You may not know his name, but you know his perfumes. He is a man behind the most famous perfume innovations

Frank Volkl's name may not be familiar to the public, but the perfumes he created have achieved widespread popularity over the past two decades. From "Santal 33" perfume from the American perfume house "Le Labo", to "You" from the American brand "Glossier", and "Father Figure" from the American brand "Fleur".

The American perfumer's work did not stop there, as he created perfumes for American artists Ariana Grande and Jennifer Lopez, in addition to his cooperation with the Italian house Dolce & Gabbana and the American Calvin Klein. Volkel holds the position of Master Perfumer at the Swiss company DSM-Fermensch, the sixteenth to hold this title in its history spanning more than a century.

His role is not limited to creating scents, but also includes contributing to identifying aromatic materials that may shape industry trends in the coming years. His perfumes are characterized by woody notes and light compositions that mimic the smell of clean skin. Although he admires most of his innovations, his personal taste varies. He tends toward smoky and leather scents, which he uses in very small doses, because excessive amounts may, according to his opinion, evoke smells of fire that suggest danger.

A clear vision and an exceptional sense of smell gives the title of “Master Perfumer” its holder a prominent professional position, as he participates in directing research and selecting aromatic materials that may be included in future innovations. The results of these decisions may take years to appear, while creating a scent that is easily recognizable and maintains its presence in the market requires experience that is difficult to replicate.

But Volkl believes that the success of a fragrance is not based on individual talent alone, but rather on cooperation with the evaluation, sales and marketing teams and customers. He explains: “Our work is subject to review and modification, and I see that evaluators play the role of editors.”

They may request that green or smoky notes be modified, which they believe do not suit commercial taste. “I listen to everyone and take in feedback,” he adds.

He cites advice given to trainees by one of his colleagues: “Don’t take the bus before you know where you want to go,” explaining his philosophy by saying: “Define your destination clearly, remain open to places that no one has gone before, and accept the presence of people who will accompany you on this journey.” It is a process that combines intuition and collective knowledge, but the final decision remains the sole responsibility of the creator.

Volkl summarizes this by saying: “In the end, you are alone when creating, and you have to make the decision yourself.” Fragrances are disappearing and others are replacing them. The perfume industry is facing rapid changes in raw materials, between the disappearance of natural ingredients and regulatory restrictions that force the reformulation of well-known perfumes.

This process begins years before any change reaches the consumer, as research and experiments require significant investments. “You have to be at least five to ten years ahead of others in your thinking and strategy,” says Volkel.

An example of this is laurel oil, whose production was severely affected by Tropical Storm Erica and then Hurricane Maria, which struck the island of Dominica. The island produced about 70% of the global supply of this oil.

“Since then, we no longer have laurel oil,” Voelkel says, adding that it is the ingredient he misses most, because it smells “like metal,” a quality he finds in no other ingredient in his fragrance collection. After years of research, he came close to finding an alternative, but the absence of this oil forced modifications to perfume formulations that are still available in the market.

Regulatory restrictions also led to the exclusion of two fragrance compounds, “Lilal” and “Liral,” which Voelkel describes as his favorite floral ingredients, due to their long-lasting scent. It is also expected that Galaxolid will disappear from the perfume industry within the next five to ten years.

These transformations force perfume makers to constantly reinvent their formulations, to maintain their balance and identity despite the change in their components. Success does not cancel out failure. Folkle's perfumes are present in stores such as "Sephora" and "Ulta", through his cooperation with international beauty and fashion houses such as "Fleur", "By Kilian" and "Marc Jacobs".

However, winning projects is not a guarantee. To date, Volkel has created more than 200 fragrances, and each successful fragrance can generate millions of dollars.

But he admits that some of the projects in which he invests emotionally do not see the light of day, and he does not measure his success by the number of projects he wins, as their importance varies between great commercial opportunities and experiences that allow the launch of new brands. He still has unfulfilled ambitions, most notably creating a perfume for Yves Saint Laurent and Giorgio Armani.

The names of perfumers have long remained behind brands, while the industry has begun to give them a greater presence as independent creators. Brands such as “Inishio” and “Creed” are still reluctant to reveal the names of their perfume makers, while brands such as “Friedrich Malle” and “Essential Parfums” highlight the name of the creator alongside the name of the perfume.