Chiaki Nomura

Chiaki Nomura studied pharmacy in Tokyo before obtaining a master’s degree in cosmetics and fragrances at ISIPCA in Versailles, France, and University of Plymouth in England. She has lived in six countries in four continents and is currently a perfumer at IFF New York. Chiaki’s favorite materials are woods, especially vetiver and cedarwood, which is similar to hinoki, a wood from her Japanese roots. After traveling to IFF’s source of vetiver in Haiti and meeting the farmers, Chiaki acquired an intense connection to the root of the ingredient and the hands that touch it. Her work is characterized by its simplicity, minimalism, and sensitivity. Consequently, her formulas are among the shortest in perfumery. Every ingredient has a place and nothing is extraneous. Her 2013 creation Fiori by Vince Camuto was a Fragrance Foundation Award nominee.