Paris-born Jean Madar, along with his lifelong friend and business partner, Philippe Benacin, co-founded InterParfums, Inc. in 1983, shortly after they graduated from ESSEC, one of Europe’s most prestigious business schools. With Benacin working in Paris, Madar arrived in New York with a few thousand dollars and a business plan intended for alternative designer fragrances.
 
After securing the very first license partnership for Burberry fragrances, the business immediately excelled and, in early 1988, InterParfums went public with one of the first initial public offerings after the October 1987 stock market crash. Its shares continue to trade on Nasdaq.
 
For nearly four decades, InterParfums has built its reputation on innovation, quality and the ability to capture the DNA of each brand in its fragrance portfolio. Today, InterParfums, Inc. has a diverse portfolio of prestige fragrance brands. Its hottest new launch is MCM Onyx, a new men’s fragrance for Spring 2023. The product was revealed to the public on April 20 at an event at the MCM store in Soho.
 
Today, Madar is chairman of the board and CEO of InterParfums, whose products are sold in over 120 countries.
 
He has many awards and honors to his credit. From global entrepreneurial awards to accolades for his creative work in health & beauty, his commitment to his business and fragrance industry continues to be recognized. Over the years, Madar and his associates at InterParfums have also accepted numerous FiFi awards from the Fragrance Foundation.
 
In addition to his professional achievements, Madar has served on the Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University, Israel’s largest university with over 30,000 students since 2010, and also took on the leadership role in the building of a 500-student school in Adwa, Ethiopia, which has been ranked the best middle school in the entire country.
 
Net sales for Inter Parfums Inc. in 2022 topped $1.0 billion, a 24% rise from the prior year.  Q4 net sales were $311 million, a 47% change from the prior-year quarter. Madar called 2022 a “milestone year.”
 
This fragrance expert and industry tastemaker took time to chat with Happi.com about Spring 2023 fragrance trends.

 
Happi: How is business overall at InterParfums so far for 2023?  
 
JM: 2022 was a milestone year, as we crossed $1 billion in net sales, with all regions contributing to our growth. I am happy to report that 2023 is off to a promising start. We have plenty of brand extensions launching throughout the year. We are also paying close attention to see what will unfold in the very important China market.
 
Happi: Regarding licensing – what are your thoughts on the benefits for brand owners? 
 
JM: In a word – expertise. Fragrance has a uniquely long and complicated development process. We have the established manufacturing, science, technology, and distributor relationships that are critical to success. We are also unique because InterParfums is the only pure player in the fragrance space. We are small enough to be entrepreneurial to provide each brand individual focus and attention. Successful fragrance licensing happens when the licensee and licensor goals are fully aligned. Yet, we are large enough to handle worldwide distribution in over 100 countries.
 
Happi: Tell us about 40 years of your business – what are the highlights? 
 
JM: Looking back, I can say the key to our success is having an incredibly balanced portfolio between exclusive and widely distributed brands. This did not happen by accident. We had some failures along the way, which have been a key part of our learning experience. What you did wrong provides more insights than successes. Throughout all of it, we have maintained a start-up spirit, which allows us to take advantage of opportunities and navigate challenges.
 
Happi: How has it been leading the company?
 
JM: My role as a CEO is to convey my passion for the fragrance industry in a way that will motivate, animate and inspire a team of bright and talented employees to unleash their full creative and intellectual capabilities.
 
Happi: Can you share exciting company plans for the rest of 2023 and beyond? 
 
JM: Our search for additional brands – both established and rising stars – remains a priority.