Firmenich has appointed three new Master Perfumers dedicated to Consumer Fragrances for Beauty and Home Care—François-Raphaël Balestra, Wessel-Jan Kos and Haresh Totlani.

Joining Firmenich's elite team of nine master perfumers are—

• François-Raphaël Balestra is a Swiss national who joined Firmenich in 1999. He is the head of New Ingredients Discovery for Perfumery at Firmenich. He works in close collaboration with R&D on the screening of new generations of molecules and biotechnology ingredients to integrate to the perfumer's palette and enhance perfumery creations. 


• Wessel-Jan Kos, a Dutch national from Hilversum, is a third-generation perfumer after his father and self-taught grandfather. His career as a Firmenich perfumer spans more than three decades. He creates fragrances for beauty and home applications for world-renowned brands, winning over 200 new products a year over the past decade. 


• Haresh Totlani, an Indian national, has been with Firmenich for the last 24 years. He has created signature winning fragrances for many of the world's best-known brands in Asia and Europe, as well as regional and local brands in many categories, especially for soap, shower gels, shampoos, fabric softeners and laundry detergents.

Ilaria Resta, global president, perfumery, comments: "Our three new master perfumers combine exceptional creativity with understanding of technology to augment performance, as well as an innate ability to drive customer intimacy by understanding consumer insights and anticipating the future trends..."

More About François-Raphaël Balestra 

Balestra collaborated on the creation of Firmenich's trademarked "Dreamwood," a white biotechnology innovation inspired by sandalwood. It is 100% natural, 100% renewable carbon and ultimately biodegradable. He also worked on developing another Firmenich trademark, "Muguissimo," an exceptionally close to nature Lily-of-the-Valley note born from green synthesis.

His vocation to become a perfumer started with his first visit to Firmenich Geneva's offices at the age of seven, as the son of a now retired perfume lab assistant who had spent 40 years in the company. His fascination for the work of perfumers and the variety of raw ingredients naturally led him to becoming a perfumer.

"Inspiration always comes from the ingredients first, they stimulate my creativity, especially our proprietary ingredients that embody the soul of Firmenich, they express our uniqueness, our difference, and our commitment to perfection," he says.

More About Wessel-Jan Kos

Kos' career at Firmenich has taken him around the globe—Geneva, Dubai, London, Cologne and Princeton, USA. During his years in the UK, he was the Vice President of the British Society of Perfumers.

Kos has been instrumental in the development of malodor counteraction technologies at Firmenich, putting his name to several patents. He has also contributed to the rise of biotechnology ingredients over the last years, notably Z11 HD, 100% biodegradable and made from 100% renewable carbon.

"I like my fragrances to be simple and direct, so that people immediately understand what I intend to create," he says.

More About Haresh Totlani

Totlani's work with Firmenich has taken him to Geneva, Singapore, Mumbai and London. From 2012 to 2015, he was the Head of Firmenich's Creation Center in India, a role given for the first time to a perfumer.

He has been a mentor to many younger Firmenich trainee perfumers and fragrance evaluators, and is a winner of the Patrick Firmenich Award both in 2019 and 2020, recognizing his creative excellence and his outstanding use of Firmenich ingredients to bring unique signatures to customers' products.

Totlani believes, "Perfumes change the way people feel. It makes them happy and confident."

Inspiring Consumers To Love Fragrances

Gilbert Ghostine, CEO, Firmenich, calls perfumers creative geniuses, who have the ability to inspire consumers to fall in love with a fragrance. "Our innovation and deep understanding of consumer habits and preferences enables us to deliver market-leading fragrances. What makes us stand out is our perfumers' spark of creative genius. Their mastery makes for the truly successful touch that inspires consumers to fall in love with our customers' brands and products."

Resta adds, "One of the biggest mission of masters is to leave a long-lasting legacy in the market with their creations that live the test of time and become icons, as well as with their dedication to pass their experience to the younger generations to create the masters of the future."