Alienor Massenet

Aliénor Massenet is VP Senior Perfumer at Symrise, Paris.

Of Hungarian origin, she grew up between a painter aunt and chemist grandparents — an environment, as she puts it, predestined for perfume.

She trained at Cinquième Sens under Monique Schlienger while studying art history, before an encounter with Sophia Grojsman propelled her into the profession. She spent twenty years at IFF before joining Symrise in 2016.

She signed the first-ever Memo Paris fragrance, Lalibela, in 2008, and has been the house's defining nose ever since, with credits also spanning Viktor & Rolf, Maison Margiela, and Chloé.

Her work is defined by unlikely contrasts: sandalwood and pumpkin, solar warmth and dark resins, with myrrh and labdanum as her signature materials.