Edmond Roudnitska

Who was Edmond Roudnitska?

Edmond Roudnitska was a French master perfumer and author. He is known for creating some of the most famous perfumes in the world, such as Dior's Eau Sauvage and Diorissimo, and Rochas's Femme. Many of his creations are still in production today. He was the father of perfumer Michel Roudnitska.

In 1926, he started his training in perfumery in Grasse. In 1942, he met Thérèse Delveaux, who became his wife. In 1946, he founded Art et Parfum, a private lab for creating perfumes.

His scents for Christian Dior established his reputation as one of the greatest perfumers of the 20th century. The landmark Diorissimo, a fragrance based on the smell of lily of the valley, marked a formidable achievement in the field of perfumery. Unlike rose or jasmine, the smell of lily of the valley cannot be extracted. Roudnitska circumvented the problem by creating a near-perfect reconstruction of the smell of this flower.