About

A Scented Path: My Journey in Fragrance

As an involuntary act, growing up in Brazil, I would often crush leaves to smell them. My favorite scent came from the leaves of a Pitanga tree that grew near our house. When heading to the playground in a small forest close by, I would pick some leaves, smash them between my fingers, and enjoy the fragrance—while also savoring the berries. Pitanga smells like nostalgia to me, and it remains my first memory of scent’s power. It was in those moments, unknowingly, that I began to connect with the world through fragrance.

Years later, while I was in university, it hit me—working would take up most of my days, so it had to be something that brought me joy. Pharmacy, unfortunately, wasn’t it. I craved more creativity in my daily life.

That’s when I took an elective course in cosmetic development that opened a new world for me. Cosmetics had textures, colors, and a way of coming alive on the skin that felt playful and expressive.

During my holidays, I traveled to Switzerland. I wanted to explore something new. So I decided to work and ski in the Alps—and ended up falling in love with the place. What started as getting lost in the mountains ended in finding myself in what would become my passion and career.

While I was in Switzerland, I reached out to Weleda, a company that resonated with me on many levels, and asked for an internship in their cosmetic labs.

By serendipity, I was placed in their Fragrance Competence Center—and that’s where I met a perfumer for the very first time.

It was the turning point in my life. I remember thinking: Is this real? Can people actually work with something this joyful? How can there be such a huge undiscovered world of invisible beauty? I had unknowingly stepped into the world I’d been longing for.

That moment eventually led me to a master’s degree at ISIPCA in Versailles and later to build my career in perfumery—working with fragrance houses and cosmetic companies across Europe.