English Version | Me, MYSLF, and I

01 Sep 2023
By Maria Inês Pinto

Back to Work Issue

Yves Saint Laurent Beauté's new eau de parfum, MYSLF, celebrates authenticity. And there's nothing more authentic than showing yourself exactly as you are, even if that means going against the trends. In life and in perfumery, the supreme value is just one: pleasure. This is what perfumer Christophe Raynaud, who we spoke to in Madrid about this launch, says.

"We were in the middle of a pandemic and opened the lab just for this project. Everyone was jealous, because they also wanted to work and couldn't. We really believed in this fragrance, we worked hard." This is how Christophe Raynaud recalls the process of creating the eau de parfum MYSLF. An experience that brought him a lot of personal and professional satisfaction, he says: "Working with Daniela Andrier and Antoine Maisondieu was great. When something isn't real you can feel it and smell it, and we loved working together. It was a whole series of very positive exchanges, a real pleasure to work with them. I sincerely hope that the consumer can understand this and, even if they don't know me, feel that this perfume was made with satisfaction. Perfumery is pleasure. It has to smell good." Christophe Raynaud has dreamed of being a perfumer since he was a teenager, and he tells us that every day he arrives at work with a smile, because he's doing precisely what he's always wanted to do. In a relaxed and humorous conversation, he tells us that his favorite part is creating different formulas, even if they don't work out as he had hoped: "I work hard, night and day, every day. I love this job. I go in every day happy and excited to be able to smell new creations and, even if they're not good, I always have a new idea and discover the way forward. I love experimenting with different combinations." In his words, the pleasure of meeting us in Madrid on that hot June afternoon was "all his", because it represents the materialization of the dream he has always had of creating for brands like Yves Saint Laurent Beauté. Raynaud's palpable enthusiasm for the world of perfumery could almost make us think that he is a novice in the industry, still discovering the wonders that await him. But no: he is responsible for some of the biggest sales successes of recent years. He considers himself both an architect and a craftsman, making art and sensibility coexist, but the real secret, he assures us, is to do everything with pleasure and truth - and the same philosophy applies to the perfume he chooses to wear on a daily basis: "I can't wear a perfume in which the concept of the brand isn't aligned with the image I want to show.

Perfume is a projection of us and what we would like to be. That's why I work for brands like Yves Saint Laurent Beauté, they sell me a dream and I really believe in that dream." Fate or chance, Christophe Raynaud's philosophy aligns perfectly with the concept of the MYSLF campaign, an ode to authenticity and individuality, in this case of the male gender. The fragrance invites all men to have a strong sense of identity, free from clichés or prejudices. It encourages them to dare to show all the facets of their true selves, as Yves Saint Laurent famously stated when he said that the most important encounter of his life was his encounter with himself. This maxim runs through the entire process of creating the fragrance, from the campaign to each carefully chosen note - even if Raynaud was unaware of this at the time: "To be honest, we didn't know the concept when this process started. This is usual and it's better for perfumers to come up with new ideas. We had the concept later, of course, but that's the good thing about L'Oréal: they believe in strong ideas. Nothing is black and white and at the beginning the perfume isn't even aimed at a specific target, so we always have to believe in our initial philosophy." From the initial stage of the project to the final product is an unimaginable journey, but the result is there to see, and it's very easy to like it. The reason is simple: "In the story of a perfume there is truth, the consumer understands it and everything is easy. Even if it doesn't follow a trend, that's not important. My only obsession is to do what I like, because if we think about trends we'll always be late. Honestly, I think that when you want to have a good perfume, you just have to wear what you like. As in life and relationships, don't try to be what you're not." This statement brings us to a subject as delicate as niche perfumery. A type of art that, at times, we may not understand due to its complexity. But Christophe Raynaud quickly reveals his opinion on the subject: "I don't really like niche perfumes that don't even smell good, that just want to be different. To have personality - and again, the same is true of human beings - you don't have to be aggressive or necessarily different. You have to be good, but character doesn't imply toughness. This perfume is precisely the combination of character and pleasure." This philosophy can be seen not only in the perfumer's words - but also smelled: orange blossom, bergamot vert, Indonesian patchouli and Ambrofix™: an olfactory symphony capable of conquering anyone - yes, the female sex included. Despite being a perfume designed for men, there are no limitations on how it can be worn. "When a woman tells me she would wear this fragrance, I'm very flattered, it's one of the best compliments I can receive," he later confesses. And speaking of compliments, actor Austin Butler is deeply honored to have been chosen as the face of the MYSLF campaign. The new ambassador reveals that, in recent years, he has come across people who knew Yves Saint Laurent and who have told him how the iconic designer broke down boundaries and assumptions. He says he feels privileged to be part of the legacy left by the designer and praises his rebelliousness. We agree: if we live in a world that incessantly tries to tell us who we are (or should be), there is no more rebellious act than expressing our true identity, defying all prejudices and taboos

Translated from the original on The Coming Back Issue, published September 2023. Full stories and credits on the print issue.

Maria Inês Pinto By Maria Inês Pinto

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