From CK One and Acqua di Giò to more than 7,000 fragrances worldwide, Alberto Morillas has shaped the way generations smell. Ahead of Mizensir’s evening with Man About Town and Harrods, the legendary perfumer reflects on his career, his favourite scents, and the pursuit of simplicity after more than five decades at the pinnacle of his craft.
There is a good chance that Alberto Morillas is already in your home. Perhaps his creations are sitting on your bedside table, tucked away on a bathroom shelf, or lingering on the collar of a coat hanging by the door. His work may have accompanied a first date, a wedding, a holiday, or an ordinary Tuesday morning. If you don’t know his name, you almost certainly know his scents.
The master perfumer is responsible for more than 7,000 fragrances, including some of the most universally adored perfumes ever created: Calvin Klein’s CK One, Giorgio Armani’s Acqua di Giò, Marc Jacobs’ Daisy and countless others that have shaped the way the world smells over the past five decades. Often referred to as the “King of Freshness”, Morillas has spent more than 50 years defining modern perfumery, earning the Fragrance Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2013 and becoming one of the most influential noses in the industry.
When we speak, he’s calling from The Connaught, amused that one of the hotel’s doormen has complimented his fragrance, of course. He receives the praise with the warmth and openness characteristic of his native Spain, a place that remained an inspiration for him throughout his career. Morillas remains one of the last true artists of fragrance, while continuing to create global bestsellers, he also directs Mizensir, the independent luxury house he founded with his wife in 1999, where he is free to follow his own creative instincts.
Ahead of Mizensir’s celebration for the release of the last issue of Man About Town with Harrods, we sat down with the legendary perfumer to discuss his journey, the changing fragrance landscape, and why simplicity remains the ultimate luxury.
Courtesy of Mizensir
What first inspired your love of fragrance?
My first impression came when I was very young in Spain. It was the smell of my patio in Sevilla. You know, this watery sensation with the orange tree flowers, and the light. This was my first impression. And after 53 years, all my perfumes still carry this very iconic signature, freshness, lightness, and being easy to wear. This is very important to me because I like to create perfumes that give this sensation of happiness and the quality of simplicity.
So would you say Sevilla has influenced every perfume on your whole journey until today?
Exactly. It’s normal because it’s a nostalgic moment from my life. And I think it’s very important to have this signature in all my creations. You can find this happiness and ease of wear in everything I create.
When did you first fall in love with perfumery?
The first time I discovered that there was somebody behind a perfume creating it, I was 20 years old. I was in Geneva, and I read in Vogue about the history of perfume. I learned that Jean-Paul Guerlain was the man who created the perfumes for the House of Guerlain, and I decided that I wanted to learn how to create perfumes myself.
So I applied to Firmenich in Geneva. They gave me the opportunity to work there and learn. Now, after 53 years, I’m still with the same company and I enjoy my work every day. I also have my own studio in Geneva. Today, it’s nice because there are many schools where you can learn perfumery. It’s much easier to get started. I don’t mean it’s easy to become a perfumer, it’s very complex and very complicated, but at least people now have the opportunity to learn.
How do you think it’s different now? Why do you think there’s more access?
Because now you have access to schools. In Paris, you have schools, and I think in New York you also have some. It’s much easier to have the possibility to begin. I don’t tell you it’s easy to become a perfumer, because it’s still very complex and very complicated as a profession. But you now have the possibility to learn, and that’s important.
You’ve created nearly 7,000 fragrances according to the internet. Which creations have stayed with you the most, and what makes them iconic in your eyes?
Haha. Of course, the first ones are always the most emotional because I was very young when I created them. One beautiful perfume I created is no longer on the market. But CK One is still on the market, very modern, very unique. Then there is Acqua di Giò, which is still one of the number one fragrances in the world. And of course, creating my own brand, Mizensir, makes me very happy because I’m very proud to have created it myself.
I have created so many fragrances, flowers, pleasures, many, many, many perfumes. I don’t even remember how many anymore. But I’m very proud because all my creations are very different. It’s very difficult to create so many perfumes while keeping a different style for each one.
Is there a note that you think is universally loved, regardless of trends or geography? Is that a thing, in your opinion?
Right now, I think it’s the very gourmand style, you know, because everybody loves it. It’s very figurative and very easy to understand.
But it’s also becoming a little bit boring because now we smell too many fragrances in the same style. For me, it’s important to move in a different direction and create something different. The last fragrance I made, I don’t know if you’ve received it yet, is Chiffre Royal. It’s very different. It’s dark, minimalist, and has a very intense woody sensation. It’s sexy, but it’s not a figurative style. You don’t smell strawberries, chocolate, or bananas inside.
I really wanted to create something different, something very intense. The concentration is very high, but at the same time it’s very minimalist. For me, it’s all about the intensity of the emotion.
Courtesy of Mizensir
What do you think makes a fragrance truly special?
First, it has to be different. In this fragrance, I have several different facets inside, but not a very dark wood. It’s a warm wood, because I don’t like very animalic woods. For me, they can smell too intense and create too much of an animalic sensation.
