The Art and Technology of Perfumery™

PerfumersWorld's Perfumery School offers, perhaps the most comprehensive and intensive courses on the business, marketing, technology and art of perfumery available anywhere. No little things that are held back - if we know it, you know it.

Read what students and clients have said about our training, products and services.

The training is unique in that it uses a quite revolutionary and systematic method we call The ABC's of Perfumery©.

Courses are designed for training Perfumers, evaluators and marketing staff in the perfumery industry. They are also popular with business owners, aroma chemists but their approach is such that even complete beginners with little or no chemistry or perfumery background at all can follow them.

Uses a "learn by having fun approach"


Seven years and still a junior

It typically takes about 7 years to train a perfumer and their style or best work does not really develop until after the 10th year. One of the reasons is, that when one trains in the traditional way as an apprentice, you really are told nothing. You might mix samples for a more senior perfumer and smell the materials you use and the compositions and if reasonably bright - begin to see how it all works - it all fits together. This is just one of the reasons it takes so long. Another, is that every perfumer and colleague is usually protecting his own secrets and techniques that he has discovered through his own methods. Naturally he parts with these little gems as if they were the finest pearls.

One third of the time

Our goal is to teach you in one year what would normally take at least three years by the traditional method of working as an apprentice. If you don't believe that we really hold nothing back - download The Perfumer's Workbook, there really are more "secrets" in this program than in any single published book in the last 70 years. When you attend the Foundation Plus or Professional Level Workshops you are supplied with a registered version of The Perfumer's Workbook. This currently has data on more than 600 raw materials (currently $159.00 if bought separately) and tells you where, when and when not to use each material.

No little secrets - but there's still mystery and magic

Perfumers have traditionally guarded their techniques and formulas in the fear they will be stolen or copied. But we don't believe this is really that easy. A formula in the hands of someone that doesn't know how to read it, how to analyse it or which materials are important will not know how it works. If you don't know how a formula works the probability of being able to produce it at a different company, that certainly stocks different source materials, is very slim indeed. If you are trying to make the same smell cheaper for a different application then you really need to understand how the different notes in that perfume work together. The traditional apprenticeship method relies solely on hit and miss. We tell you how.

Are we trying to de-mystify perfumery? - no not at all - there is an art to perfumery that requires skill, experience, a 'feel', even a little magic. We aim to promote this magic by removing the cloud of secrecy that really is not important. You can see how a "van Gough" is painted, but you really do have to be "van Gough" to paint it.

Perfumery is an art form that is only damaged by the secrecy not enhanced by it. All types of self-expression and feelings can be demonstrated in perfumery. We show you some techniques, not just so that you can use them, but so that you can develop you own unique style.

Edison could have said it - "Perfumery is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration".

PerfumersWorld training is quite different from any other system. You are taught the fundamentals of perfumery but you are expected to add to this yourself by finding out for example where Ambergris comes from - Why don't we just tell you?, because there are a hundred books out there with this information. We don't teach you to suck eggs - What we will do however, as you train, is tell you what you should be finding out, the methods of enquiry you can use. Where to find this information and then tell us about it in a series of projects that we set you. If you study the Foundation Course then you will already have a good idea. If we find that something is missing in your understanding then we will explain this and help you. If you understand 100% then we push you harder. This method we find not only greatly increases the speed of comprehension but makes the knowledge - your knowledge - you own it because you discovered it for yourself - you didn't just get one side of the story. Our training is specifically designed to promote your own creativity in perfumery (or flavours) and give you that same strong self reliance that is necessary to become a perfumer - but you are never left alone to try and pin the tail on the donkey in the dark. If you really can't find the answer we will show you the way.

Do I need a Degree in Chemistry?

Absolutely not - in fact over half the 500 or so perfumer's in the world do not have chemistry degrees or even formal chemistry training. Some traditional perfumers even believe it is a disadvantage.

The Truth? - the artistic side of the perfumer no more needs to know about the chemistry of his essential oils than a painter needs to know about the chemistry of his colours. But the motivated perfumer, the energetic perfumer will strive to find out why certain essential oils and chemicals have similar smells, why synergy's are formed, why does the colour of the product change, what happens to the balance of odours on the skin etc. We tell you what you need to know and how to interpret what you read.

Study for twenty years!

