Izaskun Díaz, the first (and only) Mexican nose, was in charge of finding the perfect mix of Nordic and Mexican aromas for each collection, creating a fusion between the two cultures. He tells us about his career and everything behind our iconic aromas.
Where does your passion for perfume and aromas come from?
I have a vivid memory of childhood in my great-grandparents' house in Morelos, which had a garden that seemed enormous to me and there were many fruit trees, especially citrus trees. My great-grandfather always used eau de cologne and that led me to try to collect the dew from the orange blossoms very early in the morning, since I believed that was where the perfumes came from.
Several years later, as a teenager, one summer I had a close encounter with the perfumery industry and I met a perfumer who took me on as an assistant that summer and from there I decided that that would be my career. I was 15 years old.
What career do you study to be a perfumer?
To be a perfumer you must study a career related to chemistry: Chemistry, Chemical Pharmacist Biologist, Chemical Engineering, Food Chemistry, Biochemical Engineering, etc. These careers are needed to have the technical and behavioral knowledge of the materials with which one works. Afterwards, training is carried out, which can be in a school or in a company internally, to prepare as an Evaluator or Creator. The duration of this training can be between two and five years.
How did you get started in the world of perfumery?
As I mentioned before, I started when I was a teenager, but formally it was after finishing my degree in Chemistry, that, in one of the large perfumery houses, I successfully passed a series of tests that allowed me to begin my formal training as a perfumer. In this company I got to work with fine perfumery, environmental and personal care projects, mainly.
What is your main interest as a perfumer?
One of my main interests is the construction of identity through smell personally and collectively and the exchange of this type of identities between people and spaces.
How and when did you decide to found Izaskun Estudio Olfativo?
The decision to found Izaskun Estudio Olfativo arose a bit by chance. For different reasons I decided not to continue in the industry and I spent some time thinking about what I was going to do with my life. A friend approached me to ask me to make a perfume for his clothing brand and from there everything flowed to begin that development in my mother's house and a year later to start with the first physical study we had, of this they are already seven years.
What is the inspiration behind Mys scents?
The concept that was worked on in Mys has different elements that were decided to include. On the one hand, since Helle has a Nordic component, plants from that region were included, which were combined with aromatherapy elements that help enter different states of consciousness. All these combinations are supported by other elements that emphasize the feeling of the different seasons of the year, to create different environments and personalities.
- Spring: Bergamot-Cloudberry
- Summer: Lavender/Rosemary-Juniper
- Autumn: Cedar-Birch
- Winter: Sandalwood-Elderflower
How long did you work on them?
From when we began to talk about the concept and the line of direction that the collection was going to have to when the final fragrances were chosen and the storytelling documents and application tests were proposed, it was a process of approximately nine months.
What was the creative process like?
The creative process began when I asked Helle a series of questions and we had several talks to come up with the concept on which this first Mys collection would be based. From them, styles were proposed that could go with each concept and they began to work on the fragrances. I like the client to be involved in the process, so we had several meetings throughout the development to redirect the path of each of the fragrances until we reached the ones that became the definitive ones.
In this process I am inspired first by what clients tell me and respond to and I define various sensory issues, words and symbols for each concept. When working I like to play music depending on the mood and sometimes I even make playlists for each development and what that project inspires me. I like to experiment with slightly strange combinations of notes, which sometimes work and sometimes don't, and try to express more what I want the fragrance to project in terms of sensation than the ingredients per se.
Where did you get the ingredients?
The materials of natural origin come from places where it is known that the best quality of each extract is obtained; exemplifying some used in Mys fragrances: cedar is from Virginia, USA, bergamot is from the Italian Mediterranean coast, rosemary is from Spain. All of these and the synthetics come from certified distributors in accordance with international legislation.
If you could define the four personalities of Mys scents, what would they be like?
- Spring : This fragrance has a fresher and happier personality. It is relaxing and at the same time energizing, a breath of fresh air and a chance to find peace of mind and concentration.
- Summer : This fragrance is like entering a forest, being able to relax, contemplate and be with yourself. It is a combination of reducing anxiety and being able to concentrate and focus on the moment, no matter what activity we are doing. It's finding balance.
- Autumn : This fragrance radiates a combination of elegance and comfort. It is warm and comforting, but with a lot of character and presence. Helps you focus and achieve the feeling of being at home.
- Winter : This fragrance is a warm and soft hug that provokes joy and a feeling of fullness. It is silky and elegant, in addition to creating a sensuality that appeals to all the senses.
How does your interest in beauty and well-being translate into this work?
My interest in beauty and well-being is translated through fragrances and the type of sensations, moods and combination of ingredients that are worked on. I have always believed that it has to do with a mixture of three things: health safety and the structure and stability of the fragrance; creativity to be able to do beautiful things for the body and soul; and being able to have a positive and enriching effect that leads to the well-being of the end user, both in mind and body. Live every smell.
Anything you can highlight about this experience?
Throughout all this time that I have worked with Mys I can say that it has been a very good and rewarding experience. I consider that Mys brings together many aspects that were necessary in a wellness brand, from the experience that Scape has been building, but taking it much further, being born in Latin America with a Nordic component that makes it even more interesting, mixing two ways of seeing the life without losing the objective, from quality and love to doing things well.
By: Carla Díaz Katsicas
