Entrevista a Andy Tauer 28 noviembre 2013

No os perdáis esta entrevista a Andy Tauer, creador y perfumista de Tauer Perfumes, en la que nos regala grandes respuestas, comparte con nosotros su genial punto de vista de la perfumería y la forma de crear sus fragancias.

First of all, thanks Andy for taking the time to answer our questions and for sending the pictures to use in this interview.

L.T-Can you make a self-portrait illustration?

Andy Tauer self-portrait.

L.T- Can you tell us a smell that send you directly to your childhood?

A.T-I think it is the smell of pigs, outside. I was born and raised in the countryside of Switzerland, in a very small village of less than 400 inhabitants. In medieval times it had the rights of a city, due to an important bridge over the river Rhine. In the neighborhood there was a farmer and as kids we used to go there and feed the pigs with freshly picked dandelion leaves. They would come to us, behind the fence, eat the greenery and we tried to caress them. Pigs are very smart animals. I guess they knew us kids. Another scent that reminds me of these days long gone by: The smell of little backyards, in the shadow, surrounded by medieval masonry, with moss on the ground, fog in the air, and the scent of cold stone.

L.T- When and how start your passion to the perfumery?

A.T- It all started when I read a book about all natural perfumery by Mandy Aftel, “Essence and Alchemy”. It kickstarted my venture. After reading this lovely book I wanted to play with naturals myself, too. I went ahead, bought natural raw materials and started to play. Naively at first, with some ambition later. After about 2 years composing with all natural materials I reached out to
synthetics, too. They allowed me to move on and fine tune my compositions and add extra effects. But still today, I am very fond of working with naturals. Their complexity is unique. They come with a challenge to use them in compositions, but at the end they are rewarding as they give depth and intensity to a fragrance.

L.T- How and why became the idea to make your own brand of perfumes?

A.T-It was not really planned. It just happened to me. A good friend of mine had a bookshop in Zurich, where he also sells handicrafts from Morocco. One evening over dinner we talked about perfumes and natural raw materials from Morocco. He proposed that I create a fragrance around naturals from Morocco and this was the idea for the first fragrance in my line: Le Maroc pour elle. What followed was l´air du desert marocain which was a great success, especially after Luca Turin reviewing it in different magazines and his book “Perfumes: The Guide”, written together with his wife, Tania Sanchez. I soon had an online shop, a webpage, clients, but I continued working as consultant and manager for a couple of years. This allowed me to slowly grow my business, invest money and not having to worry about success in perfumery.

L.T-You are chemist, how this affects to your creations?

A.T-I have a PhD in chemistry, did some work in molecular biology, yes. But, looking into the way how I create, I do not think that chemistry influences my creations at all. I draw my creativity from a different organ than my brain. There where my creativity flows from, there is no chemistry taking place.

L.T-You denominate to your perfumes fragrant sculptures is this for the way you have to create it?

A.T-Yes, my claim going with my products says “Immersive Sculptures”. For me this means: I create fragrant sculptures, that you can penetrate, that penetrate you, that become part of you, that form a fragrant unique piece with you, the wearer. Sculpture stands for an object that I form with scented material, it finds its final form by you wearing it.

L.T-You put a lot of emphasis in the ingredients, isn’t it? it is hard to find the best quality for your creations?

A.T-Ingredients are key, very important, and unfortunately, a lot of perfumes reach the markets these days where you can smell that what´s inside is pretty cheap. So often the focus in perfumery is on the packaging and not on what is inside. It is quite honestly a shame. Whenever I compose, I do not worry about the price of raw materials that go into a composition. Of course, quality is
important, too. Sometimes it is hard to find excellent quality in the amounts that I need them. I am not a big power buyer and hence I am dependent from suppliers that are sourcing excellent quality, from reliable sources. There is a lot of adulteration in the naturals market happening: Reliable suppliers with a good quality control are one of the most important factors for me.

L.T- What are your 3 favorite natural scent, and you’re 3 synthetic?

A.T- That´s actually hard to say as I have varying favorites. Let me name a few that are top on the list:

-rose, be it the spicy fruity gourmand rose essential oil, be it the honey warm rose absolute. Neroli is also a treat to work with and smell, and so is Lavender, or Patchouli. Cistus extracts, such as ambrein or labdanum are also absolute highlights to me. I love to work with cistus and in most of my compositions you find a bit of a cistus extract.

- There are also great synthetic molecules to work with. Like Ambroxan, a woody animalic amber gris molecule, or a simple molecule like Iso E super that adds lift and brightness to compositions. Or Irone alpha, a molecule at the interface between violet, orris root, dry wood, with a powdery undertone. It does not need a lot to get a great effect. But there are many favorite molecules more. Actually, it would be simpler to tell you what I do not like. This list would be rather small…

L.T-You live in Switzerland, Can you describe the smell of the country, and the smell of Zurich?

A.T-The country Switzerland is pretty diverse. There is not really THE Swiss perfume. When I think “Switzerland”, my nose wanders from the Alps with the scent of mountain pastures, warm stones in the summer sun, and me sitting there in clean air taking a break from hiking, or I see the scent of the forest near Zurich, after a spring rain, with the mossy mushroomy perfume of rotten leaves, or I see Zurich downtown, very clean, with a few synthetic flowers emanating from women passing by on the streets: Delicate and gentle as the Swiss in the northern part tend to perfume themselves with moderation. Or I see the scent of the river Limmat, close to where I live, in autumn, steaming in the morning, carrying the green rich perfume of warm humidity in cool morning air.

L.T- And to finally can you make a quick draw to explain what “L’Air du désert Marocain” means to you? 

Picture by Andy Tauer.