Marion Costero
Independent perfumer, Marion Costero creates scents for brands, olfactory stories for moments of life and exceptional places in search of sensitive immersion and sensory coherence. She has signed numerous creations for prestigious brands in Europe, the United States and Latin America.
What is the vision that you pursue through your work?
For me, perfume transcends the simple presence of a bottle on a shelf. Like a genie's lamp, the promise of an emotion, of a memory, of belonging is coiled in its swirls. Very early on, from childhood, I was charmed by the magical power of scents. Olfaction has the power to take us elsewhere, very close or very far, and to make us travel through time. Who has never turned around in the street to look for a loved one whose perfume they smelled? It is for this reason that I became a perfumer, to create olfactory universes that mark our stories, mark our memories, add a sensitive, invisible but powerful dimension to our moments of life.
What cultural or historical roots, or what other disciplines or areas of society, have most influenced your profession, in your opinion?
My attraction to the world of scents is rooted in childhood, from the Alpes de Haute Provence, where I spent my summers, to the Basque Country, where I grew up, through my mother's kitchen. Wild lavender, fragrant storms, dried plants under the awning, the power of the ocean, the calm of the mountains, the orange blossom in the pancake batter, all mingle. Scents are omnipresent and my personal “collection” of inspiration is constantly evolving. I am particularly sensitive to encounters and small moments of grace: breathing in the scent of pink berry from my children, sensing a lilac in bloom in the heart of Paris, smelling an oasis patio in Andalusia, coming alive in front of a contemporary ballet, strolling on the beach in the storm, caressing an ayahuasca vine in the Amazon…
What are the main changes you have observed in your profession over time, and what challenges might arise in the coming decades? How do they reflect societal and technological transformations?
In perfumery, as in all fields, the last few years have been marked by great changes. First, changes in raw materials for various reasons such as safety, supply, resources, climate change. This makes us acknowledge our world and its limits, and promotes the emergence of the idea of a more conscious, ethical and sustainable perfumery. The other important change is the advent of AI. A fascinating and extremely useful tool but oh so ambivalent, even redoubtable, if it is confined to the reproduction or imitation of what exists, to the detriment of the creativity and vision of perfumers.
Is there a book, a film, or a work of art that you feel perfectly captures the essence or dilemmas of your profession?
Claude Monet's Water Lilies capture both the essence of my profession and some of the challenges I face. It is an interpretation of nature through the eyes of the artist, imbued with their sensitivity, their references and the entire journey they traveled to get there. The overall feeling translates the emotions that Monet felt when painting them, however each person who looks at the Water Lilies can feel very different things. When I compose a perfume, I am aware of all the inspirations that I breathe into it, but everyone perceives it in a unique way, according to their own references. It's as if each person receives a fragrance that is unique to them. This is what makes the magic of perfume. Like the impressionist painter, the perfumer proceeds by juxtaposition of small, perceptible, free touches to emphasize the sensation felt and the instantaneous expression of luminous effects. Finally, Claude Monet devoted the last 31 years of his life to Water Lilies, a journey into a garden, a work of life. Likewise, certain themes fascinate us, follow us, obsess us, build us.
Imagine you could create a capsule that would travel through the universe and time, what would you like to put in it?
In my capsule I would put wild plants’ seeds, the smell of the storm on the ocean, the one of spring, my mother's pistachio shortbread, a few books, "The essence picker" by Dominique Roque, " Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edmond Rostand and the complete work by Joao Gilberto.