My day job is as a research chemist working on rare and neglected diseases in the public sector. That training as a chemist makes me more than a little interested in the things that go into making perfume, both synthetic and natural. I have been a lover of perfume for almost thirty years now. From my first bottle of Jovan Musk for my thirteenth birthday, I have been fascinated with everything about the liquid in the bottle. Before to create my own blog “Colognoisseur” I was the former Managing Editor of CaFleureBon, writer at Fragrantica, and Basenotes forum member Somerville Metro Man.   

Alessandro Brun has a PdD in Management Engineering, and is Associate Professor at the School of Management of Politecnico di Milano. He is teacher of Quality Management, and Director of two Masters in Luxury Management at MIP Politecnico di Milano Graduate School of Management. He is a very prolific scientific author, having published - between 2000 and 2020 - more than 200 papers on scientific journals, books and book chapters. In particular his publications on the topic of Luxury Supply Chain are widely quoted. His interest for the Fashion & Luxury Supply Chain was lately focused on the specific topic of Sustainability. He is the founder of the “Sustainable Luxury Academy”, a cultural initiative involving companies active on the challenges of Sustainability in the Luxury Fashion sector. Co-Founder and Artistic Director of the Milanese-based niche perfumery brand MASQUE Milano, he can apply the theories developed in his academic job to a real case.

Eddie Bulliqi is a writer, speaker and consultant specialised in the future of food, fragrance and music culture. Having held marketing and development positions at scent brands and retailers, and with a background in musicology and history of art, Bulliqi analyses what people want from their senses and why. Clients and publishers include Coty, Esxence, Fragrantica, NEZ Magazine, Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine, Stylus Media Group and the World Perfumery Congress. 

Project Manager during the conceptual stage of Essencional.com (2017-2019), Sarah is an American perfume writer, journalist, and video producer living in Paris. Her book, Bad Girls Perfume  www.badgirlsperfume.com   was the recipient of the 2017 Perfumed Plume Award. 

Passion for cross-culture communication since her university time for a Master degree of MTCSOL, Meg has constantly been immersing herself in both Chinese and Western Culture. It eventually leads her to settle down in France, a beautiful and romantic country, in Chinese people's eyes, with great resources for cosmetics and perfumes. Meg encountered the fragranced world in her work of French cosmetics exports to China and began to discover further in this wonderland. Passionately taking to the fragranced world, Meg started her career in this segment.She has experience in perfume as an ambassador between brand owners and Chinese distributors, with the backgrounds of both Chinese and Western cultures Meg acquired the knowledge of the market quickly and widely. Though it's a delicately segmented branch with years of history in Europe, niche perfume remains something very new for the China market. "We will be the pioneers and advocates in China, and customer education is the top mission to fulfil", Meg said, “It’s challenging, but will be fruitful!” 

My first contact with the world of fragrances goes back to my childhood. My mother owned a perfumery in Paris and trained me to the secret world of beautiful scents. Born French, in Paris, but citizen of the world with direct ancestors from Northern Europe, France, Haiti and Syria, I had a classic academic training (Science PO, Masters in Finace, Economics and Law) and I have less conventional hobbies (Ikebana, piano, drums, pilot of planes and motorbikes, photography, cooking patisserie). I worked as a banker, a strategy consultant and managed various internet and services companies. With Thierry de Bashmakoff I founded The Different Company that I own and manage. In 2018 I created the disruptive brand “Wide Society - le parfum en liberté”
 

Director of a leading company in the field of Industrial Property Consultancy with over 60 employees and collaborators for more than 25 years. Reference consultant for numerous multinational companies. He has participated in numerous strategic operations on a global scale related to the protection and enhancement of the portfolios of trademarks and patents managed by important companies. The family has been dealing with Industrial Property for three generations.

Raffaella Gregoris is a woman, a mother, and an entrepreneur. And in all aspects of her life a disruptive innovator. Her passion for research brought her to study pharmacy at university and later to pursue a master's degree in cosmetic chemistry. With all these skills at hand, she started working with several labs and immersed herself in formulating skincare products. For over a decade she gained experience in traditional cosmetics and had one constant thought on her mind: there must be a better way. A simpler way. A way to design a skincare line made only of clean, active ingredients. A safe and effective way to fight ageing without any compromises. With Bakel, born in 2009, she has found the way. She has registered two patents in her name, and over the years she has been awarded the WWD Beauty Biz Award in 2009, the Pure Beauty Award in 2012 and the Marie Claire Prix d’Excellence de la Beauté in 2016, all in addition growing a successful business. 

(picture credits: Gianmarco Chieregato)

As a happy member of the Esxence jury, I am so glad to embark on this new essencional adventure and to follow Silvio's leadership, innovation and brio. For the last 6 years, as beauty director for Bongenie - a high chain specialty store in Switzerland - I have been doing market research, client surveys, identifying trends and contacting brands so as to launch them in Switzerland. It has been wonderful to successfully implement 25 exclusive perfume brands. Designing marketing plans, digital, retail, events, PR, putting in place merchandising, sales training, writing content communication and assessing financial results; what a journey full of learnings and lovely connections with great people! I am now dedicating my time to brands providing consultancy and also writing articles.  I have always been passionate about those 2: perfumes and writing. With essencional, they come nicely together. I enjoy it thoroughly and I hope others do too! 

