Meet The Founder: Hellenist Parfums

You might not know the name Jean-David Jacoby, but he's been internationally known and connected in the luxury and fine fragrance industry for over twenty years. In 2024, he decided to step into the limelight, along with everything he'd learned, and been passionate about his entire life - art, Greek culture, scent, and the beauty of its creation. Already an award-winning brand, you can now get your nose on these phenomenal formulas too, as we're overjoyed to introduce you to Hellenist Parfums...

So, let's meet Founder, and Creative Director of Hellenist Parfums, Jean-David Jacoby!

 

Q: Where, when, and how did scent and perfume become a passion for you?

Very early, growing up in Paris. I was obsessed. I would collect blotters and samples, spend hours in perfumeries and department stores, and basically overwhelm my parents with it. Smell was already a language for me before I had the words. The turning point was reading Perfume by Patrick Süskind, as a kid. My parents gave it to me because I wouldn’t stop talking about scent. That book made it real. It gave a name and a form to something I already felt very deeply.

Q: You have decades in the luxury and fragrance industry. Can you tell us a little about your path and how it shaped your thoughts for Hellenist?

I started in luxury in the early 2000s, first in fashion, then quickly moved into fragrance. I’ve worked across marketing, development, and creation, both in large groups and closer to the raw creative process with perfumers. That experience gave me two things: a deep respect for the craft, and a very clear understanding of what I didn’t want to do anymore. Hellenist is the result of that tension. It takes everything I learned and strips away the noise to focus on emotion, storytelling, and sincerity.

 

Q: Were you nervous to launch one in such a saturated market?

Completely. My experience in the industry almost blocked me. I knew how crowded it is and how hard it is to exist. For years, the project lived in my head, but I couldn’t take the leap. What unlocked it were conversations with people I respect. David from BDK, and Caius from Matière Première, told me something simple. but essential: there is always room for sincere, well-executed, distinctive projects. That gave me the push I needed. Without that, I might still be hesitating.    

Q: How would you describe Hellenist fragrances to someone who has never smelled any of them?

A poetic, impressionistic perfumery. Each fragrance is less about listing notes and more about setting a scene, a landscape, a myth. Every ingredient contributes to that narrative. The goal is not just to smell something beautiful, but to feel something that resonates with a collective memory, even if you cannot fully explain why.

 

 

Q: What is it about Greek culture that speaks to you so much?

It’s incredible modernity, paradoxically. Ancient Greece shaped so much of what we are, from art to philosophy to democracy. But beyond that, there is a constant pursuit of beauty, balance, and meaning. It is a civilization that was already asking the right questions, and those questions are still ours today.

 

Q: The look and artwork seem to be a huge part of the overall perfume. Why is that, and how do the visual aspects get decided?

Because the experience starts before the scent. In a saturated environment, you need a point of view. The visual identity is what makes someone stop, look, and decide to engage. From the beginning, I knew I did not want a nostalgic or literal take on mythology. No clichés. I wanted something contemporary, a dialogue between past and present. Because the emotions we feel today are the same as they were thousands of years ago. The visuals had to express that without over-explaining it.

Q: What’s something about Hellenist you wish more knew, but too few do?

That it is not just about personal fragrance. We also develop home scents, designed to create an atmosphere and to transport you. The idea is the same: to bring you somewhere else, to Greece, to a landscape or a memory, but within your own space.

Q: What makes a perfume great?

The emotion it creates. Everything else is secondary.

 

Q: Favorite smell?

The smell of a fig tree in the heat, with a hint of sea air.

Q: Smell you hate the most?

Stagnant humidity, something that feels trapped.

Q: A book you wish everyone would read?

The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller.

Q: Favorite joke?

I tend to prefer atmospheres over punchlines...

Q: Pet peeve?

Lack of authenticity. You can always feel when something is forced.

Q: An emotion that only perfume can make you feel easily?

A nostalgic pull, something close to nostos or saudade. More than memory, it is a form of emotional displacement.

Want to experience scents like the award-winning Les Bras de Morphée, or their popular Le Chant d'Achille? Now you can get samples, bottles, and smell the Mediterranean magic of the whole line right here.

Visit Hellenist Parfums on Instagram!

Photo Credits: Hellenist Parfums