Serge de Oliveira

Serge de Oliveira is a French perfumer at Robertet and the nose behind Room 1015's Purple Mantra.

He began in 2002 as an assistant at IFF, mentored by the perfumer Richard Ibanez, and developed there the attachment to woody materials — vetiver and patchouli in particular — that still runs through his work. He moved to Robertet in Grasse, was appointed perfumer in 2013, and relocated to the company's Paris creative centre in 2019, where he works across both fine and functional fragrance.

He is often described as an author perfumer, with an unusually strong practice in natural materials: much of his independent work is built on naturals rather than on the synthetic palette that dominates the category. His compositions include several for 100Bon, Ormaie's L'Ivrée bleue and Le Passant, three fragrances for Parfums de Rosine, and Bon Parfumeur 903.

Purple Mantra is a good example of the approach. Built around the Beatles' 1968 stay in Rishikesh, it sets lavender, clary sage and iris against incense, myrrh and ambroxan — aromatic and resinous rather than sweet, and calmer than anything else in the Room 1015 line.

Browse the fragrances composed by Serge de Oliveira and available at Redolia Perfumery below.