New perfume Olympea and its Asian influence

A French fragrance brand imagines a modern-day Cleopatra for its newest perfume. Photos: Paco Rabanne

While studying for a career in medicine, a summer job changed the course of the career direction for a perfumer.

While at a fragrance laboratory, Loc Dong’s memory was jolted as it reminded him of his first love.

“Growing up with my grandfather in Saigon is a big part of who I am today. He taught me to harvest and sort plants by their smell, and I assisted him in preparing remedies for the villagers,” says Dong, an American who shuttles between Paris and New York.

“My early experiences of providing well-being for others or helping people feel happier are the foundation for my work as a perfumer. And that summer job reminded me of the joy of helping people,” he says in an exclusive interview.

Dong is the perfumer who created Paco Rabanne’s newest fragrance, Olympea Eau de Parfum, together with IFF perfumers, Anne Flipo and Dominique Ropion.

He grew up with his grandfather, who was a herbalist, in Vietnam and says his olfactory education began at the age of six.

Vietnamese perfumer Loc Dong says that his grandfather, a herbalist in Saigon, was responsible for his olfactory education from the age of six.

Is there a secret to creating a successful scent? “Creation is about evolution, it is a never ending process. No one sets out to do unsuccessful things! Unfortunately, one can never predict success. We all can only do our best to prevent failure. Success takes you by surprise; I never work on a fragrance telling myself it has to be a success. In life, you get what you deserve,” he says.

Dong says that every perfumer has a different style or method for coming up with a fragrance.

He has also developed scents for Calvin Klein, Elizabeth Arden, Versace, Escada, Giorgio Armani, Yves St Laurent, Issey Miyake, among others.

He explains that his method is very simple but complete and creating a perfume is like a journey of new discoveries.

“First you must know where exactly you want to explore. It’s a journey full of unknowns; your last place will define your next step. When I create a perfume, I usually start from a simple strong idea and I will work until my heart tells me it is complete,” he says.

On the million dollar of where perfumers get their inspiration, Dong says, “I never set out to find inspiration! Because, if I do, I will never find any. Ideas come spontaneously. It could happen every minute or second in life!”

However, he shares that the starting point for creating a perfume begins with the consumer and brand.

“My goal is to keep the DNA of thebrand but at the same time, bring exciting, newness to consumers,” he explains.

Do you have an olfactory signature? “I don’t think I have one, nor want to have one. That would go against my principles in life. Life is the process of learning and I’m always open to newness. However, I’m aware of what I love and dislike.”

Dong points out that he doesn’t have a favourite scent or raw material that he particularly likes working with; however, he is very attracted to powerful, almost unpleasant ingredients!

“I like to find harmony between seemingly discordant notes of natural and manmade, between scents we love and hate, those that are soft and luminous, enigmatic and familiar,” he explains.

What scent takes you back to your childhood? “Every perfume I put on the market has some trait of my childhood in that bottle. For instance, the idea for salt in Olympéa came about as my grandmother cultivated salt from her backyard. Therefore, I have tons of things that inspire me.”

Dong has been developing fragrances for Paco Rabanne for over two years.

“I had never worked for the brand and they didn’t really know my work. We have a strong relationship now and this was achieved through working with them closely on a nearly daily basis.”

How would you define Paco Rabanne fragrances? “They are overdoses in a very harmonic way. They are strong and original, but appealing and accessible fragrances.”

For the Paco Rabanne Olympea fragrance, Dong says from the moment he watched the promotional video, the images were all about the power of women and there were a few images that spoke to him, and as a perfumer, that’s all he needed.

Can you describe the Paco Rabanne Olympea scent? “Olympéa is a sensual and radiant fragrance built around an addictive salty vanilla structure. An icy green mandarin accord enhances the freshness. A floral heart of hydroponic jasmine and ginger lily reveals an unrivalled femininity. Cashmeran provides warmth and sensuality, while ambergris offers an addictive marine facet.”

“What makes this perfume unique is the contrast between the vanilla and salty fresh,” he points out, adding that Olympea’s olfactory family falls under Fresh Oriental.

“Any woman can wear this fragrance and immediately feel she’s becoming more seductive and powerful,” he says.

In 1968, Paco Rabanne was quoted as saying “The woman of tomorrow will be strong, efficient, seductive, and undeniably superior to man”. What do you think?

“Well we are in 2016. Obviously Mr Rabanne is right. I couldn’t agree more, well said and as usual ahead of his time!” Dong says.