Nikolaj Koralewicz
Nikolaj Koralewicz arrived at Symrise as a perfumery student and emerged as one of the house's most distinctive voices. Based in São Paulo, the Polish-born perfumer completed his training through Symrise's graduate program, earning his credentials alongside Tanja Schumacher in a ceremony overseen by president Achim Daub. He ascended quickly to senior perfumer, a role he held for over six years before transitioning to a new position in 2026. His breakthrough came via collaboration on Neandertal's conceptual fragrance pair: "is" and "was." Working alongside Fanny Grau and Isaac Sinclair, three perfumers from different backgrounds converged on a shared creative vision. The project leveraged Symrise's AI system Philyra as a compositional tool, though the finished work carries the unmistakable mark of human intuition. Koralewicz remains based in São Paulo, where he continues to develop fragrances for Symrise while maintaining the collaborative ethos that defines his practice.
The hits
Notable creations
The signature
How Nikolaj composes
Koralewicz operates within the modern paradigm of AI-assisted perfumery, having worked with Symrise's Philyra system on the Neandertal project. Yet his style resists easy categorization. A collaborative instinct runs through his process; working alongside Grau and Sinclair on "is" and "was" required negotiating different aesthetic instincts into a unified whole. His São Paulo base inflects his perspective, grounding his work in a sensory culture that embraces boldness and contrast. He gravitates toward materials that carry narrative weight, building compositions where each layer contributes to a larger emotional architecture rather than functioning as mere decoration.
Philosophy
What drives Nikolaj
"Contact between people is crucial for perfumery," Koralewicz has said. "It is needed to maintain passion for fragrances and for new trends to develop." He views fragrance creation not as solitary invention but as an ongoing conversation between makers. Trends, in his framing, emerge from proximity and exchange rather than isolation. This belief shapes how he approaches each project: as an invitation to connect with other perfumers, with materials, and with the people who will eventually wear the result. His hope, articulated simply, points toward keeping perfumery alive as a living practice, responsive and evolving.
The houses
