Nanako Ogi
Nanako Ogi grew up in Japan, studied in the United States, and trained at the Givaudan Perfumery School, building on a foundation in both chemistry and anthropology. This unusual combination gave her both technical precision and a cross-cultural perspective that now defines her work. She began her professional career in Dubai in 2017, drawn to the region's bold perfumery traditions, before relocating to Singapore with Givaudan. Her 2024 creation Sirène for Fragrance Du Bois introduced her to a wider audience, its signature pink box already turning heads. What sets her apart in the industry: she maintains her own perfume house alongside her work at one of the world's largest fragrance houses, a rare position for a professionally trained female perfumer. Her career spans France, Dubai, and Singapore, each location adding another layer to her already rich cultural vocabulary.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Nanako composes
Her work blends Eastern subtlety with Western boldness, informed by her multicultural background. Ogi gravitates toward warm woods, resins, and rich florals, often structuring compositions around aldehydes for a sophisticated, almost nostalgic quality. She favors amber and Oriental elements but treats them with restraint rather than excess. Reviewers note her fragrances feel harmonious, layered, and emotionally resonant rather than purely technical exercises. Her signature reads as elegant complexity with an undercurrent of warmth. The aldehydic structure she mentioned exploring suggests she appreciates classic perfumery techniques while finding new applications for them.
Philosophy
What drives Nanako
Ogi draws inspiration from everyday moments that provoke an emotional response. She believes fragrance should capture a feeling, not just a scent, and constantly asks herself what triggers genuine emotion in her daily life. Her anthropology background shows in how she approaches fragrance as a cultural artifact, something that carries meaning beyond its ingredients. She aims to create perfumes that become tied to memory, that remind the wearer of a specific moment or place. For Ogi, perfumery is deeply personal work. She often speaks about scents from her childhood home in Japan, suggesting her own emotional landscape heavily influences her creative direction.
The houses
Maisons Nanako composes for
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