RIYADH: Thierry Wasser, the in-house perfumer of French luxury beauty brand Guerlain, sat down with Arab News on a recent visit to Saudi Arabia to talk all things fragrance at the reopening of the flagship Guerlain boutique in Riyadh Park.

The perfumer shared his insights on the differences between typically Middle Eastern scents and their European counterparts and even touched on his previous visit to Taif in the Kingdom, which is famous for its distinct roses grown at high altitudes.

“When you go to each one of these countries, you try to discover what sent speaks for that country,” Wasser explained of his globe-trotting agenda. 

“For example, in Saudi Arabia, I think it's myrrh and I also think it's agarwood. In France, for some reason, I think it's lavender,” he added. 

The perfumer shared his experience of visiting Taif’s 1,800-meter-high Al-Sarawat Mountains, home to the Taif Rose variety, saying “It's a zig zag when you go … sometimes you have a place you don't expect the altitude to be so high.”

With more than 200 perfumes to his name, the perfumer revealed his favorite scent as Habit Rouge by Guerlain, an oriental woody perfume with notes of earth, warm leather, and the forest, launched in 1965 by the iconic Jean-Paul Guerlain.   

“It's like a shining armor. It was a disguise of a man, a manly, masculine disguise. It shaped me. My attitude changed … I kept it all my life like a lucky charm,” he said. 
Wasser's journey with the brand began in 2008, when was appointed as the first non-Guerlain family member to be the in-house perfumer of the storied house founded in 1828. 

“When you manufacture and source it, you get intimate with the formula and the fragrance from your predecessors and you are responsible for the integrity of them,” he said.

“I want to talk about the Middle East and about how perfume is expressed in the Middle East. They have a deep, intense love for very strong fragrances,” he noted, adding that he quickly learned fragrance is typically applied on clothing in the region, as opposed to directly on the skin, which is common practice in Europe. 

“So I changed my approach and I made all my trials on cotton handkerchiefs,” he explained. 

The fragrance house's iconic bee emblem reflects a commitment to sustainability. In 2021, Guerlain became one of the first luxury houses to join the Union for Ethical BioTrade and initiated a verification process for 50 natural ingredients.

“Sustainability is not exactly a marketing tool or communication tool, it is a state of mind,” Wasser said.

DUBAI: US Dutch Palestinian model Bella Hadid shared a series of images from her experience as a guest judge on “Holland’s Next Top Model,” the reality series where her mother, Yolanda Hadid, serves as one of the judges.

The post features a carousel of photos and videos, including moments with her mother, the show’s judges and contestants, as well as behind-the-scenes shots from various photoshoots.

In the caption, the runway star expressed her excitement about her fragrance brand, Orebella, being featured on the episode, describing it as “a dream.”

She said: “Thank you @hollandsnexttopmodelnl for having me on as a guest judge! To have @orebella be shot, on a show so dear to my heart, in my most beautiful Holland, was a dream.”

Hadid also reflected on her admiration for her mother. “To watch my mama work and be a second mama to a new generation of young creative human beings is such a blessing to me! Things that my mom can teach, she wasn’t taught. It’s part of who she is,” she said. “Her talent, nurturing ability, maternal instincts, confidence in hard work and success, faith in people and love for fashion is what makes her so special, especially on a show like this. I am so proud of you, mama.”

The model described the transformative journey of the contestants on the show. “This was just an incredible experience to watch these young women and men push themselves but also grow to know themselves better than when they arrived,” she added. “I saw so much of myself in every one of them, and I am proud of each one for getting through a competition that I know for sure is mentally and physically exhausting.”

Hadid launched her brand in May with three fragrances: Salted Muse, Blooming Fire and Window2Soul.

In August, she expanded her collection with the launch of a new scent called Nightcap, described as a “warm and spicy” fragrance featuring notes of ginger, cardamom and vanilla.

For the launch, she hosted a party in West Hollywood, where she wore a dusty-pink gown with delicate embroidery and bow detail from Lebanese couturier Zuhair Murad.