An uncommon journeyMarc-Antoine Corticchiato’s profile is an unusual one: he is both a perfumer whose fragrances conjure intensely sensuous worlds, and a scientist who has studied the secrets of scent production in aromatic plants.
His fascination for the noblest raw materials and their history in different cultures has driven him to explore the realm of the most mysterious of our senses: the realm of perfume.
Though his family hails from Corsica, Marc-Antoine Corticchiato was born in Morocco. He grew up between his parents’ citrus groves near the ancient city of Azemmour and his family home in the village of Cuttoli Corticchiato, deep in the Corsican maquis.
A horseman since the age of eight, Marc-Antoine was a competition rider and considered becoming an equestrian professional. But his drive to understand the mysteries of scent production in aromatic plants, and why this scent varies over their life cycle, led him to study chemistry instead. For his Ph.D., he developed a new technique to analyse extracts of aromatic plants through carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance. He completed his training at the renowned École Internationale de Parfumerie de Versailles (ISIPCA).
Marc-Antoine went on to work in a research laboratory focused on the analysis of aromatic plants and extraction methods. For years he “dissected” natural raw materials and acquired in-depth knowledge of them. His work was published in international scientific reviews.
His first blends were intended for aromatherapy, which taught him to work under a double constraint, both therapeutic and olfactory. After carrying out his research for several years, he joined a Parisian perfume laboratory, when he found the opportunity to express his creativity more fully, before founding Parfum d’Empire. He also teaches at ISIPCA.
In his quest for the best possible natural plant extracts, he has set up a production unit for essential oils in Madagascar.
Through his perfumes, he expresses the fleeting moments of emotion conjured by blends of the most beautiful raw materials, coveted for centuries for their refinement, aphrodisiac properties and use in sacred rituals. It is this age-old link between perfume, eroticism and spirituality that he has sought to revive with Parfum d’Empire.
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