She is also a member of the technical committee of the French Society of Perfumers and the president of the Osmothèque scent archive.
[1] Following in the long family tradition, she eventually launched her own perfume company (brand: "NICOLAÏ, créateur de parfum") in 1998 with her husband Jean-Louis Michau, where in the opinion of some she created some of the best works in contemporary perfumery,[1] and is noted by Luca Turin as being "...one of the unsung greats of the fragrance world.
"[4] Although believed by some to be a candidate for the position of Guerlain's in-house perfumer,[5] the presence of a glass ceiling in the company prevented her selection for position since: "The family who worked in the brand was only men, no women.
"[3] Thierry Wasser was eventually chosen in 2008 as the in-house perfumer of Guerlain.
[6] Since 2008, Patricia de Nicolaï became the president of the Osmothèque, the esteemed French perfume archive, with the position handed over by its founder Jean Kerléo.