Renaud Salmon doesn’t impose himself onto a fragrance — he listens to it. As the creative director of Amouage, he works in the space between intention and intuition, where memory, emotion, and craftsmanship converge. His approach to perfume resists noise, resists haste — and instead embraces something rarer: depth, stillness, and meaning. In this conversation, Renaud reflects on serendipity, grief, legacy, and the emotional weight that scent can carry. From a bakery in Muscat to the memory of his mother’s perfume, he reminds us that fragrance is never just about smell — it’s about time, presence, and what lingers after everything else fades.
This interview appears in the latest edition of Serendipity Vol. 1.
Renaud photographed by Shelby Duncan words by Paulo Meixedo
fragrances photographed by dsection studio
PAULO MEIXEDO:I found it interesting to interview you for two reasons. First, I only discovered the brand Amouage a couple of years ago. And second, because my whole life — and my creative process as a creative director — is heavily guided by one of my most important senses: smell. I remember people not by name, but by scent. In the beginning, I thought this was a little strange — people would ask, “How do you know how I smell?” But for me, scents are very, very important. This new issue of the magazine is titled Serendipity. So I found it quite fitting to explore my sense of smell and memory — and now, I want to explore it from your perspective. You’re working behind a brand where smell is everything, so I’d like to understand that better. Let me begin by asking: You’ve worked across luxury and creative direction. How did you end up in perfumery? Was that always your goal from the start? Or did you stumble into it?
Renaud Salmon: No, not at all. In the beginning, I actually wanted to be a fashion designer — that was my dream. My parents were against it because they saw fashion as something superficial. They thought I’d end up in an industry filled with superficial people. But I still wanted to follow my dream. And, by chance, I was given responsibilities early on related to fragrances while working at big fashion houses. That’s when I discovered how much I liked that specific field — everything related to fragrance, the materials, the artistry… and I stuck with it. Even now, it feels like there’s still so much to explore.
PM: That’s interesting, especially when you mention the superficiality — I feel like that’s my biggest battle every day. The deeper I go into fashion, the more I feel the industry’s superficial side. And as you said, when fashion designers decide to create a fragrance, sometimes it’s done in a very superficial way — it’s just about putting a name on a bottle. So, I totally understand your perspective. That’s why I believe serendipity also plays a big role in creativity — whether you’re a fashion designer or creating perfume. Do you feel like you’ve had moments of serendipity in your work — perhaps since joining Amouage?
RS: Yes, I believe so. It’s a huge topic. It has to do with life, destiny, and belief. I think things happen for a reason. Even if you can’t control everything, if you believe in something, put in the effort, and align the stars as much as possible, then yes — things tend to move in the right direction. And being at Amouage feels like that to me. It’s actually quite scary when I think about it. I was born in a small village in Belgium. My whole family, for generations, lived there. My brother still does. And yet here I am, in Muscat, Oman, doing something so different, after living in New York and Geneva. Life has something strange about it.
PM: We could probably call that serendipity, yes.
RS: Yes, absolutely. But it’s also a reminder of how deep and unpredictable life is — and how many possibilities we have as individuals. Of course, I was lucky. I wasn’t missing anything growing up. But you realize that your path — what you eventually do — is a mix of strong intention, vision, passion… and also the happy accidents that life throws at you.
PM: Yes. That’s very interesting. Now, regarding the brand — Amouage — would you define it as a niche brand?
RS: I’d say yes, though the word “niche” often refers more to size or availability. To me, what matters is high perfumery — creating fragrances of true quality.
PM: So do you feel a certain pressure to make Amouage more widely known? The brand is clearly growing. Do you feel a push to make Amouage a household name?
RS: Yes, there are definitely expectations. My responsibility at Amouage is to do the right thing for the fragrance industry. Amouage carries a certain responsibility — if brands like ours aren’t inventing the future of perfumery, then who will? We’ve seen an overload of launches and noise lately. At times, perfumery has felt commoditized, no longer special. Something that used to be an artistic expression has become a commercial tool to fund other business activities — like handbags, for instance. And that’s sad, because it reduces the role of perfume. My mission is to show that fragrance can still be a form of deep artistic expression — something that elevates brands and people.
