Born in New Jersey, David Apel was an outdoorsy boy whose passion for exploring forests and coastlines led him to study environmental chemistry. An unexpected offer from Givaudan brought him to perfumery, where his first job had him analyzing products already on the market in the gas chromatography lab. There, he developed a deep knowledge of the complexity of raw materials and a perfume philosophy of sorts: every perfume can be considered a work in progress. Art is seldom finished. He joined the American Society of Perfumers’ apprenticeship programme in 1990 and was able to formalise his new passion through on-the-job study. As a junior perfumer he started winning some decidedly senior jobs, and was sent to work with the cream of European perfumers in Paris. There, he drew strength from the uninhibited freedom of being an outsider. With the landscapes of his native New England in mind, he created some of his signature formulations and bases, catapulting his career and eventually leading him to join Symrise, where he works to this day.