Graduate of Ecole Supérieure de Commerce,  I have over 40 years of experience in the upscale perfume/ cosmetics and fashion industries with deep knowledge of American, Far East and EMEA markets.
I worked for over 23 years for Chanel Group holding senior position, then as Executive Director and partner of Parfums d’Orsay for 4 years and I become  International Director of worldwide distribution of Patou, Lacoste and Yohji Yamamoto fragrances and managing director of Jean Patou Ltd in U.K.
Since 2002 , as consultant, I have conducted mandates for more well-known  companies.
Involved in trade associations in different countries where I worked I was conferred Conseiller du Commerce Extérieur de la France (I am founder & co-President of its  luxury committee) and Silver Medal Award and the Diploma of honour from the French Center of External Trade 
I am a speaker at Sorbonne University and several Arts, Fashion and Business Schools in Paris and Director of the S.A. Osmothèque (unique repository in the world of international perfumes)
 

I am Vice-President of Perris Group www.perrisgroup.com, a global enterprise founded in 1981 operating in skin care, pharmaceutical, perfume and 3D computer devices industries. Since  2012 I am  also Artistic Director and Nose at Perris Monte Carlo and the second generation of the Perris family to be involved in the prestigious perfumery industry. I created this perfumery brand  to delve back into the heart of the industry and focus on the perfume scents themselves rather than the marketing of the brand name. The passion for bringing back the true art of perfumery is the brainchild of the manifestation of the label, Perris Monte Carlo. The mission is sourcing the finest raw materials from around the world with tradition and modern innovation intertwined, to create the unique scents of Perris MonteCarlo.

Ermano Picco graduated in computer engineering at Politecnico di Milano. Charmed by perfume since childhood, in 2010, he founded the blog La Gardenia nell'Occhiello, to share insights, perfume reviews and interviews. He collaborates with main trade shows giving lectures and workshops on perfume history and culture. Partnerships include institutions like Smell Festival, Per-Fumum Torino, and Osmothèque Versailles for which he curated the conference “The golden age of Italian Perfumery” in 2019. Artistic projects include installations for Mustafa Sabbagh and scented staging for the Puccini Opera Festival. Ermano is editor for the fragrances site ÇaFleureBon and contributes to the Italian webzine Extrait and the French magazine Lumières Internationales. Since 2018 Ermano is part of the Jury of experts for the Premio Accademia del Profumo. Collaborations with several players in the perfume field include communication, brand and product development, evaluation and training.

Passionate about perfumes and its universe,  I started my professional adventure 27 years old, after a graduate in law. From 1993 to 2008, I multiplied experiences to understand and master the value chain of the perfume industry: I developed my competences in sales and animation for prestigious brands such as Chanel, Hermès, Patou. Iimproved my savoir-faire in training fields for Serge Lutens, Paco Rabanne, Carolina Herrera. In 2009, I founded toPNotes, an agency specialized in tailored made training, focused on sell-out, customer relationship and market/retail expertise, which drove me in many countries. I work for small niche brands or big groups. 
I  am also fragrance evaluator and accompany young brands in their marketing and business development.
 

Director of economic research at the Federation of the Italian fashion industry from 1990 to 1999, in 2000  I co-founded a consulting company and still I am advisor to the President at the Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana – and consultant to Pitti Immagine – the organizer of trade exhibitions including Pitti Fragranze, for which in 2018-2019 I implemented the Artistic Perfumery Observatory. I worked on creative industries related projects in European and extra European countries and for the World Bank and UNIDO. In 2010 I co-founded Blumine, a consulting company specialized in sustainability projects for the fashion and creative businesses that is part of the European S.T.ARTS (Scientists, Technologists + Artists) community. I published books and academic articles on creative industries, fashion sustainability and circular economy and served as teacher at Politecnico di Milano, SUPSI Southern Switzerland Technical University, IED Moda Milano and Venice and the at Interaction Design Institute

Since 1976 she has been editor-in-chief of the MTE Edizioni Group, publisher of various publications specializing in the beauty industry: EM - Export Magazine, Hygiene and Beauty, Beauty in Pharmacy, Salon International. She has over ten years of experience in the world of beauty and has an in-depth knowledge of international markets, as well as the main players in both industry and distribution.

After studies in Communication I had experiences in the fields of fashion, design and luxury and  this crossover approach become my major passion and asset  that will be very positive in  my activities in communication strategies, identity management, product development and event design. From 2004 until June 2008 I directed the innovation platform, the Beyond Beauty LAB and I was behind  exhibitions as  “Strictly Confidential” (2005), “BEAUdiversiTY (2006) and Time is...Beauty (2007)  and since September 2009 ‘Rives de la Beauté a major Paris’ beauty and fragrance event, that allows beauty and fragrance protagonists to express their creative vision of a modern and socially responsible beauty during  a yearly festival open to both professionals and amateur consumers, a laboratory for brand and retail experiences with a dedicated focus on cosmetics and perfumery.