Jana Pascual Castells
Jana Pascual Castells is a Spanish perfumer whose path from analytical chemistry to artistic fragrance composition gives her work a distinctive rigour. Trained as a chemist at IQS Barcelona, she chose to build on that scientific foundation rather than set it aside, pursuing the International Technical Degree in Fragrance at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, the storied school that sits at the geographic heart of the French perfume tradition. Her dual grounding in molecular precision and the heritage techniques of Grasse places her among a new generation of perfumers comfortable navigating both the lab notebook and the organ. Among her recognised compositions is Monolith, created for the Dubai-based house Attar Collection, a project that introduced her distinctive voice to the wider niche fragrance conversation. As an emerging voice in contemporary perfumery, she represents the increasingly international character of the craft, working between Spanish roots and French training to shape scents that bridge tradition with fresh perspective.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Jana composes
Pascual Castells works with a clarity of structure that reflects her analytical training. Her compositions tend toward architectural precision, with each note positioned to support the next rather than obscure it. She shows comfort with rich, resinous materials drawn from both the French and Middle Eastern traditions, as seen in Monolith for Attar Collection, which channels dense, mineral character. Her technique leans into the slow-building power of base materials, allowing woods, ambers, and resins to anchor more volatile top notes. Preferring restraint to excess, she seems to favour formulations where fewer, well-chosen ingredients carry the entire composition. This disciplined approach, combined with her Grasse-honed material knowledge, gives her fragrances a quiet authority that distinguishes them from louder contemporary work.
Philosophy
What drives Jana
Pascual Castells approaches fragrance as a discipline where precision and intuition must work in concert. Her chemistry background informs a belief that a perfume must be architecturally sound at the molecular level before it can sing emotionally. She is drawn to compositions with structural clarity, where each ingredient earns its place rather than competing for attention. This scientific grounding does not constrain her creativity but rather gives it a scaffolding to build upon. She values the tactile education offered by Grasse, where direct contact with raw materials teaches what no textbook can. Her creative process seems to favour patience over spectacle, allowing ideas to develop through repeated refinement rather than rushing toward an effect. For her, a fragrance succeeds when it reveals itself gradually, rewarding attention with depth rather than announcing itself all at once.
The houses
Maisons Jana composes for
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