Carlos Benaïm lives and breathes perfumery with a curiosity that’s just as alive today as it was when he started out. Often called America’s greatest living perfumer, Carlos first fell in love with scent as a child in Morocco, riding through the countryside in a Jeep with his father, a pharmacist obsessed with essential oils. Those early days, surrounded by fields, flowers, and the alchemy of distillation, sparked a passion that never left him.

He didn’t take the traditional route through perfumery school. Instead, he learned the craft hands-on, apprenticing under legendary noses like Ernest Shiftan and Bernard Chant. That training laid the foundation for a career filled with iconic creations: Flowerbomb for Viktor & Rolf, Euphoria for Calvin Klein, Polo for Ralph Lauren, Jasmin Noir for Bulgari, and modern classics for Frédéric Malle like Eau de Magnolia and Dawn.

A POET’S SOUL WITH A NOSE FOR EVERYTHING

Carlos’s scent memories are still as vivid as ever: the spice stalls in Tangier, the sweet tobacco his father used to perfume with violet and geranium, his grandmother’s cinnamon-filled kitchen. He has a soft spot for iris because of its elegance, fruits for their brightness, and frankincense for its soul. His best advice is to be curious. Pay attention. Give each smell a name, connect it to a feeling or a memory, and revisit it often.

THE CREATIONS