Perfume making: follow your nose!
In the collection of the Perfume Lounge you will find creations by perfumers who have undergone classical perfume training at famous institutes such as ISIPCA and Givaudan. These perfumers have often worked for major famous brands such as Tom Ford, Estee Lauder, Jean Paul Gaultier. Examples of such perfumers are Cecile Zarokian, Francis Kurkdjian, Christophe Laudamiel, Quentin Bisch and Jean Jaques.
We often get the question: how do you make a perfume? Or: how do you become a perfumer? The answer to that question is not simple, but 1 thing is very important. It is hard work and the proper and intensive study of raw materials is indispensable. Without knowledge of your materials and what they can do in your creation, it is virtually impossible to become a perfumer.
A simple example of studying an ingredient is to smell it in different concentrations. Patchouli pure smells very different than when is diluted in alcohol to 10% or 1%. It is also important to note what you smell. Is the ingredient dry? Woody? Do you keep smelling it for a long time?
Also important to understand is what different ingredients do together in a formula, some knowledge of chemistry is helpful- but especially a lot of study of your materials and making tests is very instructive. Considering that there are thousands of ingredients available, it is quite a chore to know which ingredients are interesting to choose for your project. Making your own perfume can be an expensive project: you need a good scale, ingredients, the necessary glassware such as measuring cups, a work space and a proper refrigerator.
Self-taught perfumers
Patience is a pre-eminent skill when you consider that many perfumers make many modifications (sometimes more than 100) before reaching the desired end result, and it is important to avoid wasting material.
Perfume Lounge works with beautiful brands of self-taught perfumers who have proven to be able to make beautiful creations. Good examples are Francesca Bianchi, Liz Moores, Spyros Drosopoulis and Hiram Green.
Amsterdam based perfume house Annindriya
A new, sophisticated and exclusive niche perfume house from Amsterdam is Annindriya. Founded by Tanja Deurloo, perfume designer and founder of Perfume Lounge, this new brand combines her years of expertise, her love for fragrances the pleasure of working with emerging and established perfumers. The collection consists of 5 sophisticated fragrances . Master Perfumer Christophe Laudamiel , IFF perfumer Maebh McCurtin, Francesca Bianchi , Spyros Drosopoulos worked with Annindriya and also for self-taught 'rookie' perfumer Chester Gibs.
Discover the Annindriya perfumes
Whether perfume making becomes your hobby or you want to turn it into a professional job; those who really want to should invest time and energy in it.While it can be an adventure to figure everything out on your own, it may be advisable to seek guidance in the form of a teacher or proper training. The Institute of Art and Olfaction , based in Los Angeles, offers both online and on-site opportunities to delve into the world of scent creation. Nez regularly publishes booklets on key perfume ingredients such as Tuberose, Rose, Patchouli. You can order these from the Perfume Lounge to read more about how these ingredients are extracted and their role in the world of perfume creation.
Also, above all, consider; what is your goal? Follow your nose!