Master Perfumer

Fabienne Coupaye

Fabienne Coupaye entered the fragrance world after graduating from ISIPCA, the Paris‑based academy that shapes most of Europe’s noses. She joined Symrise in Clichy, where she quickly earned the trust of senior perfumers and began contributing to the company’s consumer‑focused lines. Her first public credit arrived with Oriflame’s Soul Focus, a woody‑aromatic scent that paired black pepper with bright bergamot and a lingering cedar base. The blend earned praise for its confident masculinity and marked Fabienne’s emergence on the commercial stage. In 2019 she co‑created Charm Cetim, a modern floral that balances soft jasmine with a subtle amber glow, demonstrating her skill at marrying elegance with edge. Over the years she has built a network of more than five hundred industry peers, and she continues to mentor younger noses while expanding Symrise’s portfolio across continents.

1 house2 creations

See notable work

Output

Fragrances composed

Acclaim

3.9

Average rating

across the catalogue

The hits

Notable creations

The signature

How Fabienne composes

Fabienne’s signature technique blends aromatic spices with crisp citrus, then grounds the composition with woody or amber undertones. She favors pepper, bergamot, and pink pepper for their bright, slightly pungent edge, and she often layers them over sandalwood or cedar to create depth. In floral arrangements she reaches for jasmine, rose, and ylang‑ylang, but she tempers their intensity with a touch of amber or musk. Synthetic molecules such as Iso E Super appear in her work to add a subtle radiance that lingers without overwhelming the natural heart.

Philosophy

What drives Fabienne

Fabienne believes that scent should act as a memory trigger, a quiet conversation between skin and environment. She approaches each brief by first listening to the story the client wants to tell, then translating that narrative into a palette of ingredients that feel both familiar and unexpected. Natural extracts anchor her compositions, while synthetic accents provide precision. She values restraint, allowing a single note to breathe before the blend resolves. For her, the most satisfying result is a fragrance that feels inevitable, as if it had always existed on the wearer’s skin.

The houses