Alberto Morillas

The elegant gentleman among perfumers, Alberto Morillas, likes to describe himself as a constant seeker of new scents. Born and raised in the wild south of Spain, the Andalusian is still deeply connected to his roots. He associates his first conscious scent experience with the garden in his parent's house in Seville. This was home to the local orange trees but also allowed the young Alberto to breathe in the scents of carnations and jasmine daily. He moved with his parents to Switzerland when he was 11 years old, where he began, but never finished, his studies in art history at the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. The culprit of his rebellion was none other than Jean-Paul Guerlain. An interview with him in Vogue inspired him to indulge in the art of perfume making. He applied to Firmenich in 1970, to which he continues to lend his "old-style nose," as he says himself. The traditional company, which has been a global player in the fragrances and essences field since 1895, is the largest privately-owned company of its kind in the world. Since 1998, Alberto Morillas has been allowed to call himself "Master Perfumer". His way to this Olympus of perfumers was paved by his world-famous fragrance creations (selection):

Cartier, Must de Cartier II
Calvin Klein, CK One (with Harry Fremont)
Tommy Hilfiger, Tommy (with Annie Buzantian)
Estée Lauder, Pleasures (with Annie Buzantian)
Giorgio Armani, Acqua di Gio
Givenchy, Pi
Kenzo, Flower
Thierry Mugler, Cologne
Yves Saint Laurent, M7
Bulgari, Omnia
Dolce & Gabbana, Light Blue pour Homme
Marc Jacobs, Daisy
Narciso Rodriguez, Essence
Bulgari, Man
Gucci, Bloom

Alberto Morillas was awarded the "Prix François Coty” in 2003. This was followed by the "Fragrance Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award'' for his life's work in 2013. But he’s not stopping anytime soon - in addition to his work for Firmenich, he launched his product line in 1999 under the brand name "Mizensir.