Carlos Huber, Perfumer, Arquiste

Our first male profile for Beauticate leaves a trail of scents to enchant. Perfumer Carlos Huber has created Arquiste, a collection that encapsulates different moments in time, inspired by his architectural background specialising in historical preservation. He is a master at storytelling, and with a single spritz you’re taken to the Claridges Hotel in London drinking cocktails, or to a farm at sunrise, observing the crisp dew on a citron tree.

The Mexican perfumer recently visited Sydney for the launch of his two new fragrances, L'Etrog Acque and The Architects Club. We caught up with him where he was staying with friends Jason and Adam (who own Becker Minty that stocks his range) to learn about his small batch perfumery, along with two new fragrances he created exclusively for J. Crew (available only in J Crew stores overseas). We also plied his travel grooming secrets from him.

Suave and Stylish; Carlos Is Always Immaculately Presented

Carlos's Path to Perfumery

"I did a graduate degree in architecture at Columbia University…

And through that I became a perfumer. The teachers at Columbia are very keen on saying that preservation is not necessarily a conservative career. There was a lot of question about interpreting history and how to take these historic sites and tell a story about them through something else. So I think that's what really sparked Arquiste, the idea that I could use scent and fragrance to tell stories and to evoke different historic moments."

Carlos's Favourite Fragrances

I've been a big fragrance aficionado;

I've always been very keen on buying perfume. Chanel Sycomore is a favourite of mine. I think it's a wonderful one to wear. And the D'Orsay, it's a very old French house and they have a few perfumes. There's one called the Le Nomade, which is very pretty and it's a cologne. I tend to be very classic in what I wear on a day-to-day basis."

 

In New York I meet Yann Vasnier…

Who is the creator of Tom Ford's Santal Blush and Lavender Palm. I met him at a party and it turns out we had a friend in common who was a perfumer that lived in Mexico, where I was from. One day he introduced me to Rodrigo, one of the other perfumers and we clicked instantly. It turns out that he came from a family of perfumers so he had a very good training ground. Together we started to develop the concept of Arquiste."

Carlos's J. Crew Collaboration

J. Crew came about because…

I participated in a campaign for them that used five regular guys and girls. They selected a perfumer, the founder of Tumblr and things like that. So J. Crew's Creative Director, Jenna Lyons, had wanted to do fragrance for a while so they called me and I said, "you know, we need to do two exclusive fragrances for you."

 

The J. Crew scents are called No. 31 and No. 57

And the story of them is inspired by Exhibition by 31 Women, the first all women exhibit in the US. This happened in Peggy Guggenheim's Gallery, which was on West 57th Street. So No. 57 is inspired from that gallery because it was all in oak and pine, and then we mixed it with a little bit of whisky and bourbon. And No. 31 is really inspired from the women themselves, so it's very floral and romantic - gardenia, violet, muguet. It's really delicate and feminine."

Carlos's Daily Grooming Essentials

I use Valmont eye cream…

It's Swiss and pretty good. I feel really tight around the eyes when I wake up. I also use the Kiehl's Facial Fuel, I use it for Australia because I have to wear 50+ every day. I really like Boots No 7, I've been getting it in the UK, it's an eye roll on. My favourite deodorant is Roger & Gallet. But my day to day is Caudalie."

 

Carlos's Active Lifestyle

I train a lot, especially when I'm travelling.

I go running - it's my relaxation. If I need to clear my head, or if I'm thinking about everything that needs to happen that day, I'll go for a run, usually in the morning. It's very important, I have to keep myself active. I also alternate weights with the gym and when I'm in Sydney I go to Pilates."

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Interview by Sigourney Cantelo; Story by Ally McManus; Photography by Daniel Gurton.