The 12 Fragrances Master Perfumers Wish They'd Created

Born and raised in Mexico City, Rodrigo Flores-Roux has a plethora of iconic creations under his perfumery belt, including cult classic Clinique Happy and Neroli Portofino by Tom Ford. The Givaudan senior perfumer is not only a creator but also a self-described perfume historian. Diorissimo by Dior is one of Flores-Roux’s favorite perfumes ever created—not only for its ingenuity, but also because of its place in perfume history.

Launched in 1954, Diorissimo was created by famed perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, under the guidance of Christian Dior himself. In fact, the fragrance is incredibly personal to the house of Dior. Diorissimo captures lily of the valley and is a single floral (or a soliflore)—“a mono theme taken to the extreme of perfection,” says Flores-Roux. Dior’s favorite flower was the lily of the valley (he considered it his lucky flower), which was used many times as a motif in the designer’s collections and was the emblem of Dior Couture. When Dior died in 1957, his coffin was covered in lily of the valley, and all of the mourners sported a sprig of the delicate spring floral.

The simplicity of Diorissimo is deceptive, though. The fragrance has subtle notes of jasmine and ylang-ylang, and it features one of the first prominent uses of two molecules in the green universe, says Flores-Roux. “These two green elements are present in green leaves and green fruit (like kiwi and bananas)—they provide a spring, burgeoning, sappy, fresh-cut-grass kind of smell,” he says. “Roudnitska used them to the biggest advantage in this perfume, providing a completely new innovation for a perfume that was already quite innovative because it was very minimalistic in conception. But then the coronation of this beautiful floral harmony was to put this completely new green, very ethereal and powerful dominance to make the fragrance completely new.”

This perfume takes an emotional approach to the brand, but also represents enormous innovation and a quantum leap in the creation of perfumes, Flores-Roux adds. “Diorissimo is a perfect perfume—not only because it’s highly recognizable and absolutely gorgeous, but it also is a keystone in the history of perfume.”

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