Stephen Nilsen earned a Bachelor's in chemical engineering from Georgia Tech in 1990 and a PhD in the same field from Stanford in 1995, with a doctoral thesis on the structure and dynamics of colloidal suspensions.
He trained as a flavorist at Procter & Gamble before joining Quest International, later acquired by Givaudan, as a perfumer. His fragrances include Madonna's Truth or Dare, Hilary Duff's With Love, Vera Wang's Lovestruck, and Drew Barrymore's Cherished.
2006Tommy Girl 10Tommy Hilfiger
2008Andy Warhol Union SquareBond No 9
2011LovestruckVera Wang
2013Dark ObsessionCalvin Klein
2013VictoriaVictoria's Secret
2018DKNY StoriesDonna Karan
2018Tease RebelVictoria's Secret
2021Tease Crème CloudVictoria's SecretA scientist's rigor applied to celebrity and designer fragrance, spanning a wide range of pop-culture brands.
Scentsation editorialFragrances credited to Stephen in our catalog, by house.
Victoria's Secret · 2021Tease Crème Cloud1,548 ratings · ★ 4.1102Vera Wang · 2011Lovestruck1,237 ratings · ★ 3.8703Donna Karan · 2018DKNY Stories842 ratings · ★ 3.6204Calvin Klein · 2013Dark Obsession628 ratings · ★ 4.0805Victoria's Secret · 2013Victoria379 ratings · ★ 4.0906Victoria's Secret · 2018Tease Rebel281 ratings · ★ 4.13
Story-driven, unconventional compositions that reject European perfumery tradition in favor of unusual landscapes and forgotten histories.
109 creations
American perfumer.
55 creations
Narrative-driven fragrances built to evoke fictional worlds and characters, blending literary inspiration with fine raw materials.
37 creations
