Jean-Claude Ellena, born in Grasse in 1947, is a French master perfumer and author. He began his apprenticeship at a young age with essential oil producer Antoine Chiris and later became the very first student at the Givaudan perfumery school in Geneva.  From 2004 to 2016 he was the exclusive house perfumer at Hermès , where he created, among others, the iconic “ Jardin ” series and fragrances such as Un Jardin sur le Nil .

His style is often described as minimalist, clean, and airy. He strives for simplicity and transparency in fragrance.  After his Hermès period, he was appointed Director of Olfactive Creation at Le Couvent - Maison de Parfum in 2019, where he focuses on natural, refined compositions. He is also co-founder of The Different Company and one of the founders of the Osmothèque, the perfume archive in Versailles.  He wrote books such as The Diary of a Nose and Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent, in which he shares his vision on the art of scent.