How to Learn Perfume Making? It’s one of the most common questions I receive. The answer is not easy, as there is no one universal path. Learning to create perfumes can take the form of formal studies, but you can also start in the comfort of your own home with guides and simple experiments. You can apply for a job related to perfumes, sometimes not even expecting that a career as a “nose” is meant for you. Below, I provide a few inspirations on how to begin your journey into the world of fragrance creation.
Until recently, the art of perfume-making seemed to be something accessible only to a select few. The profession of a perfumer was considered exceptionally elite, requiring not only professional education and natural talent but often also valuable connections. The major perfume houses were very selective in sharing their secrets with people outside their own families.
Partly, those times have passed, and the art of perfume-making has become more egalitarian. There is an increasing amount of resources available online about creating perfumes. However, it is still not an easy path of learning and requires a lot of determination, self-reliance, and sometimes even luck or a well-filled wallet, especially if you are thinking not just of amateur creativity but a professional career.
How to start?
Because the profession of a perfumer is surrounded by many myths and often the perception of it doesn’t align with reality, I always recommend starting with small steps. This way, we can verify if this is truly the right occupation for us. Before we begin looking for professional schools and expensive courses, I suggest starting on your own with something simpler. Something that will give you an idea of what modern perfumery is like and allow you to plan your further development steps.
In cases where we have little knowledge of perfume creation (for example, we haven’t worked with perfume ingredients, don’t know basic terminology like notes, accords, etc.), it’s a good idea to look for short, few-hour perfume-making workshops. While they may not resemble professional perfume creation, they will allow us to get a taste of the subject and start familiarizing ourselves with the basics. Such courses can easily be found in most countries.
At the same time, we can explore literature that will help us acquire basic knowledge. In popular science guides (I recommend “Perfumery: Practice and Principles” by J. Jellinek and R. Calkin), you will find plenty of information about ingredients, their extraction methods, and even some insights into creating fragrance compositions. It’s a nutshell of knowledge, not too in-depth, but presented in an accessible and comprehensive way.
It’s also worthwhile to explore the internet, on platforms like Fragrantica or Basenotes, where you can find numerous articles about perfume ingredients and interviews with perfumers. There are also discussion forums dedicated to DIY perfume-making. However, you should keep in mind that the materials available there vary in quality – you can find both reliable content created by professionals but also many myths, half-truths, and outdated knowledge. It might seem chaotic at the initial stage, but as you delve deeper into the subject, you’ll be able to verify some of the information yourself.
Practicing perfumery on your own
Learning to create perfumes is primarily based on practice. The best guides will never replace hands-on experience. A well-developed olfactory memory plays a crucial role here – a professional perfumer must remember the scents of hundreds of different ingredients. It’s a good idea to start training from the very beginning, getting to know the ingredients and trying to memorize their scents (along with how they change over time).
In recent years, acquiring ingredients on your own has become very easy. You can order professional-grade raw materials in small, training quantities (5-10 ml) online from stores such as PellWall or Perfumers Apprentice. Some of these stores offer ready-made starter sets with the most common ingredients. It’s best to order them in small batches and, after mastering one set, order the next – this way, your mind will have more time to familiarize and memorize them.
As you get to know more ingredients, you’ll start feeling more comfortable and eager to mix them. This is a good time to begin composing. Start with simple combinations of a few ingredients, then move on to creating basic accords (e.g., floral, amber, aromatic). Depending on your preference, you can either do this intuitively or use ready-made training formulas, which can be found online (on the same websites that sell ingredients). Below is an example of a training formula that I use during workshops.
Self-taught or back-door entry
This is where the fun begins. While the basics of perfumery are quite well-popularized, the deeper you go into the subject, the more challenging it becomes. On one hand, you’ll gain an awareness that perfumery is not just about ingredients and their combinations, but involves many other processes that you should learn. At the same time, information will become increasingly difficult to access – some may not be available at all because it delves into proprietary know-how of specific companies and is not publicly disclosed.
This is a good time to think about which direction you want to take next. Most creators choose one of two paths – the self-taught route or entering the industry. The first option requires a lot of independence and determination but is feasible – with a bit of effort and established connections, you can acquire a lot of advanced knowledge.
At this stage, you might consider attending a short international course or training with another perfumer. Some noses offer the opportunity to learn or consult. I myself took advantage of such an opportunity at a certain point, and it greatly helped me develop my skills – learning from another perfumer provides not only a new wealth of knowledge but also a different perspective. Currently, I offer this opportunity to budding perfumery artists – always approaching each case individually and developing a training program tailored to the specific person’s needs and skills.
The second path to consider is entering the industry by finding a job. However, I want to manage expectations – it’s unlikely that you’ll immediately land a perfumer position. Instead, you can try to get employed in places somehow related to perfumes – for example, in establishments that offer custom perfume creation services (known as perfume labs). If you have relevant educational qualifications in fields like chemistry, it’s worth looking for employment with manufacturers of fragrance compounds or cosmetics.
Even if, in the beginning, your work doesn’t involve creating perfumes outright, you’ll learn many secrets of the industry. With a bit of luck, you may eventually get recruited for your dream position. I call this “back door entry.” One of the most spectacular cases of this kind is the career of Sophia Grojsman. Originally from Belarus, Grojsman emigrated to the USA and worked as a laboratory assistant at International Flavors & Fragrances. While assisting in her work, she began learning from the perfumers there until she became one herself. With her fresh approach, she completely revolutionized the industry, creating icons like Lancome Trésor and CK Eternity.
Perfumers schools
You won’t easily find perfumery as a major on university offer. There are only a very few schools around the world that offer perfumery as a separate major. Usually, there are postgraduate courses available for graduates in fields related to chemistry and cosmetology. Among these schools, only a handful have gained fame for training perfumers, including the French ISIPCA and GiP (Grasse Institute of Perfumery). Their graduates include some of the leading figures in contemporary perfumery, such as Francis Kurkdjian and Sébastien Cresp. In addition to having the required educational background to apply to such schools, you should also be prepared for substantial tuition fees.
Another option is schools organized by major players in the industry. Companies that produce fragrances and flavors, such as Givaudan, IFF, or Symrise, have their own in-house perfumer training programs. These schools offer high-quality education, and provide insights into the most up-to-date production practices and innovations that are ahead of the market. However, there are also drawbacks – typically, joining such a school involves an agreement that, after completing the training for a specific period (usually several years), you will work for that particular company.
If you are counting on working in such a corporation to open doors to an international career, there are no guarantees – in fact, only a few individuals have the opportunity to work on prestigious projects. As newly trained perfumers, you are more likely to be tasked with creating fragrances for household products. After several years of apprenticeship and hard work, you can be sure that your perfume-making skills will be at the highest level.
To conclude, I’ll just mention that the solutions mentioned above by no means exhaust the possibilities. I have built them based on my own experiences and industry knowledge. However, the truth is that with a bit of luck and creativity, learning to create perfumes can take place in an entirely different way (or by combining the approaches mentioned above, which I have done to some extent). It’s worth discovering your own path that aligns with your preferred learning style and goals. Perfume creation is a fantastic adventure that can be pursued in various ways.