Right on the nose

MANILA, Philippines - Issey Miyake Fragrances’ Danny Ventura on the power of scents and on the art of creating a lasting perfume:

Have you always been interested in fragrances? How long have you been working in the perfume industry?

My career with Issey Miyake began 15 years ago, and I have worked with Mr. Miyake for 10 years now. I’ve been an aromatherapist as well, and so fragrance has always been interesting to me: the power behind it and what it does for a person. People buy perfume because they want to feel prettier, sexier, and richer, and yet it is only a liquid. That’s how potent it is.

What is the earliest scent you remember having a profound effect on you?

The scent of apple pies that my grandmother used to bake. To me, fragrance is about memory; it brings you back to a place that makes you happy. My first memory of a fragrance is my grandmother baking at home. From there, it went on and on. My father, my grandfather, and my great-grandfather were also hairdressers, and so I have grown up being in a beauty salon and smelling all the products. Scent has always been very interesting to me.

How do brands estimate the kinds of smells that people will like?

Fragrance is a very abstract emotion. Either you like it, or you don’t; nobody can force you to like a scent. When we create a fragrance, we can only base it on the things we like. Especially Mr. Miyake: he never creates things for profitability. He creates new things because they are something that has never been done before, something very unique, and something people will get pleasure out of. There’s no science to it, no magic formula. All we can do is make something and put everything we have into it, heart and soul, and then hope that people will like it.

So there are no trends with fragrances, unlike in fashion?

There are trends you can follow. For example, in the ‘70s, fragrances were very singular. There was only one note in a scent that is very heavy, like patchouli and musk. In the ‘80s, fragrances were very powerful, and the more fragrances you wore, the better it was. In the ‘90s, it became more and more individualistic. Now, in the 2000s, we’re becoming greener, friendlier to the environment. Fragrance has become more of a softly indulgent thing for us to enjoy.

What kind of scents do you personally like?

I like fragrances that have a trail. I like for people to smell something and then remember a fragrance. It’s a lasting impression; the olfactory impression is one of the most important things you can give a person. If you don’t smell nice, nobody is going to talk to you. So I do believe that a fragrance has to have a lasting trail, but I also believe that the fragrance should be worn by the person, not the other way around. It’s important that it doesn’t overpower you.

With all that, what would you tell someone on the perfume counter who’s deciding which fragrance to buy?

Well, there are so many different scents out there. Go try A Scent by Issey Miyake, and keep in mind that it is a fragrance that is essential. It’s a fragrance that is natural: simply leaves, flowers, and wood. It cannot not smell good on the skin. You will like it; what’s left to deliberate on is how often you’re going to wear it.