CHRISTINE NAGEL
Christine Nagel is a renowned Swiss perfumer who is currently serving as the Director of Olfactive Creation at Hermès Parfums. Born on October 7, 1959, Nagel grew up in Geneva, Switzerland, and was fascinated by perfumery from a young age. She began her academic journey studying medicine with the aim of becoming a midwife but later discovered her true passion for chemistry, which eventually led to her interest in the world of perfume.
After completing her studies in organic chemistry, Nagel started her career in the research department of Swiss fragrance firm Firmenich. She became fascinated by the strong emotional reactions that her colleague's work elicited from the women who smelled it. Her colleague was Alberto Morillas, one of the giants of the perfume industry. However, when Nagel asked to transfer to the perfumery section, she was told no due to her lack of traditional background. She then switched to chromatography, where she examined fragrances and their ingredient recipes on a molecular level, becoming one of the few in the world trained to recognize ingredients using only her nose.
After some time at Firmenich, Nagel moved to Italy to start her own business. Within a year, she held 60% of Italy's perfume contracts, including work for Fendi and Versace. She moved to Paris in 1997, where she began creating designer perfume hits like Narciso Rodriguez for Her (2003, with Francis Kurkdjian) and Miss Dior Chérie (2005). Nagel has also created 46 perfumes for Jo Malone, including Wood Sage & Sea Salt, one of her most notable creations.
In 2014, Nagel joined Hermès as the Director of Olfactive Creation, working alongside Jean-Claude Ellena, who had become the brand's first house perfumer in 2004. In 2016, Ellena retired, and Nagel became the sole in-house perfumer at Hermès. She has since created several fragrances for the brand, including Galop (2016) and Twilly (2017), among others.
Nagel has been recognized with awards from the Fragrance Foundation France, the François Coty Foundation, and the Marie Claire International Fragrance Awards. She is married to Benoit Lapouza, who is also a perfumer, and they have three children.
Throughout her career, Nagel has demonstrated a creative preference for compositions characterized by simplicity, which mirrors her philosophy. She believes that gender in perfume is an everlasting debate and that anyone can wear whatever fragrance they like, even if it's supposedly "masculine" or "feminine." Nagel is inspired by the creativity of perfumers and the signature personality of their scents. Among contemporary perfumers, she names Morillas and Dominique Ropion as notable influences but reserves a special place for path-breaking female perfumer Germaine Cellier, the creator of historic fragrances like Fracas and Bandit.
