Interview with Alfonso Álvarez-Prieto: "Perfumery is a world of science and passion"

Who is Alfonso Álvarez-Prieto as a professional and as a person, and what are his passions?Alfonso is an aeronautical engineer with an MBA from HEC Paris University, who, after 10 years of experience in other sectors, fell in love with perfumery and has been working non-stop in this field for 5 years. As a professional it is a real privilege to be leading a transformation not only at company level, but of the whole sector with a first class team, very committed to this vision and full of talent. As a person, he is in love with his family, with whom he is discovering new facets with his recent fatherhood with his wife, whom he deeply admires. He also has to confess his weakness for gastronomy, which has led him to try to discover the best bravas and croquettes in Barcelona! What is Scentmate, why is it so disruptive and why has it surprised so many industry professionals?Scentmate is our response to a changing world in which there are increasingly (and thankfully) fewer barriers to creating and growing new brands. It is proven how important perfume is to consumers not only when they buy a product, but also when they buy it again. Our idea is simple, how can we deliver the best fragrances with: our database built up over 50 years of consumer preferences, our renowned ingredients and the quality of our creations with the best perfumers. All this while being extremely fast, agile and flexible.Disruption comes from the response to all of the above. To make these promises a reality we have used digitalisation at all levels. I think the real surprise to the sector comes from the fact that we have not used digitalisation as something merely cosmetic like a portal, but we are innovating with artificial intelligence in the whole creation process, as well as, with the customer experience in our exchanges. We have a team of more than 30 digitalisation experts, but the beauty is that by working hand in hand with our perfumers, commercials, marketeers and evaluators the culture that is generated is unique. As an example, the other day a perfumer was engaged in a conversation with our data scientist talking about the vectorisation and propagation of algorithm data to better represent our fragrances. What does the creation of this company mean and what change does it imply for you?For me it means being part of a forward-looking company with the right mindset to continue to grow for many years to come. The fact that dsm-firmenich has not hesitated for a moment to commit to our vision is a source of pride. On a personal level, the creation of this new company has seen me grow by leaps and bounds: from recruiting and managing a team of around 50 people, to managing all the expenses and strategy (and all this while receiving rave reviews from our clients). It is an incredible and very enriching challenge. Finally, and after many years living outside Spain (USA, France and Switzerland), it means coming back and discovering Barcelona. We can be proud of the level of talent we have in our country and the quality of life we have. From the banking sector to perfumery... And when you talk about it, the enthusiasm and passion you feel for the world of creating fragrances is obvious. What has this dramatic change of direction in your professional and personal life meant for you?Precisely in banking is what I was missing: waking up every day and finding that passion that makes you want to do great things. To dream. Perfumery is a world of science and passion. Perfumers have a very solid scientific base (chemical engineers) but they have to combine it with a creative and aesthetic sense that manages to raise emotions through their creations.In banking I certainly learned a lot of things that I am applying on a daily basis. But there is something about perfumery: a halo of mystery mixed with the ability to touch the lives of millions of people. On the other hand, what I like the most is that because of the typology of our clients, we are constantly exposed to entrepreneurs with a contagious passion.Alfonso Álvarez-Prieto Tell us a little bit about Scentmate, how did it come about and how did it become what it is today?When I came to Firmenich as strategy director in the perfumery division, my first mission was to set the strategy for the next 5 years. We could have taken a strategy consultancy to help us, but instead we embarked on a journey that led us to work directly with the strategy teams around the world (Mumbai, Johannesburg, Shanghai, New Jersey, Paris, Sao Paolo, Singapore and Geneva). We saw that in all our regions there was a growing need to support entrepreneurs and more local brands. Part of it can be covered by certain acquisitions, but we also asked ourselves: What if we were to develop our own solution using digitalisation and efficiency from the inception of a new concept? And the answer was a resounding yes with a constant commitment to our project. If you had to define your company in three words, it would be...Great team, passion and know-how. What is Scentmate's secret to being at the forefront of innovation, trends and process in the fragrance industry?Our biggest secret and greatest asset is the team we have. A mix of renowned profiles and proven experience in our industry, plus young digital natives with desire and talent mixed with a first class digital team. Shake it up and help yourself at any temperature!Also, belonging to a top-tier group such as dsm-firmenich, which is the largest manufacturer of perfumery ingredients and invests 10% of its sales in innovation and development, helps. This gives us access to the best natural ingredients, technologies and a proprietary database with all consumer preferences. Of what is proud Alfonso Álvarez-Prieto of what has attained with Scentmate?It's a lot of things. I think when a customer comes to you and sends you a message impressed by the success they are having with their customers partly because of the perfume and tells you that the team behind Scentmate has advised and supported them in a way they didn't think was possible.... It is a very proud moment. I also feel for our customers, whom I respect enormously: entrepreneurs and businessmen who deal with many things, but who do it with tremendous passion and always think about how to surprise or help their consumer. Of course, I am proud of the entire Scentmate team, professionals of a quality that never ceases to amaze me every day. I am also proud to belong to a first class association such as the Beauty Cluster.Finally, I am very proud that we are revolutionising our industry and that more and more perfume houses are rethinking the future, seeing digitalisation as a gateway that creates more ease of access and freedom for our customers. This year you have been finalist to 'Best Director in Digital' and rewarded in the Digital Beauty Awards… What did this nomination for one of the most important awards in the Spanish cosmetics and perfumery industry mean to you?In this sense I am a bit shy. I was very surprised by this nomination and at the same time I felt very lucky. Indeed, the Digital Beauty Awards are a great reference in our industry and every year top companies and managers participate. It's a great feeling that I really see as an award that I accept on behalf of my team, because without them none of this would be possible. What are Scentmante's plans for the future, and Alfonso's?Our future is always about listening to the customer and understanding their needs. We do thousands of interviews with our customers to collect what we call bullion, i.e. their opinions and needs. We see that there is a growing need for more and more support in terms of regulation and consumer benefits. This is especially true with higher consumer expectations around natural and sustainable. Also, with more often, we receive customer applications that are outside the region of Europe, the territory we are currently covering.And Alfonso... For it is very pleased with his family in Barcelona and head to the head of the decentmate by sm-firmenich. It's a never-ending project and I really see it as something in perpetual evolution. So my ambition is still surprising our customers, innovating and making life easier.

Interview with Alfonso Álvarez-Prieto: "Perfumery is a world of science and passion"

Álvarez-Prieto is the General Manager and Founder of Scentmate, the company that has changed the paradigm of fragrances and perfumery