The Artisan
The Story of Nelly Hachem‑Ruiz
Nelly Hachem-Ruiz approaches perfumery with the same intensity she once brought to competitive swimming. The granddaughter of a Syrian diplomat, she grew up absorbing multiple cultures, a sensibility that now shapes every formula she creates. Trained in chemistry at Le Havre University, she joined IFF in 2002 and spent years refining her palate before winning the prestigious Fragrance Foundation Award for Perfume Extraordinaire in 2016. The win opened doors to increasingly ambitious projects, including collaborations with Kenzo and a groundbreaking partnership with artist Michael Pinsky on the Pollution Pods installation, where she recreated the clean air of Norway's pine forests. Based in Paris, she continues to divide her time between commercial work for major houses and more personal creations for niche labels. Her portfolio spans from fresh florals to opulent orientals, reflecting a career built on versatility and quiet determination.
Philosophy
For Hachem-Ruiz, perfume is memory made tangible. She composes fragrances as others write diaries, capturing fleeting moments and emotional truths in crystalline bottles. Rather than chasing trends, she seeks the universal in the personal: what makes a smell feel like home, like nostalgia, like a specific hour of a specific day. She brings athlete's discipline to this emotional work, applying the same perseverance and focus she developed in the pool to the slow craft of ingredient selection. Her multicultural roots give her permission to blend traditions freely, whether reinterpreting Middle Eastern oud for contemporary tastes or translating Norwegian forests into synthetic pine accord Koavone.
Creative Approach
Hachem-Ruiz excels at balancing contradictions. She pairs the warmth of cedar with citrus brightness in Cèdre Secret, suggesting both grounding and elevation in a single formula. Her orientals for Reine de Saba demonstrate a lighter hand than traditional Middle Eastern perfumery, softening heavy resins with floral transparency. Rose and hibiscus recur throughout her work, often anchored by oud that adds presence without overwhelming. She gravitates toward natural palettes enhanced by IFF's proprietary ingredients, and has spoken skeptically about AI-generated formulations, noting that machine suggestions tend toward predictable combinations. Her work tends toward emotional resonance over intellectual novelty, creating scents that feel lived-in rather than merely interesting.
At a Glance
2002
24+ years of craft
1
Total career creations
1
Single house focus
3.9
Community sentiment
Signature Style
“Hachem-Ruiz excels at balancing contradictions. She pairs the warmth of cedar with citrus brightness in Cèdre Secret, suggesting both grounding and elevation in a single formula.”
Notable Creations
Acqua Colonia Intense Floral Fields of Ireland
Cèdre Secret
Jardins de Saba
Mirage Suave
Rose Extatique