News: 583 posts

I’m delighted to bring back my newsletter! Here you’ll find reflections and stories I don’t publish anywhere else—behind-the-scenes notes, sensory explorations, and previews of projects as they take shape. As a welcome gift, I’ve prepared a short guide to the art of cologne: it includes a simple accord you can recreate at home, along with a carefully chosen selection of remarkable colognes to discover. Subscribe here.

This autumn, I am launching a new seminar, Fragrances that Influenced History—a journey through perfumes that not only shaped how we smell, but also how we understand art, fashion, and society. These are the first two parts of a longer seminar, each one hour in length, designed to introduce you to the milestones of modern perfumery. The class is interactive and its size is kept small to ensure that everyone can participate comfortably.

Fragrances That Influenced History

Location: Online, Zoom (recording available)

Date & Time: 1h

Fragrances That Influenced History Part 1 September 20th, Saturday 1:00pm-2:00pm EST/6:00pm-7:00pm CET   SOLD OUT 

Fragrances That Influenced History Part 2 September 28th, Sunday 1:00pm-2:00pm EST/6:00pm-7:00pm CET   SOLD OUT 

Part I: The Dawn of Modern Perfumery
We will begin with the late 19th and early 20th centuries—the moment when modern perfumery was born. You will discover Coty’s La Rose Jacqueminot and Guerlain’s Jicky, perfumes that marked the transition from traditional essences to a new, modern aesthetic. We will discuss how synthetic materials transformed perfume creation, and how these innovations paralleled the bold experimentation in visual arts and literature. You will learn what accords are still used today and how niche perfumery continues to be inspired by the legendary perfumes of the 19th and early 20th century

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My newsletter is back! You’ll receive content I don’t share anywhere else — behind-the-scenes notes, sensory musings, and glimpses of work in progress. As a thank you for being part of my newsletter community, I’ve created a short guide on the art of cologne, including a simple accord you can try yourself and a curated list of exceptional colognes worth sampling. My hope is that it inspires you to smell more deeply and find joy in these timeless compositions. Subscribe here.

I’ve always been fascinated by the way perfume travels. A vial of rose attar distilled in Kannauj might find its way to a perfumer’s bench in Kyiv, while the scent of pomelo blossoms perfuming a courtyard in Hanoi could inspire a new fragrance accord in Tokyo. The history of perfumery has always been one of exchange of ideas, raw materials, and traditions. That’s one of the main reasons I became interested in aromatics and devoted more than 20 years to studying them.

This October, I will be continuing this journey as I travel to China. I’ve lived and worked in different countries in Asia, but this is going to be my first trip to China. Before I travel to Beijing and Chengdu, I will start at Notes Shanghai 2025, the premier international exhibition dedicated to fine fragrance. From October 16–19, the West Bund International Convention and Exhibition Center will transform into a meeting place for more than 200 fragrance brands from around the world, alongside forums, cultural programs, and the live judging of the Golden Osmanthus Awards.

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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.