Lena Korres
Lena Korres grew up amid the olive groves and wild thyme of Greece, a landscape that still colors her work. She earned a degree in chemical engineering, then added an MBA to sharpen her business sense. In 1996 she co‑founded the natural‑beauty label Korres, where she directed research, formulation, and product innovation for more than two decades. After years of translating botanical science into skin‑care, she turned her attention to scent. Drawing on her laboratory expertise, she began formal studies in fragrance composition, completing an intensive apprenticeship that blended chemistry with artistic discipline. Today she balances boardroom strategy with the quiet focus of a nose, shaping scents that echo the Mediterranean hills she loves.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Lena composes
Lena favors transparent, single‑note pillars that reveal the character of native Greek botanicals such as sage, mastic, and wild rosemary. She often begins with a crisp, citrus top derived from locally grown bergamot, then layers a heart of herbaceous green that mirrors the island scrub. A subtle base of resinous amber and sun‑kissed honey grounds the composition. In the lab she prefers cold‑extraction methods that preserve volatile purity, and she measures each component with the exactness of a chemical formula. Her signatures are clarity, botanical fidelity, and a restrained elegance that feels both modern and timeless.
Philosophy
What drives Lena
Lena believes fragrance should be a direct line from nature to skin, a chemistry that respects the source material. She lets a single herb or resin dictate the structure, then builds around it with precision‑engineered accords. Her work honors the Greek principle of balance: each note supports the next without overpowering. She treats each formula as a conversation between science and memory, aiming to evoke a place rather than a story. Sustainability guides every choice, from ingredient harvesting to packaging, because a scent that harms its origin cannot be true.
The houses
Maisons Lena composes for
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