The love and passion of teaching can be reflected in this video. I want to thank you very much for taking time out from your schedule. They are few people who would offer free videos to help others. Keep offering this type of video and also include other types.
Hi Amani, I had a blind lady come to my class once and she made a great fragrance. Her sense of smell was very good but she had a helper to do the mixing for her.
Gulzar A L - Siri helps with leaving comments for blind people? That’s so cool I had no idea. My brain went to some type of futuristic phone that had Braille buttons or some special technology with the screen haha
Hi Karen, thank you for this introduction. I am a silk painter and find it exciting and challenging to add scent to my art, it seems a natural addition. The thing that I will find difficult to overcome is the cost factor, I am extremely limited since I do not earn a lot and my art already eats quite a lot of that. However, I will not let this stop me. Let`s stick to the original vision , learn an d follow up and see how my wings will grow... ;) You are an amazing teacher, i can sense it.
Interesting video. Very cultured voice makes it more simple to comprehend. That probably doesn't sound like a big deal but I have watched many videos where the teacher punctuates the end of every sentence with an, 'um' or an, 'ahhh' which is very distracting. Really enjoy your videos Miss Gilbert.
These videos are very helpful ! I’ve wanted to become a perfumer since I was 7 years old. I started blending and experimenting with oils when I was 10. I am now 15 and have looked at other careers but I’ve always and back to perfumery.
That's great that you are coming into this so young. It gives you the opportunity to get the qualifications to enter a commercial perfumery house if you wish. I'd suggest you look at studying for a chemistry degree (which the mainstream perfume industry requires) and look at applying to a school such as ISIPCA 😁
I wonder i found this video 7 years later. But j m glad i did. Its ssoo soo good. I hvnt found such in use and practical content anywhere. Thank you soo much for these. Need more of these videos mam
I am now 65 and can't wear Estee Lauder Youth Dew because it's a different recipe and hurts my sinuses, I realize that essential oils are more expensive and they are duplicated with synthetic, it's a shame
Thankyou so much, I’ve been in the wetshaving community for awhile now and buying different shaving soaps with different scents, then came the matching aftershaves and now perfumes. I’m in love with scents and the way it makes you feel and am starting to look into perfumery, your video and information has got me even more excited about it. Thankyou so much Karen. ☺️
Thank you Karen! Your video was very inspiring and your explanation was very clear. These myths really need to be discussed because many people don't believe they can create a perfume only because perfumery seems full of mistery and complication.
Dearest Karen, you are an angel! I am sooooo grateful for your videos! Please , if you are ever in the UnitedStates, let us get together for a nice cup of tea and have a lovely chat about botanical perfumery...in fact- please come and visit any time...love, Jane
Re: #5 - Synthetic clearly is better than natural, and has been for several decades now. Hard to argue with the commercial success of all the top fragrance houses.
Naturals are still very important ingredients in commercial perfumes to add depth and richness. Pretty much all commercial fragrances have some natural materials alongside the aromachemicals. It's interesting though how the consumer demand for natural/organic is pushing the industry more in that direction. IFF owns LMR Naturals and Givaudan have bought Albert Vieille recently
@@KarenGilbertPerfumeMaking Yes, because consumers are not chemists and hence ignorantly think that natural is better than synthetic by default. It seems logical right? Except that in reality a lot of the synthetics are chemically identical to compounds found in essential oils, just in their pure isolated form. What people need to realize is that just because something comes from a plant doesn't make it safe. Plants (aside from fruits) generally don't want to be eaten and so produce a bunch of toxic deterrents to dissuade animals from doing so. Using synthetics allows you to only use the parts responsible for the fragrance, without all the undesirable components. One example would be furocoumarin in Bergamot oil. Commercial perfume is 95% synthetic, not just because it is cheaper than sourcing natural materials, but because it is easier to get the distinct notes you want, notes that both last longer and diffuse better, shelf life is also better, and you can create notes that are not possible with natural materials. Synthetics have consistent properties every single time, they are not variable depending on the quality of the source material, geographic location it was harvested from, how it was processed etc, as is the case with naturals. So in short, better in every way possible.
