The Perfume Making Podcast

As regular listeners will know, one of Karen’s favorite materials is sandalwood, that’s why she’s genuinely excited to welcome Sophie and Vanessa from Quintis on the show this week.  Certain varieties of sandalwood become endangered over the years, so, 30 years ago, Quintis decided to create new plantations so that sandalwood could thrive.  In this interview with Karen, the ladies talk about all t...

This week on the show Karen is joined by one of her Artisan Perfumery Mastermind Alumni, Nicole Brannan. Nicole has had a lifelong passion for fragrance and perfume which started when she was gifted a perfume making kit as a child. After a life of working in other creative areas, her passion for perfume never died but, it was during covid, when she found herself at a crossroads, that she decided t...

Karen is away on a yoga retreat this week and it has got her thinking about how important it is to incorporate mindfulness practices into perfume making. In this episode, Karen explains how adopting mindfulness practices can open up new avenues for creativity and expression in your work, as well as improve your mental and physical health. Sharing techniques tailored for perfume makers, Karen is he...

This week Karen is joined by Josh and Samuel from Fiole, an online fragrance store for artisan brands. Having had previous careers in the entertainment world, the boys both drifted into the world of perfume and instantly fell in love with it. Four years ago they joined forces and launched Fiole, an online store with a difference. In this interview with Karen, they discuss their unique approach to...

This week on the show Karen is looking at the importance of running a pilot launch of your product. Launching your product with a full scale production into the market without knowing what to expect can be disastrous. But, Karen is here to help you avoid this major pitfall by sharing her 7 top tips on how to orchestrate a successful pilot and get your launch right the first time. From market resea...

This week Karen is joined by Daniela Carrasco, an alumni of Karen’s Perfumery Mastermind course and founder of her own perfume brand, Linen Tutu, a 100% natural fragrance brand. In this interview, Daniela shares her fascinating take on both the production of her fragrances and her branding and marketing. By using only natural materials, having total transparency with her customers and using visual...

This week on the show Karen is covering the topic of creating a fragrance product range. When you make a range of products with the same branding there are so many important factors to consider, such as what materials to use, how different products interact to different scents and how to create and maintain consistency across the range. Karen gives you all the information you need to get started i...

On this week's show, Karen is delving into the topic of bespoke perfumes, which are individual fragrances that cater to the specific preferences of an individual or company. But, there is so much more to them than that. Karen takes a deep dive into the subject, covering the different types of bespoke perfumes, the challenges you will face when creating them, how to make them and who buys them and...

This week Karen is talking to Helida Dodd from Marbella Perfumes. Helida is an alumni of Karen’s artisan Perfumery Mastermind course and an industrial engineer turned artisan perfumer. In this talk with Karen, Helida shares why she took the leap into the world of perfumery, how she learned an entirely new profession and the challenges she faced along the way. KEY TAKEAWAYS Moving from industrial e...

This week on the show Karen is delving into the subject of pricing your perfume. Pricing is something that may seem straightforward, but is in fact an area that most people fall down on. So how do you put a price on your work? Are you falling into the trap of simply adding the cost of your materials to your time and creating your price point from there? And, are you even aware of some of the facto...

This week on the show Karen is joined by Jamie Frater of Frater Works, a company that creates and sells perfume materials and bases. When Jamie bought a bottle of vintage perfume on ebay, that arrived broken, he became fascinated with the scent and how it was created. This led him into a journey of discovery and the realisation that some perfume bases are no longer manufactured. He decided to put...

This week Karen is taking a look at the importance of precision when measuring out perfume materials.  Most people that are new to perfume making measure in drops or milliliters, but this can lead to all kinds of problems with consistency and accuracy.  The tried and tested method is using scales. In this episode, Karen explains in depth why scales are the way forward and how, by embracing them an...

This week Karen is taking a look at the phenomenon of dupes, copycats and designer inspired scents. But what really is a dupe, why and how are they created and, most importantly, why are they bad not just for the perfume industry but for the essence of perfumery.  KEY TAKEAWAYS What exactly is a dupe and why are they created? Karen explains.  Karen talks about why dupes and copycat scents are not...

