‘Turning memories into beautiful moments’: Chinese perfumer on the art and science of creating fragrances

David Huang Ganjun worked in a soap factory, learned two languages and studied in France to become a ‘nose’ who’s in demand to create China-brand fragrances

He and his team at French company Robertet face challenges such as evoking a city’s spirit in a perfume; he sees an opportunity for personalised perfume

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Perfumer David Huang Ganjun heads French company Robertet in China, and says business for scents that resonate with Chinese people is booming. Photo: Simon Song

Published: 4:15pm, 18 Apr 2022

For David Huang Ganjun, the path to becoming a world-class perfumer was one littered with obstacles. He worked in a detergent factory, learned two languages and beat off competition to enter a top French scent-training institution, funded by a loan from a soldier pal.

Huang, from the Chinese city of Luoyang, is nothing if not determined and his perseverance paid off. Three decades after beginning his studies, he heads the China operations of French company Robertet, a fragrance and flavour manufacturer with 170 years of history.

A trailblazer, he has never been busier. He is in charge of a team in huge demand to create China-brand fragrances that have local resonance. The Robertet team also formulates fragrances for diffusers, detergents, shampoos and skin creams that appeal to Chinese olfactory sensibilities.

Among the local brands that look to Robertet’s team for perfume inspiration are To Summer, The Beast, Scent Library, I Do, Meet House and Barrio. There are also personal care products for established names such as Watsons, OSM and Roseonly, along with home-care items for Walch, Peninsula Hotels and H&M.

A collection of perfume products Huang created. Photo: Simon Song

“Business is booming,” says Huang, who is Robertet China’s chief perfumer and technical director. “We are working on a lot of projects with different clients. French perfume still has that allure, and history, but more people in China want personalised perfume, which is where we have a chance.

“When you create a perfume, communication is the difficult part; you have to interpret the note in the client’s head. When clients tell me they like a scent it is very satisfying, that is a good feeling.”