From Recognizing Scents to Creating Them: An Introductory Perfume Workshop

About the Topic

When our eyes tire of a crowded visual world, perhaps we can attend to smell.

This old, inborn sense remains with us throughout life. A scent can leave a memory and express a disposition.

A perfume contains more than a pleasant smell; a small bottle can invite closer attention.

Perfumery brings art into conversation with chemistry, botany, geography, history, and sociology.

In the first half, we will introduce the world of perfume:

How does the brain recognize a smell?

Why can a scent recall a memory so suddenly?

How many professional perfumers are there? More or fewer than astronauts?

Is a perfumer’s sensitivity to smell innate?

When we call something natural, are we describing quality or accepting a reassuring story? How does a perfume move from inspiration to formula and finished product?

How do we choose and store the perfumes we use? Would you give perfume as a gift?

The second half offers a short, hands-on perfume workshop.

You will move from smelling perfume to making it.

With a perfumer’s guidance, making a blend offers an introduction to perfume’s structure and characteristics. You can take home your own sample.

The experience may also offer a different way to attend to the world through smell.

Join us on Saturday to learn more about perfume.

— Speaker and collaborating studio —

J.P., founder of Fouchant

FOUCHANT is a Seattle fragrance design studio. Its work includes handmade perfumes and home fragrances, with custom services and participatory workshops.

The studio selects its materials carefully and aims for fragrances with clarity and individual character.