On perfume blogs you sometimes see lighthearted polls like “what perfumes would you grab if your home were on fire?” Now imagine a real-life situation where your city is bombarded and you escape with only limited belongings. That’s what happened to Olga Gritsenko, a Ukrainian perfume lover and blogger. In 2022, she was forced to flee her native city of Kharkiv at the start of the Russian invasion and travel across Ukraine to the western town of Mukachevo. Her story is inspiring, because not only did Olga save her perfume collection, she also established herself in a new place, launched a popular YouTube channel called Olfattivo and created a subscription service called “Ukrainian perfume boxes” to support indie perfumers.

This amazing woman will join me for a special seminar. In March, I’ll be visiting Olga in Ukraine. Our seminar will be broadcast from her new home and we will talk about why Ukraine is such a perfume-obsessed country and how scents provide powerful emotional support. It’s going to be relevant in the current climate, as many people around the world face political upheavals, economic problems or personal setbacks.

Our other topics will include:

• the fascinating world of vintage Ukrainian perfumery
• what perfumes are popular in Ukraine
• how does one build a perfume collection and preserve it in times of adversity
• how do people shop for perfume in Ukraine
• how to use scents for emotional support
• what kind of fragrances represent Ukraine
• Olga’s “Ukrainian perfume” boxes and more.

As a special offer from me, the first 5 people to sign up for the seminar will receive a set of Ukrainian perfume samples.

Our encounter has another reason–I’m gathering funds to support 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 Olga, you can email them beforehand. The seminar will be in English. Recording will be available to those who can’t join in person.

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

Location: Zoom
Class duration: 1 hour
March 14, Friday, 12:00-13:00 EST (17:00-18:00 CET–note the daylight savings hours starting early in the USA)
50€ Book Now (recording available)

Photo: Olga and her treasures. You can also follow Olga via her Instagram.

If you simply visit to donate to support the Kyiv Children’s Art School, a remarkable place that gives free classes to children traumatized by war, you can do so via this link or QR code. Any amount will make a difference. They need more brushes, pencils and paints.

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.

Happy New Year! I hope that 2025 will bring you much inspiration, many adventures and discoveries, and of course, health and success. For all of us, I wish peace and stability. As far as inspiration and new discoveries go, I would like to contribute by offering new perfume classes. Those of you who have already taken several of my courses will find that our new offer builds up on that knowledge and combines our knowledge of perfume materials with discussions of accords and fragrance families.

The studio classes will feature a travel through vintage perfumery, relying on my own Osmothèque–a vast collection of original fragrances in the earliest available formulations.

Дорогі українські друзі, цього року я почну проводити свої заняття українською мовою. Будь ласка, прокрутіть вниз, щоб знайти пропозицію трьох перших занять: Цитруси, Спеції та Деревина.

The classes are open for students of all levels of interest and knowledge. Since I keep the class size small, I can tailor and individualize the program to your needs. You will have plenty of opportunity to participate and ask questions.

Brussels Studio Class: Perfumes That Influenced Fragrance History

This seminar will give you a rare chance to smell legendary perfumes in their original formulations. You will have access to my perfume collection and try iconic fragrances from Caron, Guerlain, Coty and Chanel. You will also explore some of the best materials used by fragrance industry professionals and discover why your nose is more sensitive than the most sophisticated machine.

We will step back in time, smell some of the iconic fragrance or examples of interesting genres from the past and also talk about people who made perfumes. Although contemporary perfume marketing focuses on perfume as a luxury item (or a tool for seduction), scents are more complex than this. A bottle of perfume contains an artistic message. It tells you something about the aesthetics of its time. Tastes of its contemporaries. Advances in science and trends in art and fashion had a big impact on the development of perfumery and on how perfumers were able to translate words and visions into scents. Together we will learn the evolution of perfume history by studying some of the most iconic examples of the perfumery art in their original formulations. You will also perform exercises to sharpen their sense of smell.

Class location: Brussels
Class duration: 2.5 hours
200€/per person   (50€ to be paid as a reservation deposit, the rest is payable in person on the day of the class)

Date: January 19th, Sunday, 11-1:30pm SOLD OUT

Date: January 26th, Sunday, 11-1:30pm SOLD OUT

Date: February 9th, Sunday, 11-1:30pm Reserve Now

To request another date, please  email me.

