Founder and Managing Director Quintessence Paris.
Valentine Pozzo di Borgo.
Professionally, I see myself as a creator of olfactory emotions. Beyond my profession, however, I am first and foremost a citizen of the world.
Although my roots are French, my spirit knows no borders. I draw my inspiration from movement – through travel, contact with nature, and my deep bond with horses. These experiences continually nourish my creativity.
My work consists of translating memories and sensations into fragrances, reaching people where words are no longer enough.
The Quintessence adventure began in the most spontaneous way imaginable: a trip to the registry office guided by intuition and instinct. Having just finished my studies, at 24 I felt a visceral need for freedom and the desire to shape my own time so I could fully pursue my passions.
At the beginning, we moved forward somewhat blindly, but with a very clear vision: to open up the world of perfume to distinctive places. My ambition was to allow brands or hotels with strong identities – but not necessarily large volumes – to have their own signature scent. At Quintessence, we create “olfactory logos,” translating the DNA of a place or brand into liquid emotion.
This eighteen‑year entrepreneurial journey is also a deeply human story. My mother joined me very early on – even though it was never part of her original plan! She became an essential pillar of support for the young entrepreneur I was. Looking back today, I am proud to see that the intuition I followed after leaving school has grown into a solid, enduring family adventure.
Valentine Pozzo di Borgo.
Perhaps I would define myself as a calm builder.
Working with my family, preserving my freedom, and sustaining my business for nearly two decades have given me a sense of stability. That stability allows me to fully embrace my creativity, free from the doubts that marked the early days.
Ironically, contrary to what one might expect, perfume was not an immediate passion for me. It developed gradually, shaped by the people I encountered along the way.
To me, life is an extraordinary human experience, filled with highs and lows. What truly transformed my relationship with perfume were the passionate individuals I met – people who generously shared their knowledge, curiosity, and worldview. I firmly believe that human transmission is one of the most powerful forces that exists.
You can learn from books or even from artificial intelligence, but nothing can replace the moment when you hang on every word of someone speaking from the heart and from lived experience. Passing on that knowledge today is my way of honoring those encounters and keeping alive the spark that was once entrusted to me.
It is important to remember that smell is a primal, almost reptilian sense. Originally, it guided us, helping us make essential choices for survival. It is fascinating because it is entirely intangible: you cannot touch a scent, yet it is our most direct and powerful connection to memory.
Perfume has the ability to bypass rational thought and strike straight at the heart – that is its invisible impact.
What moves me most in my work is seeing someone moved to tears by a fragrance, simply because it has awakened the memory of a loved one or a forgotten moment. In those moments, I feel truly useful: when matter becomes pure emotion and fragrance allows people to reconnect with their own personal history.
Perfume is undoubtedly the most intimate of accessories – an invisible imprint, a silent language.
But for this “Proust’s madeleine” to truly work, one essential condition must be met: openness.
To invite someone into an olfactory universe, my first responsibility is to create a space of trust. One must be willing to let go and allow the senses to take the lead. Only then can fragrance reach us where we least expect it, awakening our deepest identity.
Fragrance identity and development for Piaget.
This is the paradox of my profession: perfume requires time, patience, and maturation – yet no two days are ever the same. I have no fixed routine. Time is not a constraint I endure; it is an ally that I adapt to my needs.
My first encounter with watchmaking came through Swatch. Every winter, my mother would give me the limited‑edition Valentine’s Day models. It is a brand that holds a very special place in my heart.
Interestingly, I have never bought a watch for myself; they have always been gifts. For my eighteenth birthday, I received a Chanel Chocolat. Yet the watches that touch me most are heirloom pieces – objects with a soul. I wear an Hermès watch my father wore daily when I was a child, as well as a Cartier that belonged to my grandfather, who also worked in perfume. I consider myself “vintage by inheritance”: I love objects that have lived and tell a story long before mine.
Swatch Valentine Days.
Hermès Sellier, a gift from Valentine’s father.
It was his watch, which he wore all the time. He stopped wearing a watch because he no longer wanted to see time passing.
If I had to choose one defining collaboration, it would be with Omega.
It took place for the anniversary of the Trésor de Ville model. I had the opportunity to participate in a joint project with Nikos Aliagas, who was creating a photographic series for the occasion. Nikos’ imagery and Omega’s technical precision came together in a shared celebration of time. Moments like these remind us that whether in photography, watchmaking, or perfume, we are all striving for the same goal: to capture emotion and make it eternal.
Valentine Pozzo di Borgo, by Nikos Aliagas.
Time has always been a muse for perfumers. Nina Ricci’s L’Air du Temps and Annick Goutal’s L’Heure Exquise immediately come to mind. For vintage watch collectors, however, I would explore a darker, more textured olfactory world.
I imagine working around the figure of Chronos, the god of time. The fragrance of an antique timepiece collector should evoke permanence and the immutable. It would feature woody, dry, almost mineral notes, reminiscent of old books, weathered leather straps, and the golden dust floating through the light of a workshop.
A cool metallic note — steel or brass — would be warmed by deep amber, symbolizing the perpetual motion of the mechanism. It would be a fragrance of transmission, one that smells of eternity and pays tribute to objects that outlive us.
Other fragrances inspired by time include:
To discover these fragrances – some no longer available in stores but preserved in our collective memory – I highly recommend visiting the Osmothèque in Versailles. It is a living conservatory, a timeless place that preserves the original formulas of thousands of perfumes. Visiting it is like traveling through the history of perfumery, where you can smell masterpieces that have disappeared or exist only in their historical versions.
My view of our era is somewhat ambivalent. We live in a time of immediacy, performance, and constant movement, which can be exhausting. Yet paradoxically, this is precisely what makes my work even more precious: perfume imposes its own rhythm. You cannot force a flower to release its essence more quickly.
For me, time is not an enemy but an ally. I like the idea that time gives objects a patina, adds depth to life, and brings wisdom to decisions.
Today, my way of navigating this era is to consciously choose moments of slowness. Whether on horseback or in the act of creation, I seek to capture moments that endure. Ultimately, it is the passage of time that transforms a simple scent into an indelible memory.
Today, our preferred field of expression is the hotel industry.
It fascinates me because it brings together everything I love: design, travel, color, and atmosphere. It is a space for global creation, where one can truly sculpt the soul of a place. Each hotel is a blank page, an opportunity to translate architecture and emotion into an olfactory signature.
As for the fragrances of tomorrow, I must admit that I dislike the word “trend.” A scent should never be a passing fashion. The fragrance of tomorrow will simply be the one that resonates with the emotions of its time.
We are developing olfactory workshops in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. The goal is to bring into practice what we discussed earlier: the profound connection between scent and memory.
If this initiative interests you or if you would like to learn more about these workshops, please feel free to contact us at:
contact@quintessence-paris.com.
We would be delighted to share this project with you. The next session is scheduled for March 2026.
One Response
Beautiful story, Valentine. You are inspired from the heart and that’s what makes your brand so special and successful.