The Perfumer
Emma Leah is the master perfumer and a founder and director of Fleurage.
|
|
What is the difference between a ‘nose’ and a ‘perfumer’? |
|
A ‘nose’ is a fragrance evaluator and can analyze scents and break them down as well as create them as a perfumer. Nose’s have a heightened sense of smell and are able to process and remember large amounts of information connected with scents. This is a more clinical scientific approach to perfumery governed by many other areas alongside the perfumery aspect.
Noses are employed by large flavors and fragrances companies and their training consists mostly of analyzing and memorizing the many thousands of synthesized isolates and compounds manufactured by these large organizations. They then are allowed to make parts of fragrances for any of the scented products on the market today, from detergents to room sprays to scented papers and plastics. It takes around 10 years before one of these trainees is allowed to take part in the perfume making processes that are involved in the high end commercial perfumery that produce the brand names we all know. |
|
|
Are you able to call yourself a perfumer if you havent trained formally? |
|
A ‘perfumer’, by definition, is one who designs, creates and retails perfume.
Being a perfumer means understanding the chemistry, psychology, mythology and biology of fragrance because a perfume stimulates more than just the nasal passages. A perfumer needs to be able to think in terms of odors. (It is becoming apparent some practitioners are in fact kinds of synesthetes*, or able to draw on the ability to cross senses in the process of creation.) Perfumers must have a deep passion for scent and live eat and breath perfume as their life. Often they are artistic and romantic by nature and operate independently like other artists exploring their craft and skills in whatever direction inspires them.
Perfumers can be trained noses or self taught independent creators.
There is opinion voiced you cannot be a perfumer if you are not a ‘nose’ and that you can only be a ‘nose’ if you are chosen at a young age and are ‘trained’ by a perfume company located in France. This is elitist and untrue. Anyone with skill, drive, desire and the correct education can become a perfumer. |
|
How would I learn perfumery? |
|
By choosing a master perfumer to study with. I will be offering such an opportunity in the near future. |
|
All perfumery used to be passed from master to apprentice in the perfume houses, wherever they may be. Modern times has seen most of the world’s perfumes manufactured by a handful of flavors and fragrances companies and these companies are also where modern perfumers are trained. Their locations are Europe and America. I did not wish to travel or align myself with this kind of perfumery or process or practices. My interest lies in only high class fragrance creation using botanical materials and not scenting everyday products with synthetic fragrance. |
|
I am a self taught high class perfumer similar to Roudnitska, Guerlain and Piesse studying for many years both the art and science of perfuming. |
|
|
|
|
|
FAQs 