Yves Cassar

“Connaître le sens profond de la matière c'est déjà composer”*

If the perfume world were a garden, Yves Cassar would be its gardener. A childhood on the Mediterranean coast of Algeria and powerful memories of his grandmother’s garden, with its bouquets of citrus, jasmine and tuberose, gave root to Yves’ passion for flowers, which allowed him to become the master of natural materials he is today. Constantly foraging for new natural materials to use at IFF, Yves’ work frequently brings him to far-flung places. Even his garden at home is a landscape of olfactory discovery; every flower bed plays host to a growing assemblage of possibility.

Yves is a graduate of the Université Valrose in Nice, with degrees in Chemistry and Biology. He traveled to Grasse for his first job in fragrance, analyzing the quality and purity of natural oils and aroma chemicals, a singular expertise which sets him apart as a perfumer. Later, he managed the production of ingredients from cinnamon bark to celery seeds, and absolutes from local flora, including jasmine, rose, and mimosa. This deep knowledge from the belly of the perfume industry defines his work today.

Yves joined IFF’s New York office in 1998, bringing scientific precision and purpose to his formulas. But, the simplicity he finds in nature lends a sense of clean clarity to his accords, which he organizes by families of citrus, floral, and woody notes that combine to become sophisticated olfactory worlds. Yves’ talent lies in complimenting dark notes with light notes, and juxtaposing tender floral notes with the subtle warmth of spice to add a new dimension on skin.

*"Grasping the deep meaning of each ingredient is the first step towards creation”