About Victoria Belim-Frolova, Her Writing & Bois de Jasmin
“Beauty is an act of resilience. Memory is a bridge between worlds.”
“A paean to hope and home, written with such gentleness and deep adherence to emotional truth that to me its words become a fierceness to cast against harm, hardship and hurt. I loved it and it will haunt me for a long time.”
— Helen Macdonald, the author of H is for Hawk
“[A] poignant, gently unfolding . . . elegant family narrative of myriad characters traumatized by the deep-seated Russia-Ukrainian struggle. . . Throughout this powerful text, readers will encounter numerous satisfying layers.”
— The New York Times
“Victoria muses on the inadequacy of the language commonly used to describe perfume, while expanding it considerably with her own words and thoughts.”
— The Financial Times
“A Wild Swans for Ukraine … an enthralling, multilayered family story, told across four generations. Rich and magnificent. A marvel.”
— Bookseller
“Part memoir, part detective story … [this] picture of a divided Ukrainian family shows how deep the divisions can be – and how to heal them means overcoming decades of silence, secrecy and denial.”
— The Guardian
Photography by Dmytro Milutin
Welcome! I’m Victoria Belim-Frolova, Ukrainian-American writer, perfumer, and founder of Bois de Jasmin. This space began as a love letter to scent, but over time it has become something deeper—a place where we explore beauty as a source of healing, memory as an anchor, and fragrance as a language that connects us across time and place.
I was born in Kyiv, Ukraine, and moved to the United States when I was fifteen. My family background, like Ukraine’s own, is layered and diverse. On my mother’s Ukrainian side, there are Roma and Jewish traces. On my father’s side, Russian and Tatar roots. These threads shaped the languages I heard, the values I inherited, and the questions I keep asking. While my ancestry reflects many crossings, my cultural and emotional identity is Ukrainian.
I’m a writer, perfumer, and educator exploring the intersection of scent, art, politics, and cultural memory. I studied at Yale University and today I teach at ISIPCA in Versailles, one of the world’s premier institutions for fragrance and cosmetic science. My approach is shaped by my training at IFF’s Perfume Academy and by the mentorship of Sophia Grojsman, legendary creator of iconic fragrances and one of the greatest perfumers of our time.
With professional experience at International Flavors & Fragrances, Givaudan, and Firmenich, I share my research, reflections, and sensory journeys, drawing on a wide-ranging background in olfaction, literature, and the arts.
What I Do
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Author of The Rooster House (Virago, 2023), translated into 18 languages and praised by The New York Times, The Guardian, The Independent and The London Review of Books. My memoir is a journey into Ukraine’s past and my family’s secrets, but also a meditation on how we heal through stories. You can order my book on Amazon or Bookshop.org.
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Perfumer, with a deep passion for sensory storytelling. I received my professional training at the IFF Perfume Academy, thanks to the mentorship and insistence of Sophia Grojsman—one of the greatest perfumers of our time—who became both my teacher and guiding influence.
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Educator, I’m a professor at ISIPCA in Versailles, the leading institution that shapes the next generation of perfumers, fragrance specialists, and beauty industry professionals. I’ve worked on fine fragrance projects for brands such as L’Oréal, Frédéric Malle, Dior, Procter & Gamble, and a number indie perfume houses, and I bring both technical expertise and an intuitive understanding of scents.
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Cultural Storyteller and Polyglot, creating bridges between East and West through writing, scent, and teaching. Born in Ukraine and shaped by years of living across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia, my work bridges cultural traditions and sensory histories. I speak 18 languages such as Persian, Japanese, French, Indonesian and continue to learn more.
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Founder of Bois de Jasmin, an online space since 2005 dedicated to fragrance, beauty rituals, and cultural traditions. Bois de Jasmin is read in over 150 countries by those who seek to explore beauty with depth and intention.
My Philosophy
For me, beauty is not decoration—it’s transformation. It’s what allows us to survive loss, to endure hardship, and to keep loving the world.
I’ve visited war zones and frontline towns. I’ve seen how a whiff of roses can bring someone back to life.
I believe in portable beauty, whether it’s a vial of perfume, a poem, or a cup of tea brewed with care. These small rituals ground us. They remind us who we are.
New Projects
In 2025, I’m launching:
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A Masterclass Series: “Fragrances That Influenced History”, exploring iconic perfumes that gave our world a different scent and become part of our culture.
- Online seminars on perfumery training for professionals and interested perfume lovers.
Join Me
Here at Bois de Jasmin, you’ll find:
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Fragrance Reviews, stories about historical perfumes and modern compositions.
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Explorations of rituals, art, literature, and culture, from Ukraine and beyond.
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My Reflections on beauty, memory, and belonging.
Thank you for being part of this journey.
— Victoria
Contact / Collaboration
For media inquiries, collaborations, or speaking engagements, please get in touch:
Email
Or follow me on Instagram | X | Facebook | Substack
About Elisa Gabbert, Contributing Writer
Elisa’s first brush with perfume greatness came in the form of a bottle of White Linen lotion. About 20 years later, she fell down the rabbit hole after reading Perfumes: The A to Z Guide cover to cover on a flight. She is the author of The Unreality of Memory and several poetry collections including The French Exit and The Self Unstable. She is a founding member of Denver Poets’ Theater and lives in Denver. You can also read her other writing on her personal website.
About Courtney Humphreys, Guest Writer
Courtney is a freelance journalist and author living in Boston, and she writes about science, health, and culture for a variety of publications. I especially recommend her article for Wired, Engineering Replacements for Essential Perfume Ingredients. Courtney became enamored with perfume after wandering into a Diptyque shop several years ago and smelling Philosykos, which immediately captured her attention. As she describes, “A quick web search on it led me to perfume blogs and reviews, and my journey went from there.” Please see Courtney’s articles here.
For other guest writers and past contributors, please see the guest writer page.
