Kamila Lelakova and her CPL Aromas’ co-creator Céline Herbette at Harrods for the launch of Boadicea the Victorious Andraste
Ready for some long-form reading? When we met up with Kamila Lelakova and Céline Herbette for the launch of Boadicea the Victorious Andraste recently, we were fascinated to hear about their collaborative style of work, and wanted to share that with you via not one, but two perfumer interviews.
Sometimes referred to (affectionately!) in the CPL Aromas’ office as ‘the terrible twins’, this former mentor and mentee are proving that sometimes, two noses are better than one. Read on for the story of their working days and inspirations, and how their style of creation dovetails together…
Presented in a truly striking flacon emblazoned with a floral, gilded shield, Andraste is Kamila and Céline’s first collaboration for Boadicea the Victorious: a truly stunning floral, very shareable – ‘a floral for people who don’t like florals’, is a comment perfume-lovers have been sharing. Its so-pretty English country garden notes of wisteria, rose and honeysuckle given an intriguing, slightly darker edge – a touch of something cool, herbaceous and camphorous via eucalyptus, soft leather, incense, a dash of smoky Lapsang Souchong tea, with a zesty bergamot note and a dash of aromatic thyme in the opening. Ultimately, Andraste is rooted in woods and vetiver, which give great staying power but also balance the floralcy.
So, now – those interviews, which also focus on how Andraste came to be. Put the kettle on, settle down – and enjoy…
CÉLINE HERBETTE
Boadicea the Victorious Andraste in the wild
When does your day start?
My day usually starts around 6.30am, with a shower to wake myself up before having coffee and feeling able properly to start my working day. I usually don’t take any breakfast, but I might have a snack later in the morning.
Where do you work?
I usually work three days in the office and two days at home, making sure I am in the office every other day to be able to smell my samples. I love to work from home, as it allows me to be really creative and efficient, while in the office, I will spend most of my time smelling with evaluation or sales, attend meetings… I find this balance works really well for me.
How does your day break down?
When I am at home, I start my day earlier, often with new creative projects so I can really focus; I believe I am the most creative early in the morning. I then catch up on the other creative projects, smelling my latest mods, and carrying on the creative work. When I am in the office, I catch up on the different samples I received from the lab, I go upstairs to say ‘hello’ to the labs and put my priorities in order; after that, I plan my smelling sessions with the evaluation team and organise my day.
How many fragrances might you be working on at one time?
I can be working on 10 to 20 projects at the same time, all in different stages of development.
Tell us about working on the new Boadicea The Victorious Andraste…
Boadicea typically sends a brief to the CPL sales team responsible for the account, and the project is then shared internally with several perfumers. Boadicea’s Marketing Director, Janet Inglis, often creates a mood board accompanied by creative descriptions that capture the atmosphere and character of the fragrance they're looking for.
From there, we have a lot of creative freedom. We generally know the olfactive family the brand wants to explore, and the moodboard serves as our frame, but the interpretation itself is left in the hands of the perfumer/s.
Once the fragrances are submitted, the Boadicea team evaluates them blind, without knowing which perfumer created which fragrance. It is an exciting process, as it allows the fragrance to speak for itself. The team then selects the creation that best fits the brief while remaining true to the DNA of the brand.
Is a moodboard helpful to you, in fact?
It is very helpful for me, as I love being inspired by visuals. That said, I also enjoy working from music, quotes, keywords, or even just an atmosphere the customer wants to share with us.
How did it work, creating alongside Kamila for this fragrance – and how did the perfume take shape?
When it was decided that this would be a collaboration with Kamila, the first thing we did was dive into the moodboard shared by Boadicea. One theme immediately stood out: the beauty and charm of the English country garden.
We began brainstorming and decided it would be fun for each of us to create a signature floral accord that resonated personally. Kamila chose to focus on honeysuckle, her favourite flower, while I explored a wisteria accord, which for me is one of the iconic flowers found in British gardens, using CPL Aromas Wisteria AromaSpace [captured from a living plant via headspace technology], as a creative tool. Once we were happy with our individual creations, we brought them together and refined them into a more rounded, harmonious floral heart.
From there, we moved onto the top notes. We wanted something fresh, vibrant and slightly unexpected, so we introduced thyme and eucalyptus. Not only were both reflected in elements of the moodboard, but they also have strong links to the English landscape and helped bring a more modern and unisex balance to the fragrance.
Finally, we built the base around ambrette seed and vetiver, some of our favourite raw materials in common, adding touches of incense and more mystical facets along the way. This gave the fragrance greater depth, texture and elegance, while also paying tribute to Boadicea the Victorious's enigmatic DNA.
