Barnabe Fillion

Barnabé Fillion is a French perfumer whose path to fragrance was unconventional, rooted in photography, design, and botany rather than formal perfumery training. He trained as a photographer and spent years assisting established photographers, then returned to university to research synesthesia, a neurological condition he experiences in which sensory inputs overlap. A journey to Switzerland in 2004 to study botany and phytotherapy opened the door to fragrance.

Fillion has worked with Aesop for over twelve years, creating some of the brand's most celebrated fragrances including Hwyl, Marrakech, and Rozu. He also created Le Labo Geranium 30 and collaborated with artist Anicka Yi on her Biography fragrance project. In 2020 he founded Arpa Studios, a multi-platform creative project combining scent, music, architecture, and imagery.