Honorine Blanc

Honorine Blanc was born in Beirut, Lebanon, and left for Paris at the age of sixteen due to the country’s political instability. There she studied mathematics, physics and chemistry before training as a perfumer at ISIPCA, from which she graduated with honors. She began her career as an intern at IFF under master perfumer Sophia Grojsman, later worked at Fragrance Resources, and joined Firmenich in 2005, where she was named Master Perfumer in 2013. In 2026 she received The Fragrance Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

She created fragrances for houses including Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Lancôme, among them Black Opium (in collaboration with Nathalie Lorson, Marie Salamagne and Olivier Cresp) and La Nuit Trésor à la Folie.

Her rule-free style pairs clear structures with an intangible sensuality. Drawing inspiration from Beirut, literature and sailing, she has built a distinctive body of work within contemporary perfumery.