- Alberto Morillas Master Perfumer:
Company:Firmenich
Web:firmenich.com
Alberto Morillas is a celebrated Spanish perfumer renowned for crafting some of the world’s most iconic fragrances. Born in Seville, Spain in 1950, he moved to Switzerland at age ten. After studying for two years at Geneva’s Ecole des Beaux Arts, he entered perfumery at 20, inspired by aVoguearticle about French perfumer Jean-Paul Guerlain.
In 1970, Morillas joined Swiss fragrance house Firmenich, where he made his mark withMust de Cartierin 1975—the jewelry brand’s first fragrance. Since then, he has contributed to nearly 7,000 scents for the company, including iconic creations like Calvin Klein’sCK One, Giorgio Armani’sAcqua di Giò Pour Femme, Kenzo’sFlower, Bvlgari’sOmnia, Cartier’sPanthere de Cartier, and Marc Jacobs’Daisy.
Morillas founded his independent line,Mizensir, starting with scented candles and expanding to 17 perfumes. He also offers a custom perfumery service,Bespoke by Alberto Morillas, in collaboration with Penhaligon’s, based at Harrods’ Salon de Parfum in London.
Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including the prestigious Prix François Coty in 2003. After living in Paris and New York, he currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland.
Inspired by the Mediterranean Sea, Morillas gravitates toward citrus, marine notes, and flowers like jasmine, tuberose, neroli, and orange blossom. His family garden in Geneva further fuels his creativity. He remains optimistic about the fragrance industry’s future, noting that growing consumer expertise and brands’ narrative-driven approaches to creation are shaping its evolution.
“Perfumery is the mirror of society. I am the artist who interprets these emotions,” he says. For Morillas, crafting a fragrance is a deeply personal art form. Often working on over twenty scents simultaneously, he emphasizes the importance of training one’s nose and building a “scent bank” to enhance olfactory appreciation. While particularly fond of rose notes, he also cherishes exploring musks and the orange blossom scents of spring in his native Seville.