When you study with PerfumersWorld you will find that Perfumery is a method of enquiry. And you know what? you can be a pioneer - because as I write this the mechanism of smell is not yet fully known - there is still uncharted territory out there to be discovered. You have no doubt heard that the Japanese can study the Tea Ceremony for 10, 20 years and still not master it. Welcome to Perfumery. Think of it like playing golf, that continual striving to improve a handicap. Its the same in perfumery, you are really only competing against yourself.

Professional Level Workshops

Professional Level Workshops drive home the practical aspects of your course and helps thrash out those little sticking points on a one-to-one with your instructor. The training at a perfumer's bench and computer terminal are broken up with some class instruction and visits to distillation and/or perfumery related facilities. The classes are limited to a maximum of 10 students to keep a coaching atmosphere rather than a classroom one.

Everything that you have studied up till now will be re-enforced and expanded upon to prepare you for a career in perfumery or to make you better equipped to deal with the one you already have.

But I don't have any materials!

If you are not currently employed in the industry then we help you build a small perfumer's organ of 161 raw materials that cover most smells that you would require for you to blend your own creations and complete projects. For the Foundation course we recommend the The Perfumery Training Kit K26 with 26 key bases. We help you to source additional materials locally or supply from here as your skills and requirements grow.


Our workshops are not for the faint hearted. Short and very intensive, participants are likely to learn more in a few days than they will learn working in a perfumery house for a year or more. Main subjects covered include: perfume creation, commercial perfumery, natural perfumery, aromatherapy, spa and lifestyle products.

perfume workshop 14th-18th October 2024
English

New Zealand 1-week Foundation Plus Workshop

at Upper Cable Car Station, Wellington, NZ
NZ$ 2242.50(Reserve Now for NZ$ 450.00)
Balance NZ$ 1792.50 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 13-17 November 2024
English

Dubai, UAE
- Foundation Plus Workshop

at Dubai: Towers Rotana - Shiekh Zayed
US $2200.00(Reserve Now for US $440.00)
Balance US $1760 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 19-23 November 2024
Arabic

Abu Dhabi, UAE
- Foundation Plus Workshop

at Location to be confirmed
US $2200.00(Reserve Now for US $440.00)
Balance US $1760 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 31 Jan - 11 Feb 2025
Arabic and English

Taif, Saudi Arabia - Professional Level Workshop

at Taif, Saudi Arabia (Location to be confirmed)
US $3500.00(Reserve Now for US $980.00)
Balance US $2520 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 24 -28 January 2025
Arabic and English

Taif, Saudi Arabia - Foundation Plus level workshop

at TBD
US $2200.00(Reserve Now for US $440.00)
Balance US $1760 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 10th-28th March 2025

Bangkok 3-weeks Foundation & Pro Workshops

at The Perfumer's Village, Bangkok
US $3950.00 (Reserve Now for US $790.00)
Balance US $3160 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 10th-14th March 2025

Bangkok 1-week Foundation Plus Workshop

at The Perfumer's Village, Bangkok
US $1450.00(Reserve Now for US $290.00)
Balance US $1160 due before Workshop

perfume workshop 17th-28th March 2025

Bangkok 2-weeks Professional Level Workshop

at The Perfumer's Village, Bangkok
US $2900.00(Reserve Now for US $580.00)
Balance US $2320 due before Workshop

Perfumery Online Courses

PerfumersWorld offers, perhaps the most comprehensive and intensive courses on the business, marketing, art and technology of perfumery available anywhere. No little things that are held back - if we know it, you know it.

The training is unique in that it uses a quite revolutionary and systematic method we call The ABCs of Perfumery.

Courses are designed for training Perfumers, evaluators and marketing staff in the perfumery industry. They are also popular with business owners, aroma chemists but their approach is such that even complete beginners with no chemistry or even perfumery background can follow them.

Learn by having fun approach.

perfumery online course

A free 10-unit online course that builds a solid foundation in the essentials of perfumery for those wanting to create their own perfumes or perfumed products for pleasure or profit. An excellent course for the new perfumer, evaluator, cosmetic chemist, entrepreneur or marketer of perfumed products, cosmetics or ingredients.

The course builds a solid foundation in the essentials of perfumery and acts as a primer for our Professional Courses.

Study Free

The Foundation course optionally comes with The Perfumery Training Kit and a registered copy of The Perfumer's Workbook.

An online high level course that comes with the Student's Raw Material Kit with the 160+ "essential to know" raw materials. This course is designed for those already working as perfumers or aspiring to be commercial perfumers and require some structure to their art or want to expand their repertoire and develop their creative skills to new levels.