Gaël Montero

Gaël Montero is one of the perfumers Memo Paris credits by name on its own perfumer roster, alongside Aliénor Massenet and Nadège Le Garlantezec.

For Memo he composed Palais Bourbon (2024), part of the Graines Vagabondes line and one of the most densely built fragrances in the catalogue. It opens on black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon bark, incense and geranium — five materials in the top alone, which is unusual — then moves through a resinous heart of Peru balsam, benzoin, cistus, tonka bean and vanilla before settling on sandalwood, patchouli, guaiacwood and vetiver. Memo’s own text describes him as tempering and guiding the composition from the podium, which is a fair description of what the fragrance does: a great many loud materials held in balance rather than allowed to compete.

The result reads as amber-spicy rather than simply woody, and it is one of the longest-lasting things Memo makes — the balsam-and-benzoin heart is still legible many hours in.

Browse the fragrances composed by Gaël Montero and available at Redolia Perfumery below.