Marie Salamagne was born to a family of doctors for whom work and passion were intrinsically linked. It was during her studies that she first heard of perfumery school. Immediately, her instinct took over and she knew that this would be her path in life. She had always been sensitive to fragrance, from a teacher’s perfume to the scent of a home. Slowly but surely her future was becoming clearer. Marie mapped out every step in her journey, each one guiding her in the right direction. She found her feet and blossomed from the very beginning and has found satisfaction in her career ever since.
For Marie, a perfumer embodies both the craftsman and the artist: “A good perfume acts like Proust’s ‘madeleine’. It has the power to transport and the emotion it arouses is uncontrollable and powerful. It is an entity in itself.”
Marie is constantly in search of this magic. Her creative process is a solitary one. She has a ritual, she shuts the door, gathers her notebooks and thinks. She is at one with her notes. Each book has its purpose, the largest matches scents with materials, another studies natural notes, and the last outlines her overall vision. The relationship between materials and colour fascinates her.
She visualises her creations like paintings, where hues create contrasts. Marie is in truth far more organised than she claims, and relishes her freedom most when it is defined by a frame. Marie has always danced, first in a classical style before moving on to modern jazz. She still dances, although she shies away from improvisation. She recalls powerful emotions evoked while watching Alvin Ailey or Jorge Donn dancing for Béjart as a child.
Ever spontaneous, she cannot help but experiment straight away so that ideas come to life. She is a giving person and is unable to find happiness alone. She readily admits that she can be impatient and sensitive, with an edgy personality that must be wrapped in cotton wool from time to time. Yet all we see in this bright young Parisian a loving, gentle and happy woman, a perfumer whose fragrances are glowing and lavish.