As he says in an interview with luxury lifestyle platform Amuse, Barnabé Fillion would often incorporate the sense of smell into his photography exhibitions, filling them with various types of scents to recreate a full sensorial experience.

When he journeyed to Switzerland in 2004 to study botany and phytotherapy, he discovered his passion for perfumery, and started training under a fragrance expert in olfactory design. After that, he served for three years as a mentee to esteemed perfumer Christine Nagel of Hermès, where he trained to identify more than 3,000 scents. Part of what makes Fillion a fragrance designer unlike any other is how his many interests bleed into his his work in perfumery. For one, it’s common to find botanical ingredients in his olfactory concoctions. It’s also evident that his background as a photographer has influenced his use of “visual memories” as an inspiration for designing specific scents..

Fillion’s unparalleled expertise and one-of-a-kind approach to his craft earned him partnerships with laudable brands such as Aēsop, Paul Smith, and Comme des Garçons. 2016 also saw the French virtuoso teaming up with Royal Salute, an age-old luxury Scotch whisky brand, as its new creative advisor. More than just the creation of novel fragrances, Fillion’s obsession goes back to the process of mixing – from the mixing of aromas, to the mixing of drinks and remedies – which is why he was called upon to create the Royal Salute Royal Rose cocktail for the 90th birthday of Queen Elizabeth II. Composing of the Royal Salute 21-year-old whisky blend, Indian teas, as well as a rare rose essence that’s said to be more precious than gold, the cocktail was recreated as a perfume as well to complement the drink.

Besides developing body perfumes for both men and women, Fillion has also created home fragrances. In 2017, he designed a trio of them for Aēsop that experiments with the ambience of an ordinary indoor space. A growing marketing trend for upmarket brands and lavish interiors, home fragrances can make or break a space, and shape the experience of a consumer. In fact, the olfactory sense is the most effective in defining a brand and enhancing consumers experience, according to a 2013 research report by the Global Journal of Commerce and Management Perspective. As it is the only sense that links directly to the part of the brain that carries emotions and information from past experiences, smells are also better than sight and sounds at evoking memories.

Fillion’s experimental approach to home fragrances led him to a major collaboration with oOumm, where he designed the high-end French brand’s line of scented candles that are paired with Dan Yeffet’s marble candle holders. The four main scents, 16 Tauri, Cor Caroli, Erakis, and Mu Virginis, are inspired by astronomy, each representing a specific star of a specific constellation. While 16 Tauri boasts a woody fragrance, Cor Caroli goes for warmer, more floral notes. Erakis keeps it simple with an orange blossom scent, and Mu Virginis rounds it up with a peppery aroma that packs a punch. As brands like oOumm demonstrate, home fragrances are not only growing as a mainstay in luxury home decor, but also becoming more bespoke with businesses seeking out one-of-a-kind scents for their boutiques and interiors.

Illustration by Katie Scott

“Perfumes are very personal,” Fillion explains to the online lifestyle magazine, Highsnobiety. “It is more interesting to see it as an extension of oneself, rather than as a seduction tool. You can tell a story with your perfume so that sometimes there is no need to speak.”

Whether creating a fragrance for the body or a space, Fillion is constantly exploring new techniques, whilst staying true to the natural complexity of raw ingredients. But with every project he undertakes, he never fails to design not just a fragrance, but a unique, unforgettable experience.