Hermès Head of Fragrance Formulation Development
About Hermès
Hermès Parfum & Beauté is the fragrance and beauty division of the Hermès luxury maison, renowned for its artisanal craftsmanship, creative rigour and discreet elegance. As part of the Hermès group, the business combines heritage savoir‑faire with forward‑looking product innovation, placing a strong emphasis on quality, materiality and sustainable practices.
Hermès Parfum & Beauté seeks a Head of Fragrance Formulation Development in Le Vaudreuil, France. Lead formulation, R&D and a team of three for perfume launches.
Role & Responsibilities
- Design and finalise alcohol‑based perfume formulas in close collaboration with the perfumer and the Direction des Collections, ensuring compliance with development processes, formulation charter, specifications, timelines and budgets.
- Develop internal perfume concentrates and lead technical qualification of perfumery raw materials, ensuring quality and regulatory compliance.
- Define and propose coherent technical orientations to guarantee robustness and industrial feasibility of developments.
- Lead the “bloc formule” phase and authorise formula release by consolidating key development data and transferring them to production and packaging teams.
- Coordinate with suppliers to source and qualify new raw materials aligned with the brand’s creative and technical objectives.
- Contribute actively to the formula innovation strategy and maintain technological and competitive intelligence.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional support teams (Packaging Development, Purchasing, Industrialisation, Supply Chain, Regulatory Affairs, Quality) to anticipate constraints and ensure optimal project execution.
- Communicate project status, escalate technical risks and support clear, timely decision‑making across stakeholders.
- Manage and mentor a team of three (project managers and technician), providing technical leadership and cross‑functional coordination.
Qualifications
- Master’s level degree (Bac+5) in perfumery, cosmetic science, chemistry or equivalent.
- Minimum 10 years’ proven experience in formulation, with confirmed expertise in fragrance development.
- Deep mastery of alcohol‑based perfume formulations and applied physico‑chemistry (solubility, stability, material compatibility, alcohol–perfume interactions).
- Extensive knowledge of perfumery raw materials (natural and synthetic) and technical ingredients (solvents, fixatives, antioxidants).
- Strong olfactory evaluation capability with ability to analyse and monitor scent evolution.
- Solid analytical competence applied to perfumery (GC, GC/MS) and interpretation of chromatographic and olfactory profiles.
- Good knowledge of perfume and cosmetic regulation and compliance requirements.
- Professional level of English and proven ability to work in international project teams.
Skills
Experience
At least 10 years of progressive experience in fragrance formulation and development, including hands‑on formulation of alcohol‑based perfumes, technical qualification of raw materials, cross‑functional project leadership and experience managing small R&D teams.
Education
Master’s degree (Bac+5) in perfumery, cosmetic science, chemistry, chemical engineering or equivalent.
Workplace
This position is based in Le Vaudreuil, Normandy, France, within easy reach of Rouen.
Culture
Hermès Parfum & Beauté cultivates an environment where craftsmanship, creativity and technical excellence converge. The organisation prizes discretion, long‑term thinking and collaborative innovation, offering professionals the opportunity to work on haute‑parfumerie projects within a culture attentive to quality and sustainable sourcing.
About Cerulean
Cerulean is the definitive career portal for the global luxury industry. We match exceptional professionals with exclusive opportunities at the world's most prestigious brands. From haute couture and fine watchmaking to prestige beauty, hospitality, and boutique retail, Cerulean centralises luxury employment to help you find the career for which you were destined.
Frequently Asked Questions
The luxury industry is characterised by a diverse and nuanced nomenclature. Esteemed houses frequently employ proprietary terminology, and even within a single organisation like Hermès, titles may vary across global markets to reflect local conventions. To ensure absolute clarity, Cerulean assigns a standardised, industry-coherent canonical title to every listing. However, it is worth noting that this role is functionally synonymous with «Fragrance Formulation Manager», «Perfume Development Manager», «Senior Fragrance Formulator», «Lead Perfume Development Scientist», and other variations. Our sophisticated search architecture anticipates these variations, ensuring that inquiries using related terms will seamlessly yield the exact roles you desire.