Trained as a chemist, Ralf Schwieger left Berlin for Grasse, the world capital of perfumery, where he studied at Roure Bertrand Dupont — one of the most rigorous schools in the profession.

His career took him to major houses: Hermès, Yves Saint Laurent. But it is in niche perfumery that he found his real creative freedom. He is notably behind Lipstick Rose for Éditions de Parfums Frédéric Malle — a powdery rose that has become a reference, at once nostalgic and ruthlessly precise.

His vision of the craft is clear: perfumery is something primary. It calls for an aesthetic sensibility above all — one rooted in colours, textures, and the delicacy of the living world. Butterflies recur in his references, a metaphor for a sensitivity that runs close to the surface.