Karine Vinchon-Spehner: Master of Natural Amber & Wood

Karine Vinchon-Spehner's path to perfumery began with childhood memories that would shape her artistic vision. Growing up in Normandy, she was surrounded by the sweet aromas of her grandfather's biscuit shop and the crisp scent of apple orchards. A family move to southern France introduced her to the intoxicating florals of mimosa, jasmine, and lavender. But it was witnessing the transformative power of Must de Cartier on a friend's mother during her college years that crystallized her calling.

After enrolling at ISIPCA, the prestigious perfumery school in Versailles, Karine joined Robertet in Grasse in 2002. Under the mentorship of Christian Rostain and later the legendary Michel Almairac, she learned the fundamental principle that every ingredient must justify its presence and tell a story. Almairac's teaching of "épure" - the art of refinement and simplification - became central to her approach. She spent 18 months weighing his formulas, providing detailed feedback that honed her analytical skills.

Her breakthrough came early when she signed her first major project at age 24: L'Eau de Jatamansi for L'Artisan Parfumeur, one of the first 100% natural certified perfumes. This achievement established her reputation for working with challenging natural materials like spikenard, showcasing her ability to transform unusual ingredients into compelling compositions.

Karine's perfumery is characterized by what she calls "frontal and demanding" compositions - direct, characterful scents that showcase the generosity of natural raw materials. Her particular affinity for amber, woody notes, patchouli, and vetiver has produced some of niche perfumery's most celebrated fragrances.

Her collaboration with Amouage has been particularly fruitful, creating acclaimed scents like Interlude Woman, Memoir Man, and the award-winning Lineage, which received the Beverley Bayne award in 2023. For Memo Paris, she crafted Tiger's Nest, a mystical incense composition inspired by Bhutan's sacred monastery. The fragrance opens with absinthe and aldehydes before revealing a heart of frankincense absolute and saffron, settling into warm tolu balsam and vanilla.

Her work for Casamorati includes 1888, a spicy oriental that demonstrates her mastery of complex compositions. The fragrance balances green pepper and cloves with exotic ylang-ylang, grounded by sandalwood and amber.

Beyond creating fragrances, Karine mentors the next generation of perfumers at Robertet, passing on the lessons learned from her own masters. Her philosophy extends beyond technique to emotion - she believes perfumery is the art through which she most instinctively expresses creativity, crafting scents that allow wearers to appropriate the stories she tells through fragrance.