Tell us about how you collaborate with Kamila on fragrances, how this came about, how you bounce off each other…
To give a bit of context, when I joined CPL Aromas six years ago, Kamila became my mentor, and we spent a great deal of time working closely together. As I developed into my role as a perfumer, that relationship naturally evolved into a true creative partnership.
Even today, we still share our individual creations, challenge each other's ideas, and push one another to explore new directions. In perfumery, finding someone with whom you have that level of creative connection and trust is pretty rare, so maintaining that relationship is important to me.
Whenever we work together, we start with a brainstorming session to align on the creative vision and exchange ideas. From there, we each take the freedom to explore different ingredients, accords and interpretations on our own. Once we have something exciting to share, we come back together, evaluate the different directions with our evaluator, and identify the combination that best captures the spirit of the brief. From that point, we continue developing the fragrance together, building on each other's strengths and ideas.
What makes the collaboration work so well is the trust we have in each other. We know we can be honest, challenge ideas without ego, and ultimately focus on creating the best fragrance possible.
Sometimes, that collaboration goes even further. If one of us has created something we genuinely love but feels we've reached a creative impasse, we will simply open the formula over to the other to have a look and to take it in a new direction. Often, a fresh pair of eyes can unlock possibilities that the original creator can no longer see.
You’ll soon be going on maternity leave. How has being pregnant affected your sense of smell?
I have to admit, I was expecting to have a superpower, like an extremely super sense of smell – but in reality, not much changed. I just became more sensitive to one particular accord, but apart from that, there wasn’t a dramatic difference. As a perfumer, my sense of smell was already well trained, so my sense of smell didn’t suddenly evolve.
How do you work?
I have a little tradition that whenever I travel, I always take some time to sit down and write down an accord that captures the place I have just discovered. I often write it down in my little notebook, which travels everywhere with me. When I return to the office from my holidays, I enter this little accord into our software and send it to the lab to be compounded in our lab. Over time, I have created what I call a magic box, like a collection of memories waiting for the right brief to come my way.
What kind of other inspirations do you look for during your day?
I have to admit, I love to go outside; to smell everything Nature has to offer. But if not, I listen to a lot of music or podcasts while working; I try to often make it match to the brief I am working on.
“When I travel, I always take some time to sit and write down an accord that captures the place I have just discovered. Over time, I have created what I call a “magic box”, like a collection of memories waiting for the right brief...’”
Do you break for lunch?
In the office, I tend to take a lunch break, whether to eat with some of my colleagues, or just to go out to buy something to take away. When I am at home, I tend to eat in front of my laptop.
What will the afternoon be spent on?
When I am working in the office, my day is often a balance between creative work and collaboration. I usually spend the morning focused on formulation and taking time to smell with colleagues. We also tend to schedule most of our meetings for the afternoon, so there's always a good amount of discussion and idea-sharing throughout the day. When I am at home, I tend to work fir longer, often taking care of less creative parts of my work.
When you get home, is that the end of the working day?
When I am working from the office, I usually leave around 5.30pm to head home. I like to take some time to cook with my partner and unwind before finishing off some work later in the evening. When I am working from home, I tend to work for longer and will often work until 6.30 or 7.30pm, depending on how productive and inspiring the day has been.
“’Whether it’s with music or a podcast, I can usually create my own little bubble, and once I am there, I’m ready to focus and be creative.’”
Do you need to be in a particular mood to create?
Not really. I have learnt how to put myself in the right creative mindset. Whether it is with music or a podcast, I can usually create my own little bubble, and once I am there, I'm ready to focus and be creative.
How long does it take from concept to finished fragrance, in general?
It can vary quite a lot. Some projects come together very quickly, while others can take up to two/three years to reach the market. But most developments take a little under a year.
Do you listen to music when you work?
Yes I do, and my playlists can vary so much, from old French variety songs to rap, house or even classical music. It really depends on the mood I want to set myself up given the olfactive direction I am working on.
What is the most number of modifications you’ve ever had to do, on a fragrance? And the least?
The highest number of trials I worked on was for Andraste, this latest launch for Boadicea. Because it was a collaboration with Kamila, we both had plenty of ideas we wanted to explore. Between us, we ended up creating around 70 trials before arriving at the final fragrance. It was a very creative process, with lots of experimentation. On the other hand, the fewest number of trials would be none at all. Sometimes, a first submission just feels right from the start and doesn't require any modifications.