Online Classes

Perfume Fundamentals Online: Citrus
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: January 18th, Saturday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60  SOLD OUT

Perfume Fundamentals Online: Spices
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: January 22nd, Wednesday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60 SOLD OUT

Perfume Fundamentals Online: Dark Woods 
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: January 25th, Saturday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60 SOLD OUT

3-Class Package: Citrus, Spices, Dark Woods
Price: €165 SOLD OUT

In the Perfume Family classes, we will learn about accords that comprise the key perfume families. We will study how such accords are created and you will receive practical guidance on how to create your own accord, recognize perfume families and find a fragrance that suits your style and tastes.

Perfume Families Online: Chypre
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: February 1st, Saturday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60 SOLD OUT

Perfume Families Online: Cologne
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: February 5th, Wednesday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60 Book Now (Recording will be available)

Perfume Families Online: Florals
Location: Online, Zoom
Date: February 8th, Saturday, 12:00pm-1:30pm EST/6:00pm-7:30pm CET
Price: €60 Book Now (Recording will be available)

3-Class Package: Chypre, Cologne, Florals
Price: €165 SOLD OUT

Мої заняття українською мовою

Ми розшифруємо основні парфумерні матеріали та проаналізуємо аромати, які їх використовують. Я надам вам різні вправи, щоб вивчити нюанси цих ароматів, і допоможу обрати парфуми, які найкраще їх підкреслюють. Розмір класу невеликий, щоб забезпечити увагу до кожного учасника та можливість взаємодії. Заняття проходитиме у формі лекції, переміжної з вправами на запах. Мій стиль викладання є інтерактивним. Ви матимете можливість ставити питання під час заняття, також буде відведено час наприкінці для ваших запитань на будь-які теми, пов’язані з парфумерією. Ці заняття призначені для студентів з усіх рівнів інтересу до парфумерії.

Основи парфумерії онлайн: Цитруси
Місце проведення: Онлайн, Zoom
Дата: 19 січня, неділя, 18:00-19:30 CET / 19:00-20:30 Kyiv time
Ціна: 1500 гривень SOLD OUT

Основи парфумерії онлайн: Спеції
Місце проведення: Онлайн, Zoom
Дата: 23 січня, четвер, 18:00-19:30 CET / 19:00-20:30 Kyiv time
Ціна: 1500 гривень SOLD OUT

Основи парфумерії онлайн: Деревина
Місце проведення: Онлайн, Zoom
Дата: 26 січня, неділя, 18:00-19:30 CET / 19:00-20:30 Kyiv time
Ціна: 1500 гривень Забронювати зараз (Запис буде доступний)

Пакет із 3 занять: Цитруси, Спеції, Деревина
Ціна: 4100 гривень SOLD OUT

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Luca and I had an amazing conversation for nearly two hours talking about classical perfumery, how to learn fragrances, trends, and so many other topics inspired by your questions. Our session is available as a recording. If you couldn’t participate in person, I invite you to listen to our conversation. Available here.

Here are the topics we covered:

• what classical perfumes make Luca’s heart skip a beat
• what exactly goes into those cheap, dime a dozen perfumes
• the future of perfumery
• is it possible to create anything new? and which brands stand out still?
• if you know nothing about perfumery, where to start? (Luca’s great advice)
• which classical Guerlain perfumes we don’t like (yes, those exist)
• and much more!

Luca Turin and I talk about perfumery: fragrances we can’t imagine the world without, trends we hate, industry gossip and other things. Both of us have our distinctive preferences and experiences, and Luca is someone I admire and consider a friend, so we will keep these sessions open-ended. Our goal is to raise money to help my local community in Ukraine, but I can’t deny relishing the pleasure of chatting with Luca on topics both of us enjoy. We hope that this series of conversation will be inspiring, meaningful and entertaining.

P.S. Did you know that you can follow Luca via his Substack?

Here are the projects in Ukraine for which I’m raising money:

• Purchasing art supplies for the free-of-charge art studios that rehabilitate children suffering from post-traumatic shock.
• Supporting animal shelters run by the individuals I know.
• Working with local outreach programs to respond to the lonely elderly and their needs.
• Supporting local cultural preservation projects and traditional crafts.  I

Full disclosure: 50% of the funds raised will be donated to these charitable initiatives. The rest will cover our time and my Belgian tax obligations.

Luca and Victoria recording, €50 (after the payment is processed, you will receive a link to access the recording.)

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