Patricia de Nicolaï
Encyclopedia
Patricia de Nicolaï is a French perfumer
who works as the head of her own perfume company Parfums de Nicolai. She is also a member of the technical committee of the French Society of Perfumers and the president of the Osmothèque
perfume conservatory. Patricia de Nicolaï was born in Paris
, France
into the Guerlain
perfumer family and is the great-grand-daughter of Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain and niece of Jean-Jacques Guerlain. After studying chemistry in university, de Nicolai entered and studied at ISIPCA
, the renowned school of perfume
ry in Versailles
.
Trésor perfume (1990). Following in the long family tradition, she eventually launched her own perfume company (brand: "NICOLAÏ, créateur de parfum") in 1998 with her husband Jean-Louis Michau, where in the opinion of some she created some of the best works in contemporary perfumery, and is noted by Luca Turin
as being "...one of the unsung greats of the fragrance world."
Although believed by some to be a candidate for the position of Guerlain's in-house perfumer, the presence of a glass ceiling
in the company prevented her selection for position since: "The family who worked in the brand was only men, no women." Thierry Wasser
was eventually chosen in 2008 as the in-house perfumer of Guerlain.
Since 2008, Patricia de Nicolaï became the president of the Osmothèque, the esteemed French perfume conservatory and museum, with the position handed over by its founder Jean Kerléo
.
Perfumer
A perfumer is a term used for an expert on creating perfume compositions, sometimes referred to affectionately as a Nose due to their fine sense of smell and skill in producing olfactory compositions...
who works as the head of her own perfume company Parfums de Nicolai. She is also a member of the technical committee of the French Society of Perfumers and the president of the Osmothèque
Osmothèque
The Osmothèque is a perfume museum and conservatory in Versailles located near ISIPCA as a repository and conservatory for the formulae of perfumes. It was founded in 1988 by Jean Kerléo and several perfumers with the goal of reconstructing the formula for perfumes that have been lost and preserve...
perfume conservatory. Patricia de Nicolaï was born in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
into the Guerlain
Guerlain
Guerlain is a French perfume house, among the oldest in the world. It has a large and loyal customer following, and is held in high esteem in the perfume industry...
perfumer family and is the great-grand-daughter of Pierre-François Pascal Guerlain and niece of Jean-Jacques Guerlain. After studying chemistry in university, de Nicolai entered and studied at ISIPCA
ISIPCA
ISIPCA is a school for post-graduate studies in perfume, cosmetics products and food flavor formulation, with an apprenticeship period in the industry. It was originally founded in 1970 by Jean-Jacques Guerlain as ISIP...
, the renowned school of perfume
Perfume
Perfume is a mixture of fragrant essential oils and/or aroma compounds, fixatives, and solvents used to give the human body, animals, objects, and living spaces "a pleasant scent"...
ry in Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
.
Professional endeavor
Even with a degree as junior perfumer, de Nicolaï was faced with gender discrimination by the perfume industry of the time as she began her search for employment. With the help of her uncle Jean-Paul Guerlain, she was able to start working first at Florasynth (1982–1984) and then Quest International (1984–1989), where in the latter she worked on the LancômeLancôme
Lancôme Paris is a makeup brand. Owned by L'Oréal since 1964, Lancôme is part of the Luxury Products division, which offers skin care, fragrances, and makeup at higher-end prices....
Trésor perfume (1990). Following in the long family tradition, she eventually launched her own perfume company (brand: "NICOLAÏ, créateur de parfum") in 1998 with her husband Jean-Louis Michau, where in the opinion of some she created some of the best works in contemporary perfumery, and is noted by Luca Turin
Luca Turin
Luca Turin is a biophysicist with a long-standing interest in the sense of smell, the art of perfume, and the fragrance industry.-Vibration theory of olfaction:...
as being "...one of the unsung greats of the fragrance world."
Although believed by some to be a candidate for the position of Guerlain's in-house perfumer, the presence of a glass ceiling
Glass ceiling
In economics, the term glass ceiling refers to "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." Initially, the metaphor applied to barriers in the careers of women but...
in the company prevented her selection for position since: "The family who worked in the brand was only men, no women." Thierry Wasser
Thierry Wasser
Thierry Wasser is a contemporary perfumer who as of 2008 was appointed as the in-house perfumer of Guerlain. Prior to this he worked under the fragrance firms Firmenich and Givaudan....
was eventually chosen in 2008 as the in-house perfumer of Guerlain.
Since 2008, Patricia de Nicolaï became the president of the Osmothèque, the esteemed French perfume conservatory and museum, with the position handed over by its founder Jean Kerléo
Jean Kerléo
Jean Kerléo is a perfumer who worked in-house of Jean Patou and is the also the founder and director of the Osmothèque, a fragrance museum and conservatory in Versailles. Kerleo was born on February 24, 1932 in Brittany, France. At age 22, he began making perfumes for a New York company, Helena...
.
Awards
- 1988 International prize for Young Perfumers (Prix International du jeune Parfumeur Créateur - Société Française des Parfumeurs): For her fragrance Number One, of which she is the first woman laureate.
- 2008 Legion of Honour (Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur): Decorated as a knightKnightA knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in the French Legion of Honour