Francis Kurkdjian

Francis Kurkdjian (born May 14, 1969) is a French perfumer and businessman of Armenian descent. He is best known for creating the men's fragrance Le Male for Jean Paul Gaultier in 1995, which has become one of the world's best-selling men’s fragrances. He also released Baccarat Rouge 540 in 2015 under his own house, Maison Francis Kurkdjian.

Kurkdjian co-founded the fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian with Lebanese-French businessman and former Ernst & Young partner Marc Chaya. The brand was purchased by LVMH in 2017 for an undisclosed sum. He was the winner of the Prix François Coty in 2001 for his lifetime achievement.

Early life Francis Kurkdjian was born on May 14, 1969 in Paris, France to Armenian parents. Having been exposed to music and dancing at a young age, Francis Kurkdjian wanted to be a ballet dancer during his youth. However, he failed passing the competition to study at the Paris Opera Ballet School in 1983. Kurkdjian, who already had an interest in perfume making since he was thirteen years old, decided to become a perfumer in 1985. In 1990, Kurkdjian entered the Institut Supérieur International du Parfum, de la Cosmétique et de l'Aromatique Alimentaire (ISIPCA), a perfume school located in Versailles, France. This became Kurkdjian's first success at perfume making.

Besides selling his scents to major fashion designers and houses, Kurkdjian re-created Marie Antoinette’s favorite perfume for the Palace of Versailles.

He co-founded his own fragrance house Maison Francis Kurkdjian with business partner Marc Chaya in 2009 near the Place Vendôme in Paris.

In 2013, the crystal company Baccarat commissioned Kurkdjian to make a perfume for its two-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary. Initially the perfume was a limited edition run of Baccarat crystal bottles, priced at three thousand Euros each. Released in fall 2014, Rouge 540 (named for the temperature at which Baccarat crystal is produced) quickly sold out. Kurkdjian gave a bottle as a gift to the vice-president of beauty at the department store Neiman Marcus, Kelly St. John. She received so many complements on it that she suggested Kurkdjian produce it for sale at their stores.

Awards and recognition Among Kurkdjian's awards include: Winner of the François Coty perfumer (Oct 2001) Award for the collective body of his creative work Cosmetique Magazine's best perfumer of year 2008 Named Chevalier of Arts and Letters (July 2008) WWD Beauty Biz Award, Maison Francis Kurkdjian Breakthrough product of the year Fine Fragrance (2009) Cosmetique Magazine's best niche mixte perfume for Aqua Universalis (June 2010) Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (July 2026)

List of creations

Artistic collaborations Voir et être vu, Grand Palais Paris 2015/2016 - olfactive installation for the Elisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun exhibition Milan world expo 2015, Stratus 2015 - olfactive installation for Pavillon Lille 3000 L'Art du Jardin, Grand Palais Paris, Flora Tournicota, 2013 Chateau de Versailles, Sillage De La Reine - Re-creation of the scent of Queen Marie Antoinette, 2006 Olfactive installations in the gardens of Versailles: Bosquet de l'orangerie, 2006 - PréamBulles, Bosquet des 3 fontaines, Bosquet de la Rocaille, 2007 and 2008 Grand Palais, NoctamBulles: olfactive installation during the 2010 Paris great museum evening Shanghai expo 2010: Olfactive installation at the French Pavilion La Luce Degli Innocenti: Olfactive installation, Florence 2011 Sophie Calle: The smell of Money, 2003 Paris Garnier Opera: Pas de deux, eau de parfum, 2004