Back in February, the folks in Hollywood at Boxer Films (I used to box and love this name!) asked me who they should consider for a short documentary film on a perfumer.

They were looking for a high profile perfumer who could be filmed in Paris, so I arranged for them to interview Dominique Ropion and Olivier Polge at IFF, and Alberto Morillas and Annick Menardo at Firmenich. However, in the end, Jean Patou’s (owned by Proctor & Gamble) in-house perfumer Jean-Michel Duriez was chosen for the film. This short film was made for a campaign for the new Lexus ES 350, called “The Science of Desire.”

I have to say they have made the right move to film an in-house perfumer for a small but a prestigious perfume house, rather than a perfumer at IFF or Firmenich. The film has to speak for Lexus’ “passionate pursuit of perfection.” By choosing Jean-Michel Duriez, the film not only conveys Lexus’ corporate slogan, but also adds intimate and luxurious touches to the film.

It’s a short but a very nice film. The director is Jeff DeChausse.