichard, co-founder and creative perfumer of Matiere Premiere (the name means “raw material” in French), will have you know, “I am the only perfumer to grow his own ingredients. We have a deep respect for nature and local know-how.”
Guichard, who had created a string of fragrances for leading couture houses such as Valentino, Issey Miyake, and Burberry, hails from seven generations of perfumers. He was born in Grasse—in his own very pleased words, “the cradle of perfumery”—where his grandparents grew rose, verbena, and jasmine on their farms.
Guichard’s farm-to-fragrance vision found kindred spirits in Cedric Meiffret and Caius von Knorring, both of whom also worked in global companies such as Givaudan and Dior. Their shared connection to the South of France would lead them to launch Matiere Premiere in 2019.
Masterclass Invitation with Matiere Premiere
Guichard says, “There’s a deep tradition of craftsmanship, access to exceptional raw materials, and a culture that understands perfume as part of daily life. We want to bring heritage to a new generation, one that’s international, curious, and looking for something powerful, authentic, and radically contemporary.”
The full collection of Matiere Premiere, including bestsellers like Radical Rose, French Flower, Crystal Saffron, and Vanilla Powder, is now available in Singapore. (See the gorgeous smiles of friends of a+, who were invited to experience these exquisite potions at the Escentials boutique at Ion Orchard.)
Meanwhile, Guichard shares more.
Scent often triggers powerful memories. Is there a MatiEre Premiere fragrance that holds a deeply personal memory for you?
For me, it’s Radical Rose [its main ingredient Rose Centifolia Absolute France is extracted from roses organically grown by Matiere Premiere]. I have very vivid childhood memories of the Rose Centifolia harvest on my grandparents’ fields in Grasse. Every day my grandfather and the pickers would weigh the harvest before sending it to the local factory. This took place in the shed by the field, and I distinctly remember how in the cool of the shade, the smells of the earthy ground, oil from the agricultural machines, and burlap sacks mixed with the scent of fresh roses.
Matiere Premiere cultivates your own roses and tuberoses. How does working directly with raw materials shape your creative process?
For us, a raw material is already a perfume—created by nature. The creative process starts there. With Matiere Premiere, we build each fragrance around the overdose of one central natural ingredient. We decide whether to amplify or soften certain facets, and take the material somewhere unexpected. Vanilla Powder, for example, reimagines vanilla as white, enveloping, and modern—far from the usual gourmand. Crystal Saffron, meanwhile, reveals a crystalline, almost mineral side of saffron. It’s about transforming nature without distorting it.
With climate change impacting agriculture, how do you adapt to ensure sustainability and quality?
One of our key choices is to use high doses of natural absolutes—not only for their olfactive impact, but also to create real value for our agricultural partners. When you commit to that level of usage, you provide visibility and stability to farmers.
For example, Vanilla Powder uses a very high quantity of vanilla from Madagascar, sourced through a Fair for Life programme. This allows the local farmers to receive fair pricing and contracts, and labour and social rights protection, and contribute to decision-making. It also ensures that revenue is invested into community development, for example, financing local infrastructures and installing solar panels.
Additionally, with the transformation of dried vanilla pods into perfume absolute done locally, it offers ecological benefit and implies more revenues perceived directly by the local community. This relationship allows us to maintain quality and ensure long-term sustainability—raw materials are not just products; they’re ecosystems.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has begun to play a role in the fragrance industry. How do you think AI will influence your work?
AI may have a role to play in helping people discover perfumes, but when it comes to creating perfumes, we believe in instinct, vision, and emotional depth. I create each fragrance at Matiere Premiere myself, building it around a powerful raw material. And this human-nature connection and composition is at the core of what we do.
Social media plays a huge role in shaping trends. How do you maintain Matiere Premiere’s exclusivity while engaging the global and digital audience?
Exclusivity today is about the access to amazing raw materials, and that’s what we do. We don’t flood the feed with noise. Instead, we show the raw beauty of ingredients, from the field to the bottle. People want truth, not polish. We believe that when you stay close to a unique creative process, you naturally build desire.
Platforms such as IG and TikTok have fuelled a fragrance boom among Gen Z. What insights can you share about these younger fans?
Gen Z uses fragrance as a tool for identity. They don’t follow fixed rules—they explore, layer, and choose scents that reflect how they feel. They’re also deeply drawn to transparency and authenticity, which aligns perfectly with our values: short formulas, traceable ingredients, and bold olfactive statements. They don’t want to be told what to wear—they want to discover it for themselves.
Is there a fragrance—by another house or perfumer—that you wish you had created yourself?
There are many I admire for their radical simplicity or olfactive impact, such as Dior Homme, and L’Eau d’Issey. I also like the work of houses such as Le Labo, and Comme des Garçons.
You visited Singapore in June. What’s your favourite smell here?
The way flowers grow in the city is striking. You walk through ultra-modern buildings, and suddenly you’re surrounded by lush greenery, with the scent of frangipani, orchid, or ylang-ylang rising from the air. There’s something sensual and unexpected about it—a reminder that nature still speaks, even in the heart of a futuristic metropolis.
Finally, what’s next for Matiere Premiere?
We’re about to launch Vanilla Powder Extrait; it’s a more addictive and voluptuous version of one of our most iconic creations. We’re also working on a completely new fragrance built around the lavender grown organically in our fields near Grasse. Lavender is a classic note, but we’re reimagining it with a contemporary twist, in line with our style: short, bold, and direct formulation, immediate and lasting trail, and vibrant signature. Beyond that, we’ll continue to grow internationally, while staying true to our roots.
