Have Powerhouse Fragrances Gone Too Far? Louise Turner Interview

“There’s a certain violence sometimes in some fragrances, and sometimes you have to do that because that’s what is required of us. It’s what the market requires.”

‘Violence’ is a strong word, but I understood exactly what she meant.

Some fragrances feel less like an invitation and more like an assault. There is no space to lean in, discover the notes or notice how the scent changes on skin. Everything arrives at once, then hangs in the air for hours.

That intensity may perform well in a quick first impression. It does not always make the fragrance more enjoyable to wear.

There Is Still Value In An Intimate Fragrance

The obsession with projection overlooks one of fragrance’s most interesting qualities: it can be personal.

A scent does not need to announce itself across a restaurant to have an effect. Some of the most compelling fragrances sit close to the body, appearing as you move or when somebody steps nearer.

Louise was clear that not everybody wants a blockbuster.

“Some people want things that are more intimate. You do have people who don’t want fragrances that leave a huge trail.”

That quieter approach can feel more considered. It also allows you to wear the fragrance for yourself rather than treating everybody within a ten-metre radius as an unwilling audience.

This is where the ‘beast mode’ conversation becomes limiting. Longevity and projection matter, particularly when you are spending a significant amount of money. But performance is not the same as quality.

A fragrance can last all day and still be boring. Another may become softer after a few hours but smell far more distinctive, textured and complete.

The better question is not simply, “How powerful is it?” It is, “Does it have something worth smelling?”

How Tom Ford Lost Cherry Was Pushed Further

Louise knows more than most about creating a fragrance with enormous presence.

Tom Ford Lost Cherry is bold, sweet, and immediately recognisable. Its cherry character is not hidden behind vague fruit notes or kept politely in the background. It is the point.

Interestingly, Louise did not begin the project believing that cherry would become the next major fragrance trend. The direction came from Tom Ford and his team.

“That was Tom Ford and his team that wanted to do a cherry. When they brief you on something that’s so specific, you think, ‘Oh my God, we’re all going to do the same.’ But fundamentally, people have lots of different interpretations of how you do cherry.”

The brief combined cherry with tonka bean. It was also, Louise explained, the first fruit-led fragrance Tom Ford had done.

Lost Cherry could easily have become overly literal or syrupy. The challenge was to push the note without allowing the fragrance to collapse into a one-dimensional cherry sweet.

Louise initially felt she had already taken it far enough.

“I was just like, ‘No, this is really, really cherry.’ We were going further and further. Sometimes you need someone to push you outside your comfort zone.”

That push came from the wider development team, including the evaluator working alongside Louise and Karen Currie at Estée Lauder.

Each time Louise felt the fragrance was sufficiently cherry-led, she was encouraged to take it further.

“I was like, ‘It’s really, really cherry.’ They were saying, ‘Yeah, let’s go more.’ And finally, the one that went more.”

It is difficult to imagine Lost Cherry without that excess. Its lack of restraint became part of its identity.

That does not contradict Louise’s concerns about powerhouse fragrances. It shows the difference between intensity with a clear creative purpose and intensity added simply because the market demands louder performance.

Lost Cherry Was Not Designed As A Guaranteed Hit

It is tempting to look back at Lost Cherry and assume everybody involved knew exactly what they were creating.

They did not.

Louise said the team never imagined the fragrance would achieve the success it did. It was part of Tom Ford’s Private Blend collection and grew far beyond their original expectations.

“They never imagined it would be a success. It became really successful, and it still is.”

Its success also led to further cherry fragrances from the brand. What began as a specific creative brief became part of a much larger movement.

For Louise, this proves how difficult it is to predict what the market will embrace.

“It’s so difficult to know what’s going to be a best-selling scent. You never know.”

A perfumer can create something interesting, technically accomplished and genuinely enjoyable, but that does not guarantee commercial success. The fragrance is only one element.

“It depends on the brand, it depends on the bottle, it depends on the concept. Is it too early? Is it too late? There are so many factors that are out of our control.”

Instead of attempting to reverse-engineer a blockbuster, Louise focuses on the fragrance in front of her.

Does it smell the way she wants it to smell? Does it surprise her? Where can she take it next?

That sounds simple. It is not.

“I can only judge it myself. In a way, I create for myself. It has to please me. It has to talk to me, and if it doesn’t, how can I imagine it talks to anyone else?”

That does not mean she would personally wear every fragrance she creates. A perfumer still has to respond to the house, the brief and the intended customer.

It does mean the work needs to create some form of emotional response in her before it can be expected to connect with anybody else.

Creating Chloé Cedrus De Nuit

Louise’s latest work with Quentin Bisch takes a more understated approach.

Chloé Cedrus de Nuit develops the woody character of the original Cedrus through the idea of a flower blooming at night. Louise and Quentin looked for something warmer and more sensual, but still in keeping with Chloé’s restraint.

They settled on the Queen of the Night, an extraordinary flower that blooms after dark.

There is no essential oil available for the perfumer to work with, so its scent had to be reconstructed.

“It’s something that has a certain exoticism, and obviously there’s no oil, so it’s a reconstitution. It’s an amazing-looking flower.”

Louise describes the Queen of the Night accord as vanillic, lightly spicy, white floral and balsamic. Those warmer elements sit against the texture of cedar, creating something that feels enveloping without becoming overly heavy.

That balance was important.

“When it’s night, you’re looking for something warmer, something a little more sensual, without becoming something that’s over the top. Chloé is always a little understated.”

Cedrus de Nuit is not short of presence, but it does not rely on force. The warmth draws you in rather than pushing itself out.

It feels particularly relevant to the wider conversation. A fragrance can have depth, sensuality and character without needing to shout.

A Great Fragrance Still Needs To Be Worn

There is an unavoidable commercial reality to perfumery.

A perfumer may be proud of a composition, but fragrance is not intended to remain sealed inside a laboratory. It needs to find people who want to wear it.

Louise put this rather brilliantly.

“You can create the greatest perfume that you think is an absolutely marvellous, iconic being, because it’s kind of living. But if no one buys it and chooses to wear it, it doesn’t exist.”

That does not mean chasing every trend. Louise believes commercial success should be the result of following your instincts and getting the fragrance right, rather than the sole reason for creating it.

Sometimes that works. Sometimes it does not.

A great fragrance can arrive too early, appear in the wrong bottle or simply fail to find its audience. Another can catch the mood at exactly the right moment and become far bigger than anybody predicted.

Lost Cherry was one of those moments.

That is why I am wary of treating a signature fragrance as a lifelong commitment.

Your preferences change. Your life changes. The places you go, the way you dress and how you want to present yourself can all shift. Fragrance should be allowed to move with you.

The search is part of the enjoyment.

“It forces you to search. I think searching is really important in life. Finding things by chance.”

Louise ended with the line that stayed with me most:

“Maybe by tripping over it is what gives you the most joy.”

She is right.

Your next favourite fragrance may not be the one with the loudest launch, the biggest trail or the most impressive longevity claim. It may be something you spray without expectation, then continue thinking about for the rest of the day.

Power has its place. Lost Cherry proves how exciting excess can be when it serves a clear idea.

But fragrance does not always need to be ‘beast mode’. Sometimes it is better when people have to come a little closer.