Not every country allows you to become a certified perfumer. You can become a “real specialist” with a beautiful crust only in the French city of Grasse, the so-called perfume capital of the world.
Admission conditions are real, but difficult:
- chemical or medical education (with a confirmed diploma);
- have a good command of English or French;
- many thousands of euros.
In addition, you will have to pass a series of entrance exams, show your knowledge of notes (the so-called olfactory test) and pass an interview. And, of course, they can easily refuse.
Some people enter the world of perfume creation in a different way, for example, by becoming an apprentice to an experienced perfumer. But what should those who do not plan to connect their professional life with the development of fragrances do, but simply want to know and understand more, creating something of their own?
Now there are a lot of perfume schools in the world, after which you will hardly be able to call yourself a master – at least right away – but you will know exactly how to create fragrances.
How I got into perfumery
Far zeros. When large chain stores of cosmetics and perfumes first began to appear, one of the most popular entertainments for students was to go somewhere and try out fragrances – on blotters, collars, sleeves, wrists. I then discovered I Love Love from Moschino, which I still love dearly.
One day I saw a girl blogger post about how she and her husband attended a perfume master class in Moscow and created their own fragrance. And then I realized – this is it! After all, you can create your own scents! But how? Where?
Digging deeper into the topic, I found out that there are now a lot of different perfume training courses – for every taste, color and budget. I took a long time to make the decision, thoroughly studying all the subtleties and nuances. The choice fell on 2 schools – in Moscow and St. Petersburg. It is important that master classes were held both there and there. I live in St. Petersburg, so I attended the master class here first. Spoiler: I never made it to Moscow. Everything came together right away.
I studied by correspondence because I work in an office, and the full-time system did not suit me. I came there simply with money, and left with a huge box of educational materials: lectures, test tubes, scales, aromatic substances, scent samples, etc. By the way, I am not a chemist or biologist, but an engineer. My knowledge of chemistry was practically of no use to me, but I remember the formula of alcohol from school – C2H5OH. But – again a spoiler – the perfumer has his own formulas.
How to make your own scent?
The aroma formula is the sequence and quantity of substances added to the container. Perfume is a combination of all the above substances and alcohol. Alcohol is used to ensure that all substances come into contact with each other and open to their full potential.
During my training, I studied how essential oils and synthetic fragrances smell, how quickly they dissipate, and how they sound at the start and after. Then she created her own fragrances using her own formulas. For example, one of the tasks was to develop a chocolate flavor.
This is quite a painstaking and lengthy work, since you need to figure out which aromatic substances together will produce the notorious chocolate. Gradually adding ingredients, understand how the aroma changes, let it brew for full development. And then add and add something else. You need to record every step!
I can reassure you that in the finished perfume these notes will play with each other, and the result will be a pleasant, beautiful aroma. To do this, the finished perfume must be kept in a dark place for 3-4 weeks, shaking occasionally. Then it will infuse, all the molecules will react with the alcohol and each other, and the perfumer’s idea will come out.
About prices
The average price of luxury perfume in chain stores is about 200 USD per 100 ml. I’ll tell you a secret: the cost of the perfume liquid itself is negligible and amounts to only 15% of the price.
The price itself consists of the development of the fragrance + the cost of the composition (oils and synthetic substances) + production (if we are talking about a large brand) + packaging + transportation + advertising + margin. Those. If you know the formula of a perfume, you can make your own perfume for about 10-15 times cheaper than a store-bought one. You will only need to buy aromatic substances, which is not difficult now, and ethyl alcohol.
