The A-List’s go-to perfumer and ‘nose’ behind the scents of Bella Freud, Agent Provocateur and countless bespoke blends for luxury hotels and Hollywood actors, Azzi Glasser finally granted our wishes by launching The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi — a range of evocative fragrances fueled by unique (and delectably scented) scenarios.
{Cult Beauty} Hi Azzi, to kick things off, could you tell us about you — and how you wound up in the fragrance space?
{Azzi Glasser} I have always been creative. When I was 19, I invented ‘fragrance rock pot pourri’ and when Cosmopolitan published a feature about me, I was approached by several fragrance houses — one of which offered me a job I couldn’t refuse. When they tested my nose, I achieved one of the best results ever and it was then that I realised the power of my nose and all its opportunities.
I worked with a British fragrance house as Global Creative Commercial Director for ten years and, during that time, I met Joe Corré and Serena Rees, the founders of Agent Provocateur. While holidaying together in Costa Rica, we talked about launching a perfume and once we returned, we launched Agent Provocateur Parfum. It won numerous awards and proved as popular as icons like Chanel and Mugler’s Angel. I had no idea it would be such a massive success, as it smelt so different from any other perfume on the market, and the concept and fragrance were contrary to industry trends at that time but, it worked perfectly.
I started to create bespoke fragrances around 17 years ago — first for Kylie Minogue as she was a massive fan of my AP fragrance — followed by Helena Bonham Carter, Noomi Rapace, Cindy Crawford, Laura Linney and many others (my first male customer was Jonny Depp)!
With this expansive portfolio behind me, and such an iconic fan base, it was time to launch my own brand: The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi. It’s a brand that tells your story through your very own DNA ‘scent print’, all based on your character and style.
{CB} Scent is so personal, with different people being drawn to vastly different notes and blends. What triggers these affinities — and how do you help to identify what suits a person?
{AG} People are individuals, with different characters, personalities and styles. I could see a demand from people to be more unique and to stand out from the crowd — The Perfumer’s Story by Azzi was born to fulfil what I saw as a gap in the market. The focus in the industry was always on ingredients, rather than how they could tell your story, but by analysing character and style, I’ve made it possible to build a fragrance wardrobe for multiple moods, moments and memories.
{CB} And which notes work for you? Do you favour one signature scent or do you mix things up to suit the seasons?
{AG} I have never really been a fruity or flowery, sweet-scenting person. I personally love more woody, sensual perfumes that have a unique, individual character. My signature perfume for 15 years now is Sequoia Wood — it really is a head turner! The composition is layered around the sensual and deep richness of sequoia wood, enhanced by the flirtatious freshness of neroli and palmarosa with a kissable base of cedar, patchouli and white musk oils.
My ‘Character & Style’ is: sensual, creative and avant-garde and this fragrance gives me so much joy that it’s become a part of me. I get five or six comments every day on how wonderful I smell! To me, one of the nicest compliments I could get.
{CB} You’re known as a bit of a rebel within the perfumery world. What do you feel differentiates you and your methods from other, more ‘typical’ names in the industry?
{AG} I think, as a perfumer, I do get categorised differently; probably as I am so linked to Hollywood and iconic artists in the press. It is important to create art through perfume — scent is something you cannot see or touch but that you purely feel, and the importance of this sense can sometimes get forgotten. There are lots of boundaries, particularly in the beauty industry and most perfumery brands centre themselves on fragrance families and popular ingredients. My method, is to create perfumes that can connect to the individual — that personify their character and compliment their style to act as the ultimate finishing touch.
{CB} The Perfumer’s Story is all about telling a story and evoking a scenario through scent. How do you decide which tales you want to tell?
{AG} I want to tell the stories of each and every one of you so, The Perfumer’s Story had to start somewhere — with 12 individual perfumes created and centred around the wearer’s individual ‘Character & Style’. The first line of its kind, my collection retains a timeless allure that doesn’t succumb to the passing whims of market trends. Instead, each offering encapsulates the individual essence of the wearer, creating a signature fragrance that manages to be both mysterious and relatable — enabling the fragrances to tell their own stories.