Perfumers
Karine Dubreuil-Sereni was born and raised in Grasse and trained at the Roure school. At State of Mind, she translates real teas and coffees into artistic fragrances, giving each state of mind its own olfactory expression.
The Perfumer Behind the Maison
Every State of Mind fragrance begins with a state of mind, but turning that idea into a perfume requires a different kind of translation.
For State of Mind, that role belongs to Karine Dubreuil-Sereni, a perfumer born and raised in Grasse, the historic heart of French perfumery. She trained at the Roure school, now Givaudan, and worked at Mane and Drom before being appointed in-house perfumer at L'Occitane in early 2013. Her compositions include Éclat d'Arpège for Lanvin, Envy Me for Gucci and Vice-Versa for Yves Saint Laurent.
Her work with State of Mind follows a distinctive brief. The fragrances begin with a specific, real tea or coffee, which becomes part of the creative process before the composition takes shape.
Karine's starting point is particular. She is translating something that can first be tasted into something that can ultimately be worn.
From a Real Tea to a Fragrance
The idea behind State of Mind is rooted in synesthesia, where different sensory experiences become connected. At the Maison, tea, perfume, emotion and imagination are brought into the same creative language.
Karine is the person who gives that connection an olfactory form.
The starting point changes from one creation to another. Sencha becomes part of Secret of Success. Puerh gives L'Ame Slave its foundation. Other teas and coffee lead the compositions in different directions, each one beginning with something concrete before becoming a fragrance that expresses a particular state of mind.
This is what makes the perfumer's role especially important to the Maison. The formula has to preserve a relationship between what is tasted, what is smelled, and what is felt.
Karine Dubreuil-Sereni
- Trained
- Roure school, Grasse, now part of Givaudan
- PREVIOUSLY
- Mane and Drom
- In-House Perfumer
- L'Occitane since 2013
- Collaborator
- Takasago since 2015
Fourteen States of Mind, Fourteen Creative Directions
A collection built around states of mind cannot rely on one formula or one olfactory direction.
Each State of Mind fragrance has its own tea or coffee, emotional idea and composition, while Karine's role remains constant: turning that starting point into perfume.
The collection moves across very different olfactory territories without losing its central idea. What holds it together is the creative method. A sensory reference becomes an artistic fragrance, and the fragrance becomes a state of mind.
One perfumer. Fourteen states of mind. A different sensory starting point for each.
Discover the Collection
The clearest way to experience Karine's work is to explore the fragrances themselves.
The Discovery Kit brings together fourteen 1.5 ml samples, giving you the opportunity to experience the different states of mind and the sensory worlds built around them.