This week on the show Karen is joined by one of her Artisan Perfumery Mastermind Alumni, Delphine Fant. A French native, Delphine moved to Australia when she was 18 and now runs her own perfume brand, Gandha Temple, as well as running workshops for residents of her hometown. In this chat with Karen, Delphine talks about her inspirations, her journey and her secrets to success.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Delph...

This week, Karen is continuing on from the previous episode by looking at the main materials that have made an impact in modern perfumery. Focusing on the synthetics ambroxan, hedione, iso E super and calone, Karen goes into depth about their evolution, role in modern perfumery and how you can use them to create beautiful smelling scents.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Karen gives an in depth history of ambroxian...

Over the next two weeks, Karen is taking a deep dive into the materials that are used in perfumery and how to get started. This week Karen will be focusing on classic ingredients,   Bergamot, Rose, Jasmine and Sandalwood. Looking at their history, usage and famous fragrances that use these ingredients, Karen gives you everything you need to start your journey into mastering these classic ingredien...

This week Karen is talking about the concept of a ‘Commonplace Book’, which is a personal journal used to collect knowledge, discoveries and ideas. Karen breaks down how applying this concept to perfume making can really help you grow and learn as a perfume maker. Sharing her top tips, recommendations for equipment and everything you need to include in your book, Karen leaves no stone unturned so...

Perfume making is a perfect balance between science and art. With that in mind, this week's show is all about balancing theoretical knowledge with practical skills when creating fragrances. Karen lays out which rules are set in stone, which are open to interpretation and how you can harness this knowledge to create stunning scents and further your career.  KEY TAKEAWAYS One of the questions new pe...

This week on the show Karen is joined by MISKEO founder Marie-Pierre Blanchette. MISKEO is a small batch artisan perfume company founded by Marie after she re-evaluated her life during covid. In this interview, she shares the secrets of her creative approach, her tips to success and the joy she gets from TikTok.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Marie talks about her journey to becoming a perfumer and founder of MIS...

This week Karen follows on from last week's episode around creating your vision for the year ahead. The questions Karen puts to you this week are ‘What is the one thing that would move everything else forward?” and “What does your 5 year, 1 year, 90 day and 30 day vision look like?” Full of practical tips, this episode will help set you up for a successful future.  KEY TAKEAWAYS What is the one bi...

Welcome to the first show of the New Year. The start of the year can be overwhelming with so many promises we make to ourselves and often break or forget within a few weeks. So, to help kickstart your year, Karen is here to share some nuggets of advice about how you can make lasting plans for your year, and your career, without putting too much pressure on yourself.  KEY TAKEAWAYS Karen talks abou...

This week Karen is taking a little bit of a side step from perfume making and talking about how you can incorporate scents into your daily rituals to enhance your self care. In this episode Karen covers how the strategic use of scent can transform your daily routines into moments of tranquility and care and how scents affect your mood and well being. KEY TAKEAWAYS Karen discusses aromatherapy, its...

In this week's episode Karen is talking to Lorraine Dallmeier from Formula Botanica, the world's leading formulation school, who, to date, have taught twenty thousand students from 190 countries. This fascinating interview takes an indepth look at the natural skincare industry including topics such as trends in the organic skincare market, the emergence of biotech and whether or not AI could play...

This week on the podcast Karen is focusing on creating the perfect room fragrance.  Covering a wide variety of topics including how scent can be used to create different moods in a room, matching the scent to the room itself, safety regulations for room fragrances and the commonly overlooked factors when creating a room scent, you’ll walk away from this episode an expert of creating the perfect ro...

This week on the show Karen is delving into fragrance oils and their role in perfumery.  Most people begin their perfume making journey using fragrance oils, but what are fragrance oils? Why should you try to avoid using them, or why you might want to use them? How can they be harmful and what should you look out for should you choose to work with them? All this and more is covered in this episode...