What is one material you are obsessed with right now? For me, it would have to be Hedione HC or Jasmine Grandiflorum Absolute. These are materials I have used extensively and haven't reached for them in particular in a little while. Now when I am playing around in the Lab, I have a hard time not including them in anything and everything. Methyl Nicotinate has also been something that has been interesting to play with. It is not very often you find an aroma chemical that fits a bill of a whole note, but this one is a very very very dry tobacco with almost a super amber feel. Super intriguing.

🌹 WEEKLY PERFUMERY CHALLENGE #1 — ROSE I want to start a new weekly segment where I give you a perfumery exercise designed to help build your understanding of your materials, how they interact, and how you can approach an accord from different directions. There is no single “correct” answer. Follow the guidelines, experiment, and then share what you created in the comments! You can post your formula, talk about what worked (or what didn’t), and we can offer feedback, share ideas, or simply enjoy seeing how differently everyone approaches the same challenge. And for our first challenge, we’re starting with… 🌹 ROSE! Surprise, surprise. THE CHALLENGE Create a soft rose accord following these rules: 1. NO Citronellol, Geraniol, or Nerol. We’re taking away three of the most obvious building blocks of a traditional rose accord. 2. Phenyl Ethyl Alcohol is your only traditional rose material. PEA will be the foundation you’re allowed to work from. 3. You may choose ONLY 4 additional materials. That means your finished accord can contain a maximum of 5 materials total. Your goal isn’t necessarily to create the most photorealistic rose possible. Instead, think about what makes something feel like a soft rose. What gives it volume? What creates softness? What adds freshness or diffusion? What gives the flower character? Think creatively and use what you know about your materials. 🌹 Then share your formula in the comments! Tell us what materials you chose, why you chose them, and how the finished accord turned out. Let’s see how many different ways we can build a rose without relying on the obvious choices. Have fun—and don’t overthink it. Experiment!

Here is an early look into what kind of exercises and information is going to be included in the workbooks. This is pulled from the Intermediate course book I am currently working on. These are some of the basic exercises and tools we will be providing you with to help you better understand musks and their roles in perfumery. Now available in the intermediate course!!

I decided to create workbooks for each course that gives you exercises and other various activities for you to learn even more and learn perfumery practically. This will be in addition to the resources already provided in the courses modules. These will be extensive and really help getting actual practical concepts and not just theoretical. We are starting with the intermediate course and then the advanced courses doing the beginner course last since it is a bit easier and will be less extensive. You will find them as the last module of each course labeled "Homework" and can download the workbook from there. You can print these out yourself and use it as a physical workbook or just fill them out online, however you prefer. We hope this helps in gaining more of an understanding. We also will beginning shooting some content to include physical instruction for those more visually based in their learning type. Any other suggestions you have that we can do to improve the courses and experience is always welcomed. For those that have purchased and started the courses, how do you like them? Do you find them easy to understand and enjoyable? Does it answer your questions clearly and concise? Would love any feedback or comments.

Today, I wanted to begin a new series exploring specific notes found in nature and how we recreate them in perfumery. While this series will occasionally venture into fantasy accords, the goal is to deepen our understanding of perfumery as a whole and remind ourselves that creativity should never have limitations. The first note we'll explore is one of my personal favorites: rose. Rose holds a very special place in my heart. I grew up surrounded by rose bushes, cutting fresh blooms as a child to bring to my grandmother, who always seemed to smell of roses herself. To this day, that aroma immediately brings back those memories. Most people think of rose as a single, linear scent. In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. Nature is far more complex than that. Before we talk about roses specifically, it's important to understand why flowers are fragrant in the first place. Floral aromas evolved primarily to attract pollinators. Different flowers produce different combinations of aromatic molecules that appeal to particular insects, birds, or other pollinating animals. This incredible diversity is why flowers can smell so vastly different from one another. Some are fresh, dewy, and unmistakably floral, while others can smell surprisingly spicy, fruity, citrusy, green, or even reminiscent of licorice or melon. Over the years, I've spent countless hours visiting nurseries, botanical gardens, and dedicated rose gardens, studying hundreds of different cultivars. My goal wasn't simply to admire them—it was to understand how roses actually smell in nature rather than relying on the simplified idea of "rose" that perfumery often presents. One observation I've made is that the color of a rose often gives clues about its overall aromatic character. This certainly isn't a strict rule, and there are countless exceptions depending on the variety, but it's an interesting trend I've noticed. - Yellow Roses - Often the brightest-smelling of the group. Many have citrusy, lemony, or even melon-like nuances that can feel cheerful, sparkling, and surprisingly tropical.