Sophia Grojsman is a Belarus-born American perfumer who is a Vice President of International Flavors and Fragrances (IFF), a perfume and scent company. She has created many popular and influential fragrances, such as Yves Saint Laurent's Paris, Calvin Klein's Eternity, and Downy's April Fresh. She is also known for her innovative use of ingredients and her passion for roses.
Grojsman was born on March 8, 1945 in Belarus, which was then a Soviet state. She grew up in a family of chemists and was fascinated by smells since childhood. She studied chemistry at the University of Gliwice in Poland and immigrated to the United States in 1965. She joined IFF as a lab technician and learned the art of perfumery from Ernest Shiftan, one of the greatest American perfumers in history.
Grojsman was the first perfumer to reverse the classical proportions of ingredients in perfumes, using a high percentage of a single ingredient to create a powerful and distinctive scent. She also combined this technique with classical perfume structures to create a unique aesthetic, one that was to shape the modern perfume industry. She was also famous for her love of roses, a flower that she used in most of her creations.
Some of the best-selling fragrances that Grojsman has created are:
• Yves Saint Laurent's Paris (1983), a floral fragrance that celebrates the city of love with a bouquet of roses, violets, and mimosa.
• Calvin Klein's Eternity (1988), a romantic fragrance that symbolizes eternal love with a blend of freesia, lily, and sandalwood.
• Downy's April Fresh (1988), a fabric softener fragrance that evokes the freshness of spring with a touch of rose and jasmine.
• Lancôme's Trésor (1990), a feminine fragrance that captures the essence of beauty with a combination of peach, apricot, rose, and vanilla.
• Estée Lauder's White Linen (1978), a crisp and clean fragrance that reflects the elegance of white linen with a mix of aldehydes, jasmine, and vetiver.
Grojsman has received many awards and honors for her work, such as the Cosmetic Executive Women's Achiever Award in 1994, the Living Legend Award from the American Society of Perfumers in 1996, and the Perfumer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fragrance Foundation in 2016.
Grojsman is a legend in the perfume world, and her creations have inspired many later perfumers. She regards perfume as an art, not just a product. Her perfumes have a unique personality and charm, that are hard to forget.
