Aromind Perfumery Workshop

Hello! This week, as I suggested in our last post, I’ll be talking about a perfumery workshop that I attended as part of my solo-trip to Seoul last month. The timing is perfect too, because as of this weekend, I am allowed to wear it (apparently it needed to sit for a few weeks in a cool dark place to mellow out and integrate properly). I’d love to tell you that I’m enjoying it for the first time right now, but the process of creating it was so special that I doubt I’ll pull it out for anything less than date nights.

I’ll begin by saying that the workshop was held in Korean, something I was prepared for with a little content-specific studying and the mental expectation that I would simply follow along the motions of my peers and do my best. Much to my surprise, the host actually spoke fantastic English and seemed happy to translate the entire presentation into English just for me, so that she wound up saying everything twice. I was so appreciative, that I think I would have enjoyed the experience no matter how the perfume turned out! I was also the only person there who was alone. The other six attendants were three couples, and everyone, including the fellas created their own personal scent to take home.

We started with a description of what perfume is and how it is built. There are multiple degrees of scent, with what is called "perfume" actually describing the strongest of these. While people call most scents they wear “perfume” the host taught us that what most people actually buy is called "eau de perfume or eau de toillette which are both a bit more dilute than full on perfume. We were making eau de perfume. She then described how most scents, despite what they are named, are actually a combination of several scents, and while we would be combining only three oils, a top note, middle note, and base note, she had actually already blended the oils we would use. That way, we only had to pick three, while the perfume we ultimately made would have nearly a dozen hints of various scents in them.

She started by giving us access to thirty scents via small paper strips that she placed one drop of each oil on as a sample. We then labeled them as she instructed, dividing them into top notes, middle notes, and base notes and writing the letter code associated with the oil on our score sheet. The score sheet was then used as a place for us to take notes on the scents, and rank them. Top notes were generally fruity or citrus-y while middle notes were largely floral, and base notes were woody or herb-y.

In addition to choosing one top, middle, and base note, we also had to determine the ratio in which we wanted the scents to mix. The guidelines she provided suggested a small percentage of the base note with relatively equal percentages of the top two notes, leaning in favor of the topmost, though we were encouraged to raise and lower the strips in our hand as we waived three at a time in front of our nose to determine which strength ratios we actually preferred.

When we were decided, we created a tester - a small tube with our original proportions to try. This was done by dissolving a select number of drops relative to the proportion desired into an alcohol solution to dissolve and then spritzing that on our wrist to test how the scent actually wore. We then adjusted the ratios based on this trial, and created the final product by using beakers and scales to measure the weighted proportion of each oil note in alcohol. The slight scent of alcohol that resulted from this process is one of the big reasons to let the perfume sit for a few weeks to fade before wearing.

As you may be able to see from my notes, I chose sweet citrus as a top scent, magnolia for the middle, and wood & sage as my base. I went with a 35%-37%-28% (top-mid-base) ratio, because magnolia was by far my favorite and I really wanted it to stand out. My second favorite was actually the base note wood & sage, but it was such a heavy scent, I couldn’t use too much or it would overpower the more delicate top notes. The resulting combination is floral, and according to the rest of the class, very sexy! We each passed our concoctions around the room, making notes and complimenting each other on the combinations. I would never have guessed it, but you can tell a lot about a person from the scent they choose to wear.

The whole experience was two hours long, complete with a photo shoot opportunity at the end to capture the beautiful packages we wrapped our perfumes in. My only complaint is that I am now terrified of what I will do when I run out. This scent is so much fun and specific to me, that I doubt I’ll ever be happy with anything else! If you are ever in Seoul, I highly recommend this workshop, and even if you can’t participate, just stop by the Aromind aromatherapy shop to talk with the owner and sample some of her perfumes. She is truly a master at her art!

Until next time,
K