Fragrance Notes Issue 2, 2019 | Page 14

NOTABLE NOSES Destined for Perfumery Marvel A. Fields shares her inspiration and approach to creating fragrance for today’s consumers THE NOSE MARVEL A. FIELDS Senior Perfumer, Bell Flavors & Fragrances –– FAVORITE SCENT CITY: Palm Springs, California. “There is a bush called Sierra Bouquet.  At 5 feet away, its fragrant blossoms will knock you off your feet.  I was so intrigued with it that I took a head space analysis of the flowers and duplicated its rich floral, fruity grapey, baby powder notes.” WHAT’S COOKIN’? “I love sushi, but would say my style of cooking is fusion.  I take inspiration from Italian, French, and Japanese cooking.” MUSIC: “I enjoy listening to Big Band music of the 1940s, but I actually don’t listen to music when creating. It’s hard to create while listening to Metallica!” WHEN AWAY FROM WORK: “I enjoy spending time my family, playing with my dog, Ozzy (or anybody’s dog), and working out in the gym.” LIA DANGELICO, DIRECTOR, COMMUNICATIONS, FRAGRANCE CREATORS ASSOCIATION: What is your earliest scent memory? How did fragrance affect your early life? MARVEL A. FIELDS, SENIOR PERFUMER, BELL FLAVORS & FRAGRANCES: Being raised in the countryside of Kentucky, my first olfactive experiences were those of nature. Surrounded by tobacco and hayfields, the sweet smell of foin (hay) filled the air as it was cut and dried and rolled into bales. We also had linden trees that filled the August evening air with their powerful floriental bouquet. Being the daughter of a perfumer, I was continually exposed to filling out questionnaires about likes and dislikes for products he brought home. We actually lived his fragrance submissions—wearing them, shampooing with them, doing laundry with them, and describing their attributes. We were his real-time test subjects! DANGELICO: It appears that early exposure worked, as you followed in your father’s footsteps into perfumery! FIELDS: Yes, my father was a perfumer for 32 years with Procter & Gamble, whose products are used in everyday life, such as detergents, deodorants, bar soaps, shampoos.  He was an international perfumer, who not only created fragrances for the United States, but for cultures all over the world.  Being immersed in his work, he would bring home perfumers visiting the U.S. and sometimes took me to meet them overseas.  I was captivated from the beginning, and knew I wanted to become a perfumer. DANGELICO: You started off as an apprentice perfumer. What has stuck with you from that experience? 14 | FRAGRANCENOTES.ORG | Issue 2, 2019 FIELDS: I was very lucky to be accepted by V. Mane Fils for my training, and to work with Master Perfumers Claude Dir and Steve Orson.  Claude would have me make a floral composition, then judge it for its merits, and then tell me to remove six, 10 or even 15 materials without changing the odor character… that was a challenge!  It taught me which materials were vital and about the specific olfactive contribution each material made.  Steve was a master at technical challenges and taught me about replacement materials for stability. Soon after, I was sent to Le Bar-sur-Loup, Mane’s headquarters, to study naturals, and work with Jean Paul Pons, a Master of International Perfumery. Being an Apprentice was great, because my mentors were highly skilled and willing to share their knowledge with me. DANGELICO: What does your daily life as a Bell perfumer look like? FIELDS: At Bell, I work on all kinds of personal care products, perfumes, household products, and technical challenges.  Two examples of technical challenges are designing technologies for malodor neutralization and the development of all natural fragrances that convey the beauty and complexity of the wider world of fragrance. Given these challenges, I’m happy to share that my colleagues and I are patent pending for a new odor control technology to address consumers’ need for products that can help fight the daily onslaught of bad odors. Bell is an industry leader in natural fragrances and botanical extracts, so it is an exciting time given the growing consumer demand for natural products. It’s important that we are able to provide natural fragrances that are price stable, despite the many crop challenges that we face, such as weather. One thing that challenged us all last year was a supplier’s factory accident in