If I may make an analogy, a "100% natural" handful of dirt contains traces of calcium, magnesium, potassium, chromium, copper, iron, zinc, selenium and a bunch of other minerals essential for human health. Who eats a handful of dirt a day though instead of taking a multivitamin with synthesized versions of the same elements, in precisely measured amounts and an easily consumable form.
I love this and can't wait to learn more. For a long time I have wanted to make my own perfume. Eventually I started crafting my own, but would love to educate myself more. Thank you very much.
Hi Karen, I got materials and started blending and even wearing my own perfume. Of course I need to improve my creations, but for now, I'm happy I got started by taking free aromatherapy classes. Will be happy to learn more from you too. Thank you.
sheisados cologne Zen was delightful when I bought a bottle in 1973, however I smelled it twice lately and it is a different recipe and not to my liking, at all
Hello Karen:) Here are some of my fears: 1. that it's a very long career path and that one usually only can become sucessful in the 2nd half of life 2. that it's too competitive 3. that I won't be able to work from home
I think it depends on what you want to do and also on your definition of success. many of my online course students have started creating and selling products within a year or 2 of taking the course. It, of course, depends on how much time and energy you put into mastering your craft. It's not so much "the number of years" but "the number of hours" you put in. The Artisan Perfumery Mastermind is open for the spring term here: karengilbert.info/artisan-perfumery-mastermind if you want to join us :-)
Today I registered for the APM online course. What an interesting video, thanks. And it's only the first. I'm very curious about what else is to come. You've asked for a reaction on whether using natural fragrances or not. I myself only use natural fragrances and preferably only the organic ones, but that's not always possible. I think that synthetic fragrances will harm the emotional and physical body, as opposed to (organic) natural fragrances. They make a proper contribution to a person's health and are uplifting the frequency of body and mind.
First of all, I'm so grateful for your generosity in sharing your knowledge about what seems an arcane and esoteric industry. I second all the thank you's below! However, I find it a little hard to focus on the video with just the dry Powerpoint type visuals. I'd much rather just see your face and perhaps your materials or studio as you talk. I found myself spacing out. (On the plus side, becaue of that I just ordered two of your books!) Looking forward to more videos. Thank you!
Hey Lisa, Thanks for your input. I find PowerPoint so much easier to film than facing the camera - no lighting/hair/makeup to worry about ;-) Glad you enjoyed the video though.
Dearest Karen, would you please share a couple of ideas on how to make a fragrance well rounded ... and I also sense that my blends lack depth and character, especially florals... Thank you, Jane
I'm in dilemma right here, help would be appreciated. should I focus on your valuable knowledge you teaching or on your beauty? cant keep both at hand :D
Hi awesome video, going to watch the rest shortly, could I ask do you have a list of everything I need to start experimenting I am a beginner and do I need to purchase every essential oil to start off with? Thank you in advance 😊
Hi Siaki, I have a blog post here that might help and I do give a list of resources in my online course www.karengilbert.co.uk/perfumery-materials-for-beginners Best wishes Karen
The Artist and the mathematician (chemist) I am the Artist doing craftsmanship, but my eyes, nose, mindset of fragrance have been in the back of my head the last 5 years & now taking a step further.
Dear Karen, thank you for your lovely video. Im very new in this craft, and im finding very confusing information online about the used type of alcohol in perfume making. Could you advice? what do you use? Thank you very much!
Thank you for your video im 13 years old when i see your video i said to myself oh my gosh i like to try how to make perfumes. Sorry superrrrrr late view coz im just scrolling on youtube then i see ya video
can i use isopropyl alcohol greencross as an alchohol for making fragrance cuz i am staring to learn how to make fragrance and what alchohol do u recommend for me
Hey.. i v got 2 qus. 1. Cld the perfumer make his own products without getting involved in companies? 2. How much the salary of the perfumer is? in average.
Ma'am, I want to take full course of making perfumes. Could you guide me. How to be a part of this field. I want to complete my course by online. Look forward to your reply. Thank you.
Many thanks. What are the difference in quality of perfume without alcohol and perfume with alcohol? As in which is better in quality and long lasting?
alcohol based perfumes will have more lift and are able to be smelled from further away. The alcohol helps the fragrance molecules to evaporate into the air. Oil based perfumes do not have as much lift as most fragrance materials are oil soluble and therefore it won't smell as strong. You need to get up close to the skin to smell an oil based perfume.
