I am one of those people who choose things in life depending on what they convey at first sight at sensation. It can be about a specific decision to be made, a book or a scent.

The first time I met a BDK Parfums scent I was attracted by the art-deco bottle, in particular, by the cap inspired by the dome of the Grand Palais. The creator, David Benedek, is one the youngest designers in the worldwide perfumery industry. BDK Parfums is a celebration of France, of their unique way of living, of the chic and savoir-faire.

Getting to know better David and his perfumery world was definitely one of the most beautiful and interesting highlights of this year so is with deep pleasure that we had the chance to make an interview to David and lead you inside BDK world.

1) David your own fragrances label was created in 2016 and you are one of the youngest French scents creator. From what was born the idea to create a line of fragrances?

My family works in the perfume industry since 60 years ! When my grandparents from my father side arrived in Paris after the second war in the early 50’s, they decided to open their perfumery shop in 1959. Then the story has continued with my father and my mother who developed their business. So since I am a child, I am used to spend my time in the perfumery shop of may parents, discovering every perfume. Actually, perfume came in a very obvious way to me. My grand mother used to teach me the history of perfume. When I graduated from Institut Français de la Mode, I decided I wanted to create my own maison de parfums. During this year of master, I took the perfume option, which allowed me to be trained to the raw materials with the team of Givaudan. Then I knew that this is what I wanted to do for my living.  

2) Palais Royal is one of your most loved places in Paris. Do you take inspirations from the city of Paris and its spots to create your fragrances?

Paris is definitely the place where I take my inspiration from. It’s the city where I was borned, the city where I grew up. My roots are in Paris. The perfumery of my parents is very close to Le Palais Royal, so since I’m a child, the garden of le palais royal are a place which counts for me. I like the quiet atmosphere there, the beauty of the gardens….My inspiration does not come only from the places in Paris but also from the people I meet in the city. I like the vibes of the Parisian people walking in the streets…street scenes that happened in front of my eyes. You know, Paris is not only what you see in the movie. Paris is multicultural. The city has many contrasts in terms of people, architecture….this what I like the most. 

3) One of the most fascinating things I read about you and your label, is that you would like that people could choose a scents like they choose a book in a library. I find it a very poetic and lovely concept, so… Which book and scent would you choose today?

Thank you very much for your kind words. One of my favorite book is L’alchimiste from Paulo Coelho. A book that talks about the sens of life in a so poetic and narrative way. With this book, you travel, from places to places…It explains you what is really important in life.With this book, I would associate Oud Abramad. As the story of l’Alchimiste take place in Middle East, Oud Abramad is woody oriental fragrance that brings you there, in a very refined way. 

4) Among the fragrances you have created until today, if you could choose one, which would name your favorite and why. 

I don’t have any preferences between my perfumes ! There are all very special to me and I created each one of them for a special reason. Of course, Bouquet de Hongrie is for me a very emotional perfume as it’s the only scent that my grand mother smelled when she was alive. I like to wear Crème de Cuir and my latest one Gris Charnel. They are very sensual and addictive. 

5) My favorite BDK fragrances are OUD ABRAMAD ( fierce, oriental, spicy and opulent ) – CREME DE CUIR ( very sensual and hypnotic ) and ROUGE SMOKING ( glamorous, hot and chic ). With these scents I can travel through emotions thanks to the imagination, if you could describe these 3 fragrances with one single word which one would you choose?

Wow ! That’s a very difficult question…I would say:Oud Abramad: Royalty, Creme de Cuir: Addictive, Rouge Smoking: Pigalle ! 

6) Is there a particular message that you want to convey with your brand and your scents?

You know what, at first , when I created BDK Parfums I wanted to show the whole world what could be Contemporary French Perfumery nowadays. I wanted to create a Maison where we talk about real perfumery in a very authentic way. I did not want to create a concept just for the idea of doing something different. The DNA of BDK Parfums finds itself in quality and authenticity. It comes from real inspirations.

7) Gris Charnel and Nuit de Sable are your new fragrances. I have not yet smell them so, like a blank page, I would love that you introduce and describe them to the readers. Notes, feelings and so on.

Both Gris Charnel and Nuit de Sable are two interpretations of sensuality, but in a different way. 
Both of these new perfumes find their inspiration in Paris, that’s why they belong to La collection Parisienne. Nuit de Sable comes from the story of two people meeting in the garden of le Palais Royal when the night falls down during a hot day of summer. They are attracted to each other, discovering each other until the early morning because the guardian of the garden closed the doors for the night ! So they walked in every corner of le Palais Royal, enjoying the beauty of the roses there. The main notes are absolute of rose from Turkey, hot sand accord. On the top you have a cocktail of spices like cardamom, nutmeg and cumin from Guatemala. Back notes are made of Sandalwood from Australia, Absolute Tonka bean, musc and ambroxan.
Gris Charnel is another story. It’s all about the interaction between two bodies, about dancing also. Here is the story : As the night falls, the number of dancers increases and the bleachers fill up. Under the silver moon and the lights of the tourist barges that criss-cross the quay a few metres away, the bodies mingle to the rhythm of the music. It is then that two glances cross paths. A discreet invitation brings them to the centre of the track. As if they were carried away, they dance in the heat of the night. From this hand-to-hand seduction punctuated by knowing smiles, they end up slipping away to give free flow to more carnal desires. In the early morning, the sheets give off a scent of sleepless nights, mischievous and lascivious embraces. The main notes here are a duality between Sandalwood from India and Vetiver Bourbon. At the top you will find fig and black tea which are for me very addictive. You also have a touch of Iris and Tonka Bean. 

8) If you could mention the biggest achievment you had with BDK , which one will you choose? 

To be honest, I don’t have the feeling of having achieved now. I still have so many projects, so many things to do with my brand. BDK Parfums is an adventure, and it’s just the beginning. The biggest achievement would be may be that I allowed and I gave myself all the possibilities to build this project. I am so proud and happy when I receive message on Instagram from people from all over the world who tell me that they love BDK parfums, their new fragrance is Crème de Cuir , or Bouquet de Hongrie or Pas ce soir….and that they are in love with it. There is nothing else that makes me happier than seeing people wearing BDK Parfums. This gives me the feeling that we do well our job, that people can feel the quality of our products and understand our inspirations. 

9)  Can we expect the launch of any new projects and fragrances in 2020?

Yes! For 2020 we have two new collections coming that will complete the range. One will be ready for the beginning of Spring 2020 and the other one for September 2020. Hopefully, we will open our first boutique in Paris in the end of the year !