The Perfume Making Podcast

By: Karen Gilbert
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  • Summary

  • Discover the captivating art of perfumery and learn how to turn your passion into a business. Join Karen as she shares step-by-step instructions and occasional interviews, guiding you through the intricacies of fragrance creation.

    This podcast goes beyond the technical aspects of perfumery. Explore the fascinating connections between scent, mindset, and wellbeing. Learn about scent psychology, meditation practices, and the profound impact of fragrances on our emotions and overall wellness.

    Whether you're interested in natural perfumery, commercial perfumery, or starting your own venture, Karen provides valuable insights and business advice to help you succeed. Unleash your creativity, tap into your senses, and discover the secrets of this enchanting world.

    Start creating your signature scents today and unlock the transformative power of fragrance in your life.
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Episodes
  • Black Friday Special - Foundations of Fragrance

    Black Friday Special - Foundations of Fragrance
    Nov 25 2024

    In this episode, Karen shares valuable insights on transitioning from experimentation to a more structured approach in perfumery. Karen discusses common challenges such as feeling overwhelmed by raw materials, creating balanced accords, and translating ideas into finished fragrances. She provides practical tips like simplifying your palette, starting small with accords, and focusing on fragrance structure and storytelling. Tune in to gain a fresh perspective on your fragrance creation journey and grab her special Black Friday offer: The Foundations of Fragrance Collection

    KEY TAKEAWAYS

    • It's easy to feel stuck when you're trying to pull all of these pieces together by yourself, but it doesn't have to be that way.

    • Every successful perfumer has been where you are now. We all start out with the same basic challenges.

    • It's tempting to try everything, but without an understanding of the materials and the specific roles that different materials play, it's really easy to get completely lost or frustrated.

    • Successful perfumery does not happen by accident. It's not just about throwing materials together and hoping for the best. It's about having a clear process and the knowledge to guide your decisions along the way. And that is why I have put together the Foundations of Fragrance Collection.

    BEST MOMENTS

    “Every successful perfumer started where you are now.”

    “Simplify your palette. Pick a few materials you are curious about and get to know them deeply.”

    “Using a mind map, brainstorm or mood board is a great starting point to help you map out your fragrance.”

    EPISODE LINKS

    Foundations of Fragrance Collection

    VALUABLE RESOURCES

    Getting Started Guide

    Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

    ABOUT THE HOST

    Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

    Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

    With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

    Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

    CONTACT DETAILS

    Website

    Instagram

    Facebook

    YouTube

    Email
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    27 mins
  • Scent as Story - How to Build a Brand that Captivates

    Scent as Story - How to Build a Brand that Captivates
    Nov 18 2024
    This week on the show Karen is joined by Viola Levy, journalist, founder of branding agency ‘Smart, Beauty Creative” and host of the Smart Beauty podcast, a show for beauty business owners who are looking to hone their brand voice. Getting the story of your brand and your products right is essential, and can be the difference between success and failure. That’s why, in this interview, Viola and Karen cover all you need to know about transforming your business from a retailer to a storyteller. KEY TAKEAWAYS Viola started her career as a journalist and found that a lot of the companies she was writing about were in the beauty sector. Whilst doing this work she noticed a gap in the market which, as she explains here, led her to set up her own company.Karen and Viola discuss the incredible rise of indie brands over the last decade, what this means for consumers, but also, how the bigger designer brands have reacted to this growth.As Karen often states, and Viola agrees, creating a story around your scents is the most important thing you can do in terms of marketing. Viola explains why this is a ‘non negotiable’ and gives her insights into how to make this effective.Historically, brands have put all of their time and effort into creating a fragrance and then launched into the marketplace. However, as Viola explains, there is so much more value in bringing your customers along on the journey from day one. BEST MOMENTS “There’s so much choice out there now, and that’s a great thing. People like to change their perfume as often as they change their clothes.” “Brands have to have an opinion and a voice, they need to show they’re passionate about more than just selling their products.” “AI is a great tool, but it shouldn’t be in the driving seat. You’ll always need a human touch.” EPISODE LINKS Smart Beauty Website Smart Beauty Podcast Smart Beauty Instagram Smart Beauty Linkedin Smart Beauty Email VALUABLE RESOURCES Getting Started Guide Artisan Perfumery Mastermind ABOUT THE GUEST Having worked in the beauty industry for over 15 years, Viola is an award-winning journalist, copywriter and brand consultant. As an established writer, Viola has contributed to all sectors of the beauty world, with articles appearing in Vogue, Glamour, The Evening Standard, and Refinery29. In addition she has written copy for several major beauty brands and retailers, including Aromatherapy Associates, 111SKIN, Cult Beauty, Boots, By Terry, and Superdrug, and in 2019, she won a Fragrance Foundation Jasmine Award for Best Short Piece and was shortlisted for Best Social Engagement. She has also written global trend reports for major forecasting agency WGSN, focusing on how consumer needs and habits have changed since the global pandemic. From her years of experience, Viola has seen the beauty world rapidly change over the past decade. The way brands speak to customers has evolved. It’s less about playing on women’s low self-esteem, inventing problems (and products to “solve” them) or peddling false promises and miracles in jars. It’s more about feeling better (not just by looking better), intelligent discussions and promoting inclusivity. Which is why she set up Smart Beauty Creative to create the next generation of forward-thinking, feminist brands, helping to pave the way for a new, diverse and more enlightened beauty industry. ABOUT THE HOST Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances. With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques. Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing. CONTACT DETAILS Website Instagram Facebook YouTube Email
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    49 mins
  • Beyond the Scroll - The Positive Impact of Social Media on Your Business

    Beyond the Scroll - The Positive Impact of Social Media on Your Business
    Nov 11 2024

    After receiving a couple of emails from people who were reluctant to join Karen’s online workshops because they were to be hosted on Facebook, Karen has been inspired to produce an episode on social media. Whilst social media is ever present in our lives and can be seen to have negative effects on our health and wellbeing, if you use it correctly, it can be an extremely powerful tool for business. In this episode, Karen gives a full overview of social media, its many platforms, the areas to be wary of and how you can leverage it to get the most out of it for your business.

    KEY TAKEAWAYS

    ● Karen started her first business long before social media existed. For those of you unsure of how much social media has benefited small business marketing, Karen outlines the differences between then and now.

    ● Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, Youtube, Pinterest - There are so many social media platforms that could help you but, which one, or combination, is right for you? Karen breaks down the pros and cons of each.

    ● Despite some people’s objections to social media Karen continues to use Facebook to deliver her training courses. She outlines why she thinks it's a platform that works.

    ● Messaging apps like Telegram and WhatsApp are also considered social media. Karen details what these apps can do for your business and also their pros and cons.

    BEST MOMENTS

    “Social media is an incredible tool to help single person businesses reach millions of customers for pennies.”

    “It’s essential that you look at social media as a business tool and not as a consumer space.”

    “The best thing about social media - You don’t pay for advertising.”

    EPISODE LINKS

    The Scent Shift

    VALUABLE RESOURCES

    Getting Started Guide

    Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

    ABOUT THE HOST

    Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

    Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

    With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

    Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

    CONTACT DETAILS

    Website

    Instagram

    Facebook

    YouTube

    Email
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    37 mins

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Recommend !

Organized thoughts that support her topics and I find it very inspiring. I feel I am actively learning much more than if I was to buy multiple books.

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