We’ve seen an overload of launches and noise lately. Something that used to be an artistic expression has become a commercial tool. My mission is to prove that fragrance can still move people — that it can be art.
PM: Some of your fragrances are complex — not easy to just “wear.” I personally choose my scent based on mood or setting. So do you create fragrances meant to be worn every day, or are they more like stories to be discovered slowly?
RS: Good question.Ultimately, fragrances are part of applied arts — they live in people’s daily lives. I don’t create them as masterpieces to sit untouched on shelves. Of course, some people say they wear Amouage only for special occasions. But to me, that’s a little sad. I want my creations to become part of someone’s daily identity — to resonate and be remembered. That’s more rewarding than any review or award.
PM: Speaking of reviews — do you find perfume criticism to be meaningful, given how subjective scent is?
RS: There’s always a mix of objective and subjective in any critique — just like in film. Some technical aspects can be judged objectively: similarity to other fragrances, originality, quality of ingredients. But aesthetic direction — that’s subjective. My job is to preserve the craft of Amouage and elevate its artistic vision.
PM: I’ve also noticed that you have a strong visual aesthetic — especially on Instagram. How does photography influence your creative process?
RS: Photography is a visual translation of aesthetic choices. For example, I don’t like overly saturated images or HDR — my photos are more subdued, with grain or patina. That’s the same with fragrance. Some are sharp and high contrast. Others have blur and depth. Photography helps people understand fragrance aesthetics because we’re more comfortable using our eyes than our noses.
PM: Exactly. Some scents are too “bright” — you get everything at once. Others need time to develop. So I appreciate that parallel between photography and scent. Do you ever create a fragrance and feel it’s “too much” to release at the time?
RS: Yes. Especially when I first joined Amouage — I was hesitant to venture too far from what I thought was “the brand’s style.” But I later realized Amouage is more about a philosophy than a fixed style. That opened up so many creative possibilities. With fragrances like Ovation and Existence, I dared to explore beyond what I previously thought was possible for the brand.
PM: That makes sense. Some fragrances are intense and heavy, while others are light and easy to wear. Let’s return to the emotional power of scent. Do you have any fragrance that’s too emotionally charged for you to wear?
RS: Yes — anything associated with my mother, who passed away recently. She wore certain fragrances during road trips we took together. Just one note of those perfumes can instantly bring it all back — it’s like a scar etched into my memory. Sometimes perfumers use ingredients that I need to ask them to remove — not because I dislike them, but because they trigger emotions too strong for me to work with.
PM: I can relate. For me, it’s the scent of orange blossom. I grew up in the countryside with a huge orange tree in our garden. That smell brings peace and calm to me — it’s deeply personal. Would you say you’ve ever experienced a fragrance that came to life by complete accident?
RS: Yes — with Love Delight. Shortly after moving to Muscat, I was in a bakery. While checking emails, I caught this amazing scent in the air. I turned around, but no one was there. It came from the kitchen, where they’d just opened an oven full of cakes. But it didn’t smell like Western cakes. It smelled like perfume — rose, saffron, orange flower, nuts, honey, vanilla… That moment became the inspiration for Love Delight — a perfume based on those Middle Eastern sweets.
PM: That’s beautiful. You had to be there, in that bakery, on that exact day. Serendipity, again. Now, if we stripped away the logo, the marketing, everything people know — what is the essence of Amouage?
RS: Generosity. Hospitality. Unselfishness. It might sound strange to describe a brand using words for human beings, but I believe it fits. Unselfishness means creating something that offers more than it takes — something that resonates.
Just one note of those perfumes can bring it all back. It’s like a scar etched into my memory — too powerful to wear, too personal to forget.
PM: And in terms of business — what’s next? As a creative director, I often feel like I’ve already explored everything. And then suddenly, a new idea comes. Where do you go from here?
RS: For me, there’s still so much to explore in the craft of fragrance. Nowadays, everything — from images to perfumes — feels overly polished by technology and AI. Anyone can create a fragrance that appeals to many. But we’re losing risk, emotion, and quality. That’s why I’m obsessed with how to stand out — not through gimmicks, but through true craft. It’s about resisting the noise, staying confident in what we do. And believing we make the best product — because that’s the only foundation that matters.
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