In Chiffre Royal, it’s different because I use a very special sandalwood. I also use a classic rose, Damascena rose, and another very special natural ingredient that is quite rare. Then there is the intensity. The concentration is more than 30%. It’s funny because sometimes I don’t smell it anymore myself, but immediately people tell me, “Wow, you smell so good.” That makes me very proud. I love when people tell me that.
When did you know you wanted to launch your own line, and how has the experience been creating fragrances under Mizensir?
I was the first perfumer to create my own brand. Before that, there were very few perfumers doing it. Often, a perfumer creates a fragrance and another brand puts it on the market under their own name. But I wanted to create my own story.
To be honest, I was sometimes frustrated because customers would come to me and ask for a specific type of perfume, and I couldn’t always do exactly what I wanted. My wife told me, “Why don’t we create something ourselves?” So we started with candles. That’s where Mizensir began. Mizensir is a French name and it’s a little complicated to explain, but we started with beautiful candles. Later, my daughter joined the company and asked, “Why don’t we create perfumes as well?” So we started doing that too. Now we have… how many? Fourteen, maybe more. It’s very expensive to do, of course. But I really enjoy creating my own story and following my own direction. I’m free to create exactly what I want.
How do you reflect on the state of the fragrance industry today, and what has changed the most since you first started?
When I started, there was much less marketing and there were far fewer perfumes on the market. Now, my goodness, there are so many. Some are very good, some are bad, some are very bad. There are many duplications and many different things. Maybe there is too much. But at the same time, people have much more freedom. They have a choice. You can order online. You don’t need to go to a special boutique anymore. You’re free to discover fragrances on your own.
So many young people are interested in perfume now. Perfume has become much more cultural. It’s more visible, more discussed, and more accessible. I think it’s wonderful to smell a perfume, close your eyes, and travel.
If someone is looking for the perfect scent, what advice would you give them?
First, don’t just buy it immediately, especially when it’s expensive. You need to smell it on a blotter first. See if it’s good, if it’s long-lasting, if you can recognize the quality. After that, try it on your skin. Don’t put on too much, because then you become confused. Try it in just one place and see if the alchemy between your skin and the perfume works. If possible, ask for a sample. Wear it in the morning and spend time with it. See if it gives you a beautiful sensation. See if you feel comfortable with it. If you don’t feel comfortable, it’s better not to spend so much money for nothing.
When people buy Mizensir online, we always include a small sample inside the package. That way they can try it first and be sure they are making the right decision before opening the larger bottle.
Are there any ingredients or notes that you feel are currently underrated?
I think every ingredient is important. The key is how you combine them to achieve the best result. It’s like cooking. Sometimes you have very simple ingredients, but if you add a little vinegar or another spice, suddenly everything becomes different. It’s the same in perfumery. Take citronella, for example. It’s very cheap. Very cheap. On its own, it can smell quite synthetic. But if you combine it with a beautiful lemon from Sicily, suddenly the lemon smells different and more interesting. For me, there are no ingredients that are inherently bad or inherently good. Some ingredients are inexpensive, some are expensive, but what matters is how you use them together. I like that freedom in composition. I never think, “This ingredient is bad or this ingredient is good.” I prefer to experiment and see what happens.
Courtesy of Mizensir
Do you think people wear fragrance differently today than they did twenty or thirty years ago?
Of course. People today are much more demanding. Before, people would buy a fragrance simply because of the brand. Now people are much more open. They buy fragrances because they love them. They don’t only look at the brand, they look at the composition. I think that’s very good for the industry. People are more educated, and I’m very impressed by the younger generation.
What role does memory and nostalgia play in your creative process?
It’s very important, but I don’t like to live in the past. I prefer looking at the present. I don’t spend much time revisiting my older creations, even though I’m proud of them. Today we have wonderful new molecules that allow us to create fragrances with much more personality. For example, when I first used Calone in Acqua di Giò, it created a completely different signature. If you remove that molecule, the fragrance isn’t the same anymore. That molecule helped define the entire identity of the perfume. And today, the new generation of perfumers will have many new signatures thanks to new ingredients.
If you could only wear one fragrance for the rest of your life, what would it smell like?
That would be very boring! Maybe it would be something very simple and very natural. Perhaps just one special molecule. Or maybe it would be the next fragrance I create.
Which fragrance are you wearing today?
Today I’m wearing a Chiffre Royal. It’s very intense and very minimalist at the same time. It’s almost like a monochrome perfume.
How do you choose what to wear in the morning? Do you wear something different every day?
Yes, absolutely. My life is surrounded by fragrance. I have so many perfumes around me. Sometimes before I go to sleep, I’ll smell one or two. Then in the morning I’ll smell them again. Usually I start with a blotter strip because that’s easier. If I wear too much perfume directly on my skin, eventually I stop smelling it. So first I smell it on paper, and then I decide whether I want to wear it.
