He’s the perfumer who created the TikTok-viral Baccarat Rouge 540, the indie darling Petit Matin, the luxurious J’adore l’Or, and the irreverent scented bubbles that he once released in Paris’s Grand Palais. Francis Kurkdjian seems to be everything everywhere all at once as the founder of his own house, Maison Francis Kurkdjian, and the perfume-creation director at Parfums Christian Dior. His latest scent for his own label is a fruity, sweet almond blend called Kurky. “I wanted something juicy and fun for adults who haven’t forgotten they were kids once,” he says. He distinguishes it from all the cookie-dough piña colada sprays that are flooding the market right now. “Those are more like a fat, buttery coconut. Like a Bounty candy bar. Kurky is like looking at the sunshine, like happiness and vitamin D.” We asked Kurkdjian about his scents and sensibilities, and what he wishes the world smelled like. —Linda Wells
What’s the first scent you remember?
Fresh banana with milk, a bit of white sugar, and cinnamon. My grandmother used to prepare that for me after school. That is the flavor of my childhood. My mother used to wear Madame Rochas, which is a floral aldehyde from the 70s that was the big thing at the time. Later she moved on to First, by Van Cleef & Arpels. And then the smell of the staircase from my grandparents’ apartment. It connected the basement to the first floor, so it was the earthiness of the basement mixed with the wax of the wooden floor. That’s very specific. It’s honey-like.
