What Maison Francis Kurkdjian is known for
Paris niche perfume house founded in 2009 by perfumer Francis Kurkdjian and Marc Chaya; known for Baccarat Rouge 540 (2015), created for the Baccarat crystal house's 250th anniversary. Comite Colbert member since 2016, part of LVMH since 2017.
Francis Kurkdjian had already written blockbusters for other names — Le Mâle for Gaultier at just 26 among them — when he and Marc Chaya founded their Paris maison in 2009 with a then-radical premise: the perfumer's own name on the door, the author visible. The house built its reputation on couture-grade compositions and scented objects, then detonated globally with Baccarat Rouge 540, created in 2015 for the crystal house's 250th anniversary — the amber-saffron phenomenon that became the most recognizable scent trail of the century so far.
The wider wardrobe shows the author's range: Aqua celestial colognes, grand-siècle florals, OUD satin mood, à la rose. Kurkdjian's parallel life scenting Versailles fountains and public installations keeps the artistic claim honest; the raw materials run through Grasse, perfumery's old capital.
LVMH acquired a majority in 2017, and in 2021 named Kurkdjian perfume creation director of Dior — the group's ultimate endorsement — while his own maison, Comité Colbert member since 2016, continues under his signature. Contemporary French perfumery's proof that the nose can be the brand.
How ORBIS reads this city
Best for — Baccarat Rouge and grand florals.
French haute perfumery crafted by Francis Kurkdjian in Paris and Grasse.
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Where next
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement