Perfumer Talk: Christophe Raynaud

Roberto Cavalli is finally diving into male grooming with its latest fragrance, UOMO.

Influenced by the bohemian rock Italian lifestyle, UOMO was created for the new Cavalli man.

Roberto Cavalli launched its first fragrance in 2012 and it had a tremendous success, especially in the Middle East. Since then, with several launches under its belt, the brand has become a household name in the region and today Roberto Cavalli is one of the top performing brands in the region.

Virtuozity sat with Christophe Raynaud, UOMO’s creator to learn more about the perfume and the life of a perfumer.

How would you describe UOMO?

UOMO is an exclusive aromatic oriental woody fragrance, a combination of precious ingredients that create a perfect harmony between timeless Italian sophistication and dandy rock boldness; making it the perfect blend for the Middle Eastern men.

When did you realize you wanted to be a perfumer?

I wanted to be a perfumer since the age of 15. It all started with a collection of miniature perfumes. Then I did an internship in a big group because I thought that it was there that perfumes were created but I soon realized otherwise. However, as they had a small perfumery service and I was able to discover how perfumes are made.

Could you describe UOMO’s creation process?

We received a brief from the fashion house and we started working. The fragrance was described using fashion terms and fabrics names which were interesting. The challenge was to create the fragrance based on the description of the Cavalli man, which was a first. I then started to identify the right ingredients and after a year of work UOMO was born.