I actually have a question? Where can you buy the rare essential oils? Like Marshmallow, Peony, Osmathus, Marigold, Rooibus Tea, and Cardamon? I can't find any essential oil sellers on the website. Do you know any websites that would sell these oils?
Hi Lia, it depends where you are in the world. Eden Botanicals sells a good range in the USA and Hermitage Oils or Oshadi in the UK. Not every plant produces a fragrant essential oil so things like Peony are usually synthetics. For Marigold look for Tagetes oil
Hi Lia, It depends on how strong you want your fragrance to be and there are no rules. I would suggest no more than 5% dionised water, 5% to 20% fragrance materials and the rest perfumers alcohol
Hi Karen, first of all well done on your ambitious achievements very impressive. I'm looking at pursuing my hobby more professionally in perfumery for skin. I've got a brand name that I've decided on titled Nakano, it has a triple meaning bit like the perfume pyramid, Nakano translates to centre field in Japanese, is also the title of a clever wizard in the Highlander 3 movie starring Mario Van Peebles. Plus I'm a Leo ruling planet the sun which is in the centre of the solar system. Anyhow enough about that, my blends and accords are second to none but my question is when you find a list of ingredients on the back of perfume packages I often find certain ingredients that tend to be either isolates, fixative/solvents and others such as farsenol, benzyl salycilate, hexyl methyl-cinnamate, linalool, citronellol, citral and many others that vary from perfume to perfume. Are these chemicals additional add ons to bolster the perfume recipe and if so in what quantity or procedure. I tend to use benzyl benzoate purely as a solvent and as a bonus fixative but the others Im not sure.
Hi Adrian, they are allergens found in both naturals and aromachemicals that must be listed by law in the E.U. (there is a list of 26). It's not that they are added (although they might be) but they are found in ingredients and must be separated out and identified on the label.
@@adriansumner1412 you're welcome. Before you can sell you need a cosmetics product safety report (if in E.U). I would also make sure you comply with IFRA too. I do have a video Q&A I did a while back to help navigate that which might help karengilbert.info/making-sure-your-perfume-is-ifra-compliant
@@KarenGilbertPerfumeMaking yeah still a little while off that yet. The only the other thing is, okay so I'll give you an example, take Azzaro Hot Pepper apparently it only contains three notes, pimento, pink pepper and cashmeran or indomuscone which I call pseudo musk. Now along side that is coumain which is never listed on Fragrantica, personally I think Fragrantica is a bit way off they don't tend to get it right alot of the times especially with olfactory titles and accords. But back to what I was saying if tonka bean had been used as an essential oil which personally I don't think it has then it would make sense as mentioned chemical compound, plus their are others such as citral, linalool, citrenalol I think anyway, and others. It's almost like their is a double recipe in play. Like a secondary recipe to compliment the first, well that's how it appears anyway plus I'm pretty sure it's all synthetic.
@@adriansumner1412 Fragrance notes descriptions and "perfume pyramids" are designed to sell fragrance rather than deconstruct it. They are designed to give the buyer an impression but will not tell you the formula. Brands pick out "key notes" but will not mention the rest. If coumarin is listed as an allergen it could be from Tonka, but its more likely to just be coumarin in the formula. All commercial fragrances will have a mix of natural and synthetic but yes the majority will be aroma chemicals.
Hi i really want to be a perfumer un the futur the next i will join the university but i didn t decide what i m gonna chose So what should i learn to become a perfumer is it chemistery or chemistery engeeniring
Hi Sana, it's not either/or, you can do both. Aromatherapy is the study of essential oils for their therapeutic benefits both physical and psychological. In perfumery, we focus on how a scent makes us feel, and aromatherapy fits in with that extremely well. Perfumery training will help you to take the information you are learning in aromatherapy and translate that into beautiful natural scents if you wish.
I have been in the UK for more than three years to do a PhD on chemistry I can say I born with gift that I have excellent smell memory at very low concentration for instant I can now this person is not well from his smell and beyond that with ladies. Moreover, I remember I was on Reading I did smell a smoke 20 min before the fire alarm . There are many seductive raw materials that have not been used yet and believe or not some are produced by human
oud is just one fragrance material that can be incorporated into your blend. There are many different types of Oud perfume but it's used most often with notes of rose and patchouli.