“‘I think it’s the less obvious ingredients that spark new ideas and make a fragrance stand out.’”
How many materials do you have at your fingertips, to work with? And how many tend to be in your regular palette?
We have around 1,500 raw materials in our palette, but I probably use 500 to 600 on a regular basis. Of course, everyone develops their favourites raw materials over time, but I also love digging into the more quirky corners of the palette. I do think it's those less obvious ingredients that spark new ideas and make a fragrance stand out.
How much of your time is spent on your own work – creating new accords, working with new materials?
I always try to set aside some time to explore new ideas and work on personal creative projects. The best time for me is early in the morning, before the rest of the team arrives and the day starts getting busy. Those quiet moments are perfect for experimenting and following a creative instinct.
In a good week, I might be able to dedicate three or four hours to that kind of exploration. Of course, some weeks are much busier than others, and customer projects take priority, leaving little time for anything else. But I think it's important to keep making space for creativity and discovery whenever possible.
What is the one fragrance you wish you had created?
There are quite a few I would have loved to create, actually … But I would say Dior Homme Original, BYREDO Bal d’Afrique, or Prada Infusion d’Iris.
KAMILA LELAKOVA
When does your day start?
Kamila Lelakova of CPL Aromas
I wake up at 6am and take my dog for a half-hour walk. Since getting a dog and spending time in the fresh air first thing in the morning, I’ve noticed a big difference in how naturally my body and mind wake up and prepare for the day. (Most of the time, my dog takes me for a walk rather than the other way around! He’s a very energetic Cocker Spaniel called Maverick.)
When I work at the office, I usually leave home at 7.15am and enjoy a coffee with almond milk while driving from Suffolk. I have natural yoghurt, granola and honey later in the morning. When I work from home, I enjoy my coffee and breakfast with my Cocker Spaniel, Maverick, by my side. 😊
Where is the office?
So, I work three days a week at our office in Bishop’s Stortford and two days from home. There are six perfumers in the office, and we all work together in a spacious, open plan office. This gives us plenty of opportunities to collaborate, brainstorm and help one another whenever needed.
When I’m in the office, I spend most of my time evaluating the latest creations and modifications with the evaluation team, attending kick-off meetings with the sales team for new projects, and catching up with the marketing team about upcoming events. At times, the office can get a little busy and noisy, which is why I love having the balance of two days working from home. I find that I’m more efficient and focused when working from home.
“‘I love having the balance of two days working from home. I find that I’m more efficient and focused when working from home.’”
How does your day break down?
When working in the office, I arrive at around 8.30am, and the first thing I do is go through the samples prepared the day before for my projects. I evaluate them myself before smelling them with the evaluator assigned to the project. This gives me the opportunity to carry out another trial if I’m not entirely happy with the result.
After that, I check my emails for any project updates so I can prioritise my work for the day. Once I’ve finished checking my emails, I head to the second floor, where our labs are located, and say ‘hello’ to the team while organising my compounding priorities for the day. I then arrange smelling sessions with the evaluation team before getting started on my formulations.
When I work from home, I’m usually ready to start by 8am. I check my emails before diving into a more creative and focused mindset. I find that mornings are the best time for creativity when I’m working from home.
How many fragrances might you be working on at any one time?
Most of the time, I will be working on between 15 and 20 fragrances, each at a different stage of development.
How was it for you, working on this Boadicea project?
The Boadicea team are very good at communicating their vision for a new creation through moodboards and descriptions of the emotions they want the fragrance to evoke. The first thing we did was brainstorm ideas with Céline.
Tell us about this collaboration with Céline…
When we received the brief for Andraste, Céline and I thought it would be wonderful to collaborate on it, following Céline’s launch of Lanosea last year and my launch of Defender two years ago.
Before starting the collaborative creation, we explored the moodboards and almost immediately, were drawn to the idea of a mysterious and vibrant English country garden. As the olfactive direction was floral, we each chose a flower to work with. Céline selected the iconic wisteria, using AromaSpace as a creative tool, while I chose one of my favourite flowers, honeysuckle.
For me, the vision of these two flowers was of wisteria creating a magnificent, bold display on a walled garden, while honeysuckle filled the air from a mysterious, hidden corner. I often say that you can smell honeysuckle before you see it.
Once we were happy with our individual floral creations, we began combining them to find the perfect balance for the floral heart. We wanted to introduce another flower into the composition, something that would not only complement the heart but also elevate the top notes. We chose our Lady Emma Hamilton Rose AromaSpace, which is a very distinctive rose with a fresh, fruity character, vibrant pear notes and a hint of citrus.
