My guests on the season finale are David Benedek, founder of bdk Parfums and Jordi Fernandez, Senior Perfumer at Givaudan. The pair have teamed up on a brand new trio of fragrances for bdk called ‘Collection Studio’. The collection comprises of ‘Stella Silk’, ‘Oud Paradiso’ and ‘Silver Ceremony’ - all inspired by haute couture and textiles. They use some of the finest ingredients in the Givaudan perfume palette at an ‘absolu’ strength of perfume oil (in relation to the alcohol) of over 40%. Suffice to say, the trilogy have presence, refinement and are a true statement of creative craftsmanship.
David is one of the few guests to make a second appearance on the show, but he was in town doing an event at Horrods and it was too good an opportunity to miss, particularly as the brand is celebrating its 10th anniversary. I always find David to be such a warm, open person to chat to, someone who is also modest and humble. He clearly relishes collaboration and the excellent working relationship with Jordi Fernandez was palpable. It all started with ‘Impadia’, released last year and continued on to ‘Collection Studio’ in 2026. It was a real coup and a huge thrill to have Jordi Fernandez on the podcast - he’s one of the most in-demand perfumers in the world and he brought joy, energy and enthusiasm to our conversation.
*Special thanks to Phoenix Beauty, Profile PR and bdk for arranging the recording.
Dave & Jordi mentioned the following products from his grooming routines:
Jordi:
Magna - Shower Gel (Classic)
https://www.lemonfreshuk.com/magno-classic-shower-gel-black-original-550ml
Nivea - Face Moisturiser
https://www.nivea.co.uk/products/nivea-soothing-day-face-cream-spf15-50ml-40058089244170045.html
David:
Avene - Hydrating Cream
https://www.avene.co.uk/p/hydrance-rich-hydrating-cream-3282779390132-b5405ca4
+ lots of water!
You can find out more about bdk Parfums here:
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/bdkparfumsparis/
‘Collection Studio’ is out now.
https://bdkparfums.com/en/collections/collection-studio
I will now take a short summer break, but see you in the Autumn for Season 12. Thanks so much for listening!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
You can ‘tip’ me via the link below. This really helps me with the podcast running costs (it’s a costly business!): https://ko-fi.com/maninthemirror
You can follow me @maninthemirrorpod on IG:
https://www.instagram.com/maninthemirrorpod/
On TikTok:
https://www.tiktok.com/@yousmellgreatwhatisit
————————————————————————————————
Thanks to Anders Sundberg for ‘Man in the Mirror’ sound mixing and production, Andy Goff @goff_andy for the artwork and Andy Gilbert (ATRX) @andygilbert_atrx for the theme music.
","author_name":"Haydn Williams"}