The most prolific perfumers of our time: Sophia Grojsman
- Urszula
- Feb 5, 2019
- 4 min read
My research about Sophia Grojsman started with one of my empty bottles of Yvresse (ex-Champagne) by Yves Saint Laurent. To me, one of the most innovative and quirky scents in the whole industry. A scent that followed me since I am possibly 11 or 12 years old... Most certainly heavily influenced by my own mother's perfumes such as Opium or Poison... I also can see myself standing smelling the actual bottle of the Yvresse perfume, in the bathroom of my mum's friend Lucyna (but never spraying it!) ... I remember promising myself to get the real deal when I will be earning enough money later... Nowadays, you can only find the new edition of Yvresse but the smell is not what it used to be... As for the vintage bottles (and I have ONE!) the price is rocket high! (is £300 a bottle not insane?)...
I absolutely loved where that perfume has been taking me in terms of research about Sophia Grojsman.
I let you scroll further to read more about her life and experience but also her views on the industry and life in general via the Bois de Jasmin interview too.
Enjoy x
Sophia Grojsman (Nee Sofia Khodosh) was born in Lyubcha, Novogrudok district , Grodno region (Republic of Belarus) in 1945. Her father was of Jewish-Russian origin, his mother of Jewish-Polish origin. It is said that, in her younger years, Sophia ran around her garden, smelling roses and violets. When she was assisting her mother in the kitchen, she would be testing certain spices and this is how it helped to develop her 'gift of God' (as she defines it herself) further.
Her family moved to Poland when she was fifteen, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in analytical inorganic chemistry. In 1965, Grojsman immigrated to the United States (by the invitation of the Jewish family, which was saved in Belarus during the World War II by S. Grojsman)
A year later she began to work at International Flavors and Fragrances as a lab technician.
Grojsman is a Vice President of International Flavors and Fragrances, a perfume and scent company whose annual sales exceed two billion dollars (USD).
Her early mentors were Ernest Shiftan and Josephine Catapano.
She is one of the most prolific perfumers of our time, having created some of the most game-changing perfumes in the last thirty years.
Her mastery with rose in all its facets as well as her 'hug me' accord has influenced modern perfumery as we know it today.
Sophia received the 1994 Cosmetic Executive Women’s (CEW) Achiever Award for her lifetime contributions to perfumery. In 1996, she was honored by the American Society of Perfumers with the Living Legend Award. She was elected a Corporate Vice President of IFF in 1998. Sophia was honored again by the beauty industry’s CEW in May 1999 for her lifetime achievements in the fragrance industry.
Cosmetic Executive Women cited Sophia as “having created more fragrances sold today than any other perfumer in the history of mankind”
Among the best-selling fragrances that Grojsman has created:
Bill Blass Nude (1990)
Boucheron Jaipur (1994)
Bvlgari Bvlgari Pour Femme (1994)
Calvin Klein Eternity (1988)
Calvin Klein Eternity Purple Orchid (2002)
Celine Magic (1996)
Christian Lacroix Christian Lacroix (1999)
Coty, Inc. Ex'cla-ma'tion (1988)th
Elizabeth Taylor Diamonds and Rubies (1993)
Estée Lauder Beautiful (1985)
Estée Lauder Spellbound (1992)
Estée Lauder White Linen (1978)
Frederic Malle Outrageous! (2007)
Gloria Vanderbilt Vanderbilt (1982)
IVS Elite Group Désir Coulant (2012)[7]
HRH Princess Elizabeth E (2002)
HRH Princess Elizabeth Jelisaveta (2002)
Karl Lagerfeld Sun Moon Stars (1994)
Kenzo Kashaya (1994)
Lalique Lalique (1992)
Lancôme Trésor (1990)
Lancôme Trésor Sparkling (2007)
Laura Biagiotti Sotto Voce (1996)
Oscar De La Renta Volupté (1992)
Paloma Picasso Tentations (1996)
Perry Ellis 360° (1992)
Prescriptives Calyx (1987)
Michel Germain Séxūal (1994)
S-Perfume 100% Love (2003)
Yves Rocher Neblina (2000)
Yves Saint Laurent Paris (1983)
Yves Saint Laurent Paris Premieres Roses (2003)
Yves Saint Laurent Parisienne (2009)
Yves Saint Laurent Yvresse (1993)
Selected Quotes
"Perfumers have signatures. You can pick up a fragrance and know who the perfumer is by the way certain ingredients are put together. I'm known for floral accords, bottoms and cleavage"
(Quoted in In the World of Fragrance, Reputations Rest on the Nose at the New York Times)
"It used to be an art, now it's more of a business. Everybody wants an instant success. Fragrances are being tested by focus groups, which limits the likelihood of unusual scents emerging"
(Via Women's Wear Daily, 9/4/1992)
To discover Sophia Grojsman more in depth, please read that amazing interview
More to watch and/or read about Sophia Grojsman
About Sophia: prabook.com/web/sophia.grojsman/1121510
Perception and imagination masters of the senses: www.philoctetes.org/past_programs/perception_and_imagination_masters_of_the_senses
A nose for perfume: www.youtube.com/watch?v=DK_UegCzkAM
A legend in Perfumery: Sophia Grojsman: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9il0xuFuAQY
Sophia Grojsman perfumiarz z naszej ziemi: www.youtube.com/watch?v=XOKhJsL1xt4
100% LOVE® BY SOPHIA GROJSMAN: www.youtube.com/watch?v=5mJdVrRr3JI
A revolutionary perfumer with a progressive vision of the art of making perfumes: fragrances.bg/blog/en/noses/sophia-grojsman
Perfumer Sophia Grojsman: www.alabonfire.com/perfumers/sophia-grojsman
References
Nemy, Enid (February 11, 1993). "In the World of Fragrance, Reputations Rest on the Nose " The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
"Perfumers: Grosjman, Sophia". Perfume Intelligence: The Encyclopaedia of Perfume. Archived from the original on 21 June 2009. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
"Perfumer - Sophia Grojsman". Frederic Malle. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
"A perfumer's passion - Lancome Paris profile". Archived from the original on April 21, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2010.
"Perfumer - Sophia Grojsman". Frederic Malle. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
Sophia Grojsman Fragrances
"IVS Elite Group". The website devoted to Désir Coulant - new perfume created by Sophia Grojsman