Cécile Zarokian
More than a perfumer, Cecile Zarokian has redefined the rules of the game, reshuffled the deck and opened a new path in the world of perfumery.
Cécile Zarokian is a perfumer and designer. Based in Paris, she founded her independent creative studio in 2011. Today, she leads a team of seven and has created hundreds of fragrances for prestigious brands in Europe, America and the Middle East.
With 20 years' experience in the fragrance industry, she began her career with four years' training at Robertet, where she composed her first fragrance, Epic Woman for Amouage in 2009 - a bold debut that remains a global bestseller to this day. A graduate of ISIPCA, the internationally renowned perfumery school, Cécile has since made a name for herself for her intuitive and visionary approach to perfumery. She constantly pushes the boundaries with creations that are not only artistic but also commercially iconic.
In 2019, she broke into the highly concentrated and competitive Brazilian fragrance market - the second largest in the world. She became the first and only independent perfumer to collaborate with Granado, Brazil's leading heritage love brand (minority owned by Puig). In the midst of the pandemic, she secured a new local partnership with a major perfume house. The culmination of this collaboration, the Bossa franchise launched at the end of 2020 for their 150th anniversary, has been hailed as "the sunshine fragrance that the Brazilian market has been missing" and has become Granado's best seller! "Bossa is one of the fragrances that best represents Granado perfumery and has been a top seller since its launch in all the markets where it has been introduced, both in Brazil and abroad," says Sissi Freeman, Granado's Marketing and Sales Director.
Cécile's prolific portfolio at Amouage (minority-owned by L'Oréal) is further testament to her bold signature. She is the only independent perfumer to have worked with the brand, and together they have created over ten fragrances for the house, all of which have become commercial successes and award-winning creations: Material (short-listed for the Fragrance Foundation France Awards 2022), Opus XIV Royal Tobacco (Fragrance Foundation Award USA 2023…), and Outlands (Marie Claire Prix International du Parfum 2024) which she created as part of The Essences collection and which sold out worldwide in less than 24 hours! A first for Amouage, Outlands was also recognised for "setting a new benchmark for haute parfumerie".
In 2018, she created Ani for Nishane, which became the brand's bestseller and a pillar of its global growth. Its success led to the launch of Ani X in 2023, celebrating Nishane's 10th anniversary. These lasting collaborations reflect Cécile's ability to build long-term creative relationships based on trust, performance and a shared vision.
As well as creating fragrances, Cécile offers consultancy services in brand strategy and the development of olfactory identities, working with industry leaders such as international spirits groups Pernod-Ricard and Suntory. She also designs immersive, multi-sensory experiences and runs masterclasses and workshops around the world. Although rooted in niche perfumery, her creative vision now resonates far beyond. Couture houses, international groups and designer brands now call on her singular creativity. They appreciate her unique artistic voice and entrust her with projects in which she successfully competes with the five biggest perfume houses.
These collaborations, which span continents and cultures, are a testament to her unique ability to create a meaningful and distinctive story in a highly competitive environment. Her ambition and dreams, inexhaustible energy and hard work have made her a true figurehead in the fragrance industry. Bold in both her vision and her creations, Cécile Zarokian has established herself as one of the most influential voices in contemporary perfumery.
Alongside her commercial achievements, Cécile remains deeply attached to the artistic aspect of perfumery. Early in her career, she co-created [IP]01, an interdisciplinary project combining perfume and illustration. The resulting exhibition toured Europe: Paris (2011), London (2013) and the Milan Triennale (2014). This fundamental link between art and perfumery remains an essential feature of Cécile's creative process.
Her unique way of capturing the authenticity of each House continues to shape her creative approach: going the extra mile to infuse emotion, meaning, and leave a lasting impression, one fragrance at a time.
