Maison Francis Kurkdjian’s new documentary explores how Baccarat Rouge 540 transformed fragrance into art, performance and cultural obsession
Once created to mark Baccarat’s 250th anniversary, Baccarat Rouge 540 has drifted beyond the world of fragrance altogether. Writing from Paris, Gauri Tavodi—currently completing her Master’s in Fashion Promotion—attends the premiere of ICON(S): Maison Francis Kurkdjian, the new documentary exploring how scent, performance, and artistic collaboration helped transform a perfume into one of contemporary luxury’s most enduring obsessions.
Why Baccarat Rouge 540 Never Really Left the Cultural Conversation
I toss on my YSL and stilettos and make it out the door just in time, weaving through the city with the sort of nonchalance Paris always seems to reward. My professor had invited me for a private screening at L’Olympia, celebrating ICON(S): Maison Francis Kurkdjian, a new documentary tracing the story behind Baccarat Rouge 540 and L’Alchimie des Sens, the immersive installation inspired by the now-iconic fragrance.
Created in 2014 as a collaboration between Maison Francis Kurkdjian and Maison Baccarat to mark the latter’s 250th anniversary, the fragrance was later reinterpreted a decade later as Baccarat Rouge 540 Édition Millésime. The scent itself is a blend of floral, amber and woody notes, housed in a deep red crystal flacon that took two years of research and development, five hundred hours of work, and the expertise of nineteen artisans—including four Meilleurs Ouvriers de France and two Chevaliers des Arts et des Lettres. This latest edition ultimately serves as the starting point for L’Alchimie des Sens.
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How Maison Francis Kurkdjian Turned Perfume Into a Sensory Experience
News of the project had already begun to circulate. Produced by Terminal 9 Studios, the documentary marks the first time Maison Francis Kurkdjian has been the subject of a film of this scale. Premiering in Paris ahead of its global release on Prime Video tomorrow, it revisits the creation of Baccarat Rouge 540 while exploring the way perfume can extend beyond fragrance into something experiential and deeply emotional.
The concept was surprisingly straightforward. Directed by Matthieu Menu, the film follows the making of L’Alchimie des Sens, the multisensory installation first unveiled at the Palais de Tokyo during the exhibition Parfum, sculpture de l’invisible in November 2025. To bring the project to life, Francis Kurkdjian invited six close collaborators from entirely diverse artistic fields to interpret Baccarat Rouge 540 through their own medium.
Inside One of Paris’s Most Exclusive Cultural Screenings
By the time I arrive, ushers greet guests with knowing smiles, glance briefly at tickets, then usher everyone in. I pause for a moment before entering the theatre.
From the balcony, as the room slowly settles, I feel a flicker of excitement I hadn’t entirely expected. I’ve always enjoyed exclusive events, but this one carries a quality that’s harder to define.
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What Happens When Perfume Stops Behaving Like Perfume
I’ve always believed the most compelling ideas emerge where disciplines begin to overlap. Kurkdjian seemed to approach the project with that same instinct, gathering collaborators who shouldn’t have made sense together yet somehow did: composer David Chalmin, celebrated pianists Katia and Marielle Labèque, Michelin-starred chef Anne-Sophie Pic, kinetic sculptor Elias Crespin, and theatre director Cyril Teste. Over several months, each worked alongside the Maison to translate Baccarat Rouge 540 into sound, movement, taste and performance, turning one of contemporary perfumery’s most recognisable creations into something almost tangible.
What unfolds on screen feels less like a traditional documentary than an ongoing artistic dialogue. No one tries to define the fragrance outright; instead, each artist responds instinctively, allowing scent to become music, texture, gesture or atmosphere. That, more than anything, seems to be the point.
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Why Paris Still Defines the Language of Luxury
After the screening, a table ronde follows, as one almost expects in Paris. The conversation glides effortlessly between philosophy, memory and abstraction, with no one inclined to simplify their thoughts for the room.
What strikes me most is the complete absence of excess. There are no visible sponsors, no frantic attempts to capture every moment, no sense that anyone is there just to be seen. Instead, the room is filled with people willing to sit still, listen attentively, and remain present long after the screening ends.
Why Restraint Still Defines French Cultural Life
The evening moves at its own pace. No one seems concerned with the time; even networking, if it happens at all, unfolds discreetly in corners between conversations. At one point, I notice how measured the applause is, as if the audience has collectively agreed not to overstate its enthusiasm. What I witness throughout the evening feels unmistakably French: conviction without spectacle.
And then, almost before I realise it, it’s over. I slip back out into the city, carrying the lingering impression that, when it comes to private screenings—or perhaps cultural events more broadly—the French aren’t trying harder than anyone else. Instead, they simply approach these things with a different sense of care.
Gauri Tavodi
MA Fashion Promotion student, Paris