Although the fragrance belongs to the floral family, we wanted to ensure that the final scent was unisex. To achieve this, we created a fresh, crisp, herbaceous opening using a combination of thyme and eucalyptus.
For the base, we wanted something grounding, so we decided to work with ambrette seed and vetiver to represent the earthy, root-like aspects of the garden. As always, we also wanted to pay tribute to Boadicea’s brand DNA by incorporating a leather note, adding texture, depth and complexity to the creation.
Céline and I have very different creative styles, even though we share many favourite ingredients. You might expect our approaches to clash, but somehow, they complement each other beautifully, bringing different dimensions to our collaborations.
How do you like to work?
When I start a new project, I like to read the brief and begin thinking about the ingredients I want to use before entering the details into the computer. The formulation is partly made by automated machine, with the final stages completed by a lab assistant.
What kind of other inspirations do you look for, during your day?
When I’m in the office, I enjoy revisiting ingredients, even those I know very well. I often discover new nuances that spark fresh inspiration. Even after almost 14 years in the industry, I still feel there are so many possibilities and combinations waiting to be explored, and I can’t wait to discover them.
When I work from home, my favourite thing to do is go outside for a walk. I live near some lovely woodland and open fields, where I can immerse myself in the tranquillity of nature, enjoy a quiet moment and take a deep breath.
Do you break for lunch – or eat at your desk?
When I’m in the office, I take a proper break and enjoy a light lunch in the kitchen with my colleagues. When I work from home, especially during the summer, I love having lunch in the garden or enjoying a picnic in a nearby green field while Maverick runs around and sniffs everything.
After lunch, how long do you work for – and what will the afternoon be spent on?
After lunch, I continue smelling and formulating for several projects. I also check my calendar for the following day to make sure I’m prepared for any upcoming meetings.
What time do you go home? Is that the end of the day, for you?
“‘My thoughts about fragrances rarely stop when I leave work. I often test my creations on my skin after finishing for the day, which means I continue evaluating them throughout the evening.’”
When I’m in the office, I usually finish around 5.15pm and head home. I cook dinner most evenings at around 7 pm, and while I’m cooking, I catch up with my partner and we talk about our day. After dinner, I usually play a few games with Maverick.
My thoughts about fragrances rarely stop when I leave work. I often test my creations on my skin after finishing for the day, which means I continue evaluating them throughout the evening and mentally noting any modifications I might want to make the following day.
When I work from home, I usually finish around 6pm and head out for a walk with Maverick before cooking dinner.
Do you need to be in a particular mood, to create?
I love creating in a calm atmosphere, often with Japanese Zen garden music playing in the background. However, I’ve also found that some of my best creations emerge when I’m working to a tight deadline and feel a little more pressure to deliver.
Is a moodboard helpful to you?
Yes, absolutely. I’m a very visual person, so moodboards, colours, shapes and textures are essential sources of inspiration for me.
How long does it take from concept to finished fragrance, in general?
It really depends on the project and the client’s deadline. Some concepts can take just a few weeks, while others may take as long as three years before they are launched. In general, I would say it takes around 12 months to develop a finished fragrance.
Do you listen to music while you work, and if so, what?
I only listen to music when I work from home, and it’s usually calming Japanese Zen garden music or music by a recently discovered Welsh musician, David Pepper.
What is the most number of modifications you’ve ever had to do, on a fragrance? And the least?
Andraste is at the top of the list for the highest number of modifications, with around 70 trials. It was a true collaboration with Céline, involving lots of experimentation with different ingredient combinations to find the perfect balance.
At the other end of the scale, I’ve had a few creations that required just one modification. Sometimes, the ingredients and their proportions simply fall into place like pieces of a puzzle from the very beginning.
How much of your day (or perhaps week) is spent on your own work?
I try to dedicate at least a couple of hours a week to explore new ideas and developing accords that spark my imagination. Some weeks are very busy with customer projects and meetings, which naturally take priority. During those times, I often write down my ideas, even if I don’t have time to have them made up in the lab straight away. That way, I know they’re safely recorded in my notebook and ready to be explored in the future.
What is the one fragrance you wish you had created?
There are several fragrances I admire and wish I had created. To mention just a few: Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue, CHANEL Coco Mademoiselle and DIOR Oud Ispahan.
Boadicea the Victorious Andraste is priced £295 for 100ml eau de parfum boadiceaperfume.com
Read more about the CPL Aromas’ perfumery team here