Jean-Claude Ellena, born in Grasse in 1947, is considered one of the most influential perfumers in modern fragrance history. He began his career at the age of sixteen in the world of essential oils and later became the first student at Givaudan's perfumery school in Geneva. Heavily inspired by master perfumer Edmond Roudnitska, Ellena developed a minimalist and poetic style, where transparency, elegance, and natural raw materials are central.

From 2004 to 2016, he was the exclusive in-house perfumer for Hermès, where he developed iconic creations such as Terre d’Hermès and Un Jardin en Méditerranée. He also worked for houses such as Cartier, Bulgari, and The Different Company, which he co-founded. His compositions are characterized by simplicity and precision, where he manages to create great emotional depth with a limited number of ingredients. In addition to being a perfumer, Jean-Claude Ellena is also a writer and co-founder of the Osmothèque, the international fragrance archive dedicated to preserving perfume history.