What characterizes a Daniela Andrier fragrance? Elegance, intelligence, modernity, and that “it factor” that cannot be quantified, yet can always be smelled. As TFF’s 2025 Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award honoree, Andrier is someone whose impact on the scent landscape cannot be denied: Over the course of her 40-year career, she has created countless iconic fragrances, including Maison Margiela Untitled (the recipient of TFF’s Perfume Extraordinaire of the Year Award in 2011), Tiffany Eau de Parfum for Tiffany & Co, MYSLF for Yves Saint Laurent, and a host of beautifully expressive scents for Prada, including the wildly influential Infusion d’Iris.

Born in Heidelberg, Germany, Andrier studied philosophy before turning to perfumery, and echoes of that thoughtful, deeply human discipline can still be detected in her approach to fragrance. She honed her craft at the prestigious Roure Perfumery School in Grasse, and spent the early days of her career living in New York City, where she created such remarkable scents as Calvin Klein Contradiction (1997), Emporio Armani She (1998), and Gucci Rush for Men (2000). She has four children with her husband Gilles Andrier, Givaudan CEO, and together they are a true fragrance couple. Indeed, they now share well-deserved TFF accolades. Additionally, Daniela has previously accrued 8 Fragrance Foundation Awards for her creations.

Guests at the June 5th ceremonies at Lincoln Center may sense Andrier’s “it factor” in the air: She has created Lincoln in June, a special ambient floral scent for the evening that welcomes guests as they walk into the sumptuous lobby. Here, she takes a moment to reflect on her career, dreams, successes, and inspirations.

How would you describe your style as a perfumer?

I think it is a style avoiding clichés of any kind, and the encounter between the “strangeness of déjà vu” and the “astonishing,” newly combined.

What was the first fragrance you bought, or the fragrance you first remember making a big impression on you?

It was Chanel no 19, worn by my aunt who was a very beautiful woman. I was a child and I remember saying to her, “your smell is noble like the one of autumn leaves.”

Do you have a favorite raw material to work with?

Yes, a favorite that keeps changing almost every day.

What accomplishments are you proudest of in your career?

Working in the same company as my husband was challenging. Despite the uncommon setup of working for Givaudan but remotely in my own lab for the last 18 years, I am proud it worked out well and that I could be a successful perfumer.

What has made the enduring relationship that you have had with Prada so unique?

I became the perfumer I am, thanks to Mrs. Prada and Fabio Zambernardi. It opened my fantasy, and it gave me endless inspirations.

What are some of the inspirations that you frequently draw from for your work?

The unexpected combination of colors, the mixture of the rare and the banal, the power of allusion, the importance of playing with the power of evocation, the necessity to avoid cliché, the unnecessary urge of being modern, the intelligence of getting inspiration and depth by being humble and learning where we come from, and by understanding tradition and the importance of culture.

What does it mean to you to be awarded the Fragrance Foundation Lifetime Achievement Perfumer Award?

I am very honored to receive such a recognition. What really makes me happy with the award are the comments I receive from my peers, clients, family and friends.

What originally made you want to become a perfumer?

As a child I used to mix the fragrances of my mother.

For many years, I thought perfumes were entirely created by fashion designers. I did not know that one could actually become a perfumer. Once I heard someone talking about this profession, it was like an instant revelation. From then on, I knew nothing could stop me from becoming a perfumer.

How did your previous studies in philosophy affect your approach to perfumery?

I chose to study philosophy, because strangely enough, I knew something else was waiting for me and that it would take time to find it. Until I would, I picked up philosophy, because this is what I had really loved in school.

I think I still have this love for reflection, it is part of who I am and therefore of my perfumery.

What scents do you dream of that you have not yet captured?

The Master Perfumer I admire the most is Nature. For example, I would love to put the endless beauty of the smell of lily of the valley in a bottle. And it is true for every smell in nature.

We are getting a little bit closer but we are never as genius as nature. Thankfully, new technologies are providing us with more and more raw materials that help us get better.