News: 583 posts

BOOKINGS PAUSED DUE TO THE SITUATION AFFECTING MY FAMILY IN UKRAINE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR UNDERSTANDING. IF YOU ALREADY BOOKED AND THE TRIP NEEDS TO BE CANCELLED, YOUR DEPOSIT WILL BE REFUNDED IN FULL.

• The place where Jason and the Argonauts went in search of the Golden Fleece
• The oldest wine-making region in the world
• The country so renowned for its cuisine that its culinary traditions were honoured as Intangible World Heritage

Join us on a trip to Georgia, a country in the Caucasus region renowned for its stunning nature and rich culture with 5000-year-old roots. Despite its small size, Georgia has the largest number of UNESCO-protected properties in the region, several World Heritage sites, and many ancient traditions recognized as Intangible World Heritage—music, singing, wine-making, and even feasting. And we will experience it during our 8-day adventure for all senses. We will explore Georgia’s art, culture, and cuisine, while studying about our sense of smell in order to sharpen it and learn how to derive the most pleasure from perfume, food, and other daily experiences.

The best part of Georgia is its people, and our trip will give you a chance to meet artists and artisans. We will be hosted by a Georgian family and learn about music and cuisine from them. And we will be creators ourselves as we make our own perfume accords inspired by our experiences in Georgia.

I’m partnering with Nataliya Cummings of Experience Ukraine and Beyond, a boutique UK-based tour operator. Nataliya has done several highly rated tours to Georgia, and the particular route we have selected for our Adventure for All Senses lets us experience some of the most beautiful aspects of the country. ​

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Update: The interest in the new classes has been overwhelming, and all six seminars are now fully booked. I appreciate your enthusiasm and support. If you are interested in the Bois de Jasmin classes, please subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of new dates and topics. Of course, if you are interested in a particular class or topic, please send me a note.

New Bois de Jasmin online classes are now available for enrollment in 2022. I am continuing the popular Spices, Citrus, and Dark Woods series. I will also add three new classes focusing on florals: Rose, Orange Blossom, and Iris.

About Bois de Jasmin classes: These classes are for students of all levels of interest in perfumery. The classes teach you how to smell like a professional perfumer, take apart complex scents, and sharpen your sense of smell. Together we will study the fundamental classes of perfume materials and discover how they are used in perfumes. The lectures are designed to improve your enjoyment and appreciation of scents.

Class structure: 1h 15min. Small-group, interactive classes.

Having completed several classes, I listened to your suggestions and made a few changes. Originally, the classes were 1 hour and I set aside 15 minutes for questions. Many felt that 1 hour was not enough and wanted more guided exercises, so the lecture + exercise portion will be 1 hour and 15 minutes. We have time in between exercises for questions, and I’m always available to answer your questions afterwards.

Another change is that I suggest to bring perfumes to each class. I will give you a couple of suggested fragrances, but you can always use any suitable perfume from your own collection. We will still continue using readily available spices and fragrant materials for our smelling exercises, such as spices, coffee, or citrus fruit. You do not need to buy essential oil kits for these classes. You’ll receive the full instructions before the start of the class and after finishing the class you will also receive a list of fragrances to try based on the lecture theme.

Location: Online, Zoom

Date & Time: 1h 15min

Spices January 22nd, Saturday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter)  SOLD OUT

Citrus January 26th, Wednesday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter)  SOLD OUT

Dark Woods January 29th, Saturday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter)  SOLD OUT

3 class series: Spices, Citrus, Woods  SOLD OUT

Rose February 5th, Saturday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter) SOLD OUT

Orange Blossom February 9th, Wednesday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter)   SOLD OUT

Iris February 12th, Saturday 1:00pm-2:15pm EST/7:00pm-8:15pm CET (time zone converter) SOLD OUT

3 class series: Rose, Orange Blossom, Iris  SOLD OUT

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Today’s topic is trends in fine fragrance, air care (candles, diffusers, room sprays,) and body care. Based on my professional experience and studies of consumer reports, I will share three key trends that define 2021/2022. First of all, a note on how trends are compiled, because it’s an obscure topic to most people outside of the perfume industry–and to many people in the industry as well. No crystal balls are involved; it’s all about numbers.

To put it simply, agencies like NPD and Mintel track sales of different products, and based on the sales volumes and types of products, they make inferences about consumer preferences. Similar, perfume companies research trends and preferences, based on the sales of their products and those of their competitors. Understanding trends is important for brands in today’s crowded market not so much to make the whole world smell of green tea and peaches but to see where the tastes of consumers lie. What are they interested in? What kind of products appeal to them?

The insights I share below are based on my professional experience as a researcher and the information I come across as part of my day-to-day work as an industry analyst. I will explain each trend and give a few examples. You can watch the video or read my report below.

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For those who like lists and rankings, I have a little treat today courtesy of the Cosmetify Index, a service that ranks the most searched for and followed beauty brands around the world. The Cosmetify Index was created in 2019 to see how brands engage with social media and also how consumers respond to new launches. The newest index tracked searches and engagement in 2020, assessing the impact of the pandemic on beauty and fragrance sales.

The Cosmetify Index also tracks which brands are popular in which country, so you can glean fascinating information like Russia being a Jo Malone country, while China favors Estée Lauder. Yves Rocher rules in France, Italy, and Spain, while Rituals holds court in Germany, Scandinavian countries, and unexpectedly, Angola and Bhutan. The Indian subcontinent is united in its love for The Body Shop, although Nepal prefers Dove. And so on. Of course, these are the macrotrends and generalizations, but all trend reports are bird’s-eye-view snapshots.

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Many of you have been asking me to continue the series 100 Fragrances That Influenced Perfume History. These articles still remain among the most visited ones on Bois de Jasmin for the behind-the-scenes information they offer, stories and the connections between famous fragrances and contemporary launches. Since Bois de Jasmin is going to turn 17 years old next year, I decided to put the series into an e-book, which I will make available to my readers as a gift. Your participation and support mean a lot to me, and I would have been able to maintain Bois de Jasmin over almost two decades without it. It would be my pleasure to share something special with you.

How to receive the e-book

To receive the e-book, please subscribe to my newsletter. When the book will be available, I will send it to you in the pdf format.

If you’re a current subscriber and would like the newsletter, then when you enter your email address into the box below, you’ll have a chance to update your preferences.

If you’ve subscribed, but you don’t receive any emails from me, please check your spam filter and add my email address to your contact list.

The 100 Fragrances That Influenced Perfume History e-book will be available in fall-winter 2021, date TBD.

Any questions or requests? Please ask them in the comments below. Also, please let me know what would be your preferred format for the book.

Photography by Bois de Jasmin