My career journey: discovering the smell of success

Special fragrances for everyday products

I work in dsm-firmenich’s Perfumery & Beauty division as a Fragrance Development Manager (FDM), focusing on the fabric care category for local clients in China. As you can probably guess from the job title, my role primarily involves bringing captivating fragrances to everyday products such as liquid detergents, fabric softeners and scent boosters, in collaboration with teams across the business.

Day to day, this means spending a lot of time in our evaluation room with perfumers and technical team members. Together, we analyze their creations and rework fragrances based on client requests. I also like to keep up with the latest fragrance trends, so I can sometimes be found smelling competitor products during my spare time!

My exciting career journey

We have a very open and supportive environment at dsm-firmenich, which makes it a great place to build a career. For example, I joined the company as an administrative assistant. But when I expressed an interest in fragrance development, I was encouraged to apply for an assistant FDM position in the hair care category – and that’s when my career really took off. Since then, I have had so many opportunities to develop my expertise, whether it’s through training or by gaining exposure to different projects, clients and teams. 

Cross-continental collaboration

Last year, I had the chance to do a short-term assignment in Geneva, where I got to learn about the latest innovations in fabric care directly from technical teams. I also had the opportunity to work closely with our Geneva-based perfumers, developing a fragrance tailored for the Chinese market.

As you can imagine, the preferences of Chinese consumers are quite different from those of Europeans. For example, liquid detergent products tend to have fresh and fruity floral fragrances (like apple or melon) whereas, in Europe, more aromatic and woody profiles are preferred. So, the project was a fascinating learning experience for all of us and, in the end, we managed to develop a beautiful fragrance that I believe is very much in line with the Chinese market. The assignment only lasted two months – but it was an experience I will never forget.

Positive feedback makes me so proud

The most rewarding part of my job? It’s definitely those times when the team successfully completes a project and the fragrance we’ve developed starts making its way into consumers’ lives. When the product hits the market, and you see people talking online about how amazing the fragrance smells – that’s always such a proud moment for me. 

Interested in joining our team?

Are you passionate about fragrance? Do you love combining creativity with science? Are you looking for a company where you can really grow, both professionally and personally? Then I think you would fit right in at dsm-firmenich. This is a place where you can contribute to exciting projects and make a real impact on consumers’ lives – all with the support of a very talented team. I’ve been able to take my career to truly exciting places during my time here. I’m sure you can too.