I first met Christophe Laudamiel when I joined IFF. From our first meeting, he became someone I turned to for advice, support or inspiration. Now years later I still consider Christophe an important person who formed the way I think about perfume and perfumery education. For this reason, our conversation on Saturday, February 15th, was so special. We connected in our thoughts about the future of perfumery, good trends developing right now and the best way to study fragrance. Christophe combines scientific precision with rich imagination, erudition and incredible passion. This is a combination I find irresistible, and I am sure that you will agree once you listen to our talk.

The recording of our conversation is now available. As I’m leaving for Ukraine in a couple of weeks, the funds will be used to support the local community projects I manage there, namely the art school in Kyiv that offers shelter and free classes to children.

50€ Listen Now

The topics Christophe and I covered:

• the future of perfumery
• what to do if you want to become a perfumer
• is niche perfumery moving in the right direction?
• how AI will change perfume formulation
• how to make the right fragrance choices as a consumer
• perfumery education
• which method is the best to study perfumery
• and much more!

In other news, Christophe exclusively shared the new fragrance taxonomy created by him and the Osmo team. It’s a completely novel way to think about perfume and fragrance descriptions. It moves away from the typical marketing terms and gives you tools to describe a wide range of aromas.

The second part of the taxonomy includes descriptors in different categories. You will see that unlike in conventional fragrance wheels, these descriptors are much more encompassing and move away from the typical European scents. The descriptors are ever evolving, so consider working with them and adding your own. In this way, we will contribute to building a rich and meaningful conversation about scents and perfume.

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Christophe Laudamiel needs no introduction. A master perfumer. An innovator. A renegade spirit. He runs DreamAir studios and Bélair Lab and creates artistic works and beautiful fragrances. A winner of several awards in chemistry and perfumery, Christophe is also an advocate of perfumery education and ethics and his efforts have been much needed, especially as the industry faces major challenges. Christophe was my colleague at IFF and someone deeply influential for my way of thinking about perfumery. This is why I’m particularly excited to share our new online seminar.

You will have a chance to participate in a conversation with Christophe and me on the following topics:

• the future of perfumery
• how to make the right fragrance choices as a consumer
•  the best of what’s going on in perfumery
• ethics and perfumery
• perfumery education
• and much more. You will have a chance to ask questions.

Our encounter has another reason–I’m preparing to travel to Ukraine and I’m gathering funds to support the community projects in my region. While there are plenty of charities and government-level programs, the only way to ensure that money goes to the people in need is to locate those communities and help them directly.

• Purchasing art supplies for the free-of-charge art studios and local art schools that rehabilitate children suffering from post-traumatic shock. One such school in Kyiv also works with war veterans.
• Working with local outreach programs to respond to the lonely elderly and their needs.
• Supporting local cultural preservation projects and traditional crafts.  This war has had devastating consequences on Ukraine’s culture and environment and I organize efforts to support artisans and local museums, who continue their work despite the harrowing circumstances. On my Instagram, I will record my travels and my work.

The session will take place online via Zoom and will last for 1 hour. If you have questions for me and Christophe, you can email them beforehand.

IMPORTANT: Your email confirmation with joining instructions will arrive within 24 hours after payment. 

Location: Zoom
Class duration: 1 hour
February 15, Saturday, 18:00-19:00 CET (12:00-13:00 EST)
50€ Book Now

Christophe has another surprise for you, so stay tuned for more details.

You can also follow Christophe via his Instagram.

For more information on Bois de Jasmin classes and other course offers, please visit the Perfume Classes page.

My wedding outfit wasn’t white. It was green, because in the western part of India where my husband’s family originates and where we were married, it means the color of life, spring and rejuvenation. Since then I have been paying more attention to this color, and the scents associated with it. In perfumery green can be suggested by a variety of materials, from naturals like violet leaf and galbanum to synthetics such as leaf alcohols that smell of freshly cut grass.

Green notes, however, can be difficult to wear, which is why, though this perfume family has many loyal fans, it remains small. We prefer our scents of freshly cut grass and new leaves in the air, rather than in the bottle. Nevertheless, certain green fragrances have become classics. One is L’Artisan Parfumeur Premier Figuier. It creates its signature fig accord with the clever combination of ivy, leaves and galbanum. The latter is a fennel-like plant that produces a pungent smelling essential oil. When carefully dosed, however, galbanum conjures up the vivid colors of spring—young buds, new leaves, damp earth.

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Coffee and rosewater
Violet candy and vanilla ice cream
Roasted potatoes and tonka bean
Pineapple and star anise
Strawberry and basil

Some of the beautiful combinations I experimented with last week. Do you have any favorite perfume or flavor pairings?

Scent Diary is a place to write your observations about the scents around you–and about scents in your environment. Whether you write down 1 recollection or 10 matters less than simply reminding yourself to smell. You can add as many comments as you wish. You can comment today or over the course of the week; this thread will always be open. Of course, do share what perfume you’re wearing or what particularly good scented products you’ve discovered.

While looking through my articles, I found this article that I wrote a few years ago but that still remains popular and often-read: A to Z Tips for Enjoyable, Affordable and Rewarding Perfume Hobby. If you have any tips to add, I’d love to hear them.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin

Our “Recommend Me a Perfume” thread is open this week. You can use this space to find perfume recommendations, to share your discoveries and favorite scents, and to ask any questions about scents, aromas and flavors. Or you can just tell us what perfume you are wearing.

I finished teaching my introductory classes on Citrus, Spices and Woods, and the new series will return with Chypre (sold out), Cologne and Florals. My ISIPCA teaching duties are quite heavy this semester, but I will try to add more classes, focusing on fundamental notes. We will revisit spring florals and green accords as well. If you have any other requests, please let me know.

How does it work: 1. Please post your requests or questions as comments here. You can also use this space to ask any fragrance related questions. To receive recommendations that are better tailored to your tastes, you can include details on what you like and don’t like, your signature perfumes, and your budget. And please let us know what you end up sampling. 2. Then please check the thread to see if there are other requests you can answer. Your responses are really valuable for navigating the big and sometimes confusing world of perfume, so let’s help each other!

To make this thread easier to read, when you reply to someone, please click on the blue “reply” link under their comment.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin