The Perfume Making Podcast
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, exploring 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.
Episodes
Done with Hustle? - Building a Stronger Perfume Business That Won’t Burn You Out in 2026
This isn’t the usual New Year’s episode about planning, vision boards, and big 2026 goals. Instead, Karen looks at what happens when you actually need to do less, and how that can be the key to building a more robust perfume or creative business that doesn’t burn you out.She talks honestly about overcommitting (including with AI‑fuelled planning), why she’s simplifying her offers and pressing paus
Layering Like a Pro (or a Rebel): From TikTok Hacks to Indie Perfume
Ever wondered why everyone’s suddenly talking about layering their favourite scents? In this special year-end episode, Karen dives into the layered world of fragrance - examining the trend that’s gone from perfume-enthusiast secret to must-try for, indie creators, everyday scent lovers and brands. Discover how scent layering is shaking up traditions, what it means for your personal perfum
Don’t Sell Yourself Short! Building a Perfume Business Without the Discount Spiral
It’s easy to think that the best way to stay ahead in business is by watching your competitors and lowering your prices when they do. But as Karen explains in this episode, that common fear-driven reaction often backfires. Responding to competition by undercutting your value can leave you overwhelmed, undervalued, and unsure of your direction.
Karen breaks down why “cheaper” is rarely the
Making a Mod: Embracing Iteration in Perfume Making and Doing It Right
This week Karen follows on from the conversation she had about learning to evaluate your perfumes. She covers something that is done as a matter of course in the industry. It's something a lot of people, especially when they're new, don't really get - making more than one version of your fragrance. Or, in industry terms, making a mod.
Karen explains why learning to be patient and tweaking
Evaluating Your Fragrances: How to Judge Your Scent Like a Professional
Do you really know if your fragrance works? Or are you just hoping for compliments? In this episode, Karen reveals why friends and family are not likely to be giving you the feedback you really need. She shares the essential steps needed to truly evaluate your perfume - like a pro. Karen takes you through setting a clear brief and mastering technical checkpoints. She shares the tools and
Why Buying More “Magic” Materials Won’t Make You a Better Perfumer
It’s easy to believe that the secret to creating great fragrances lies in having more materials - more naturals, more synthetics, more obscure aroma chemicals. But as Karen explains in this episode, the opposite is usually true. Expanding your organ too quickly can overwhelm your creativity, stall your progress, and make it harder to build the strong foundation you need to truly master th
You’ve Made Soup! - How to Avoid a Muddy Fragrance
“You’ve made soup!” is a phrase French perfume teachers often say to their students. In the world of fragrance, soup refers to a perfume that smells muddy, flat, or undefined. But what causes a scent to turn into “soup,” and how can you prevent it?
In this week’s episode, Karen breaks down the many ways a perfume can lose its clarity and character, often through well-intentioned choices t
Raw Notes - What I Learned from Bruce Springsteen
Karen recently went to the cinema, something she doesn’t do very often. However, on this one-off trip to see the new Bruce Springsteen film, something resonated with her. We often chase perfection, either from our own standards or from what we assume others expect from us, but sometimes, the real beauty lies in imperfection. In this week's episode, Karen is here to talk about how the thin
The Evolution of Musk - Part 2
Following on from last week's show on the history of Musk, Karen is here to tell you all about the synthetic musks. First developed by accident in the 1930s, synthetic musks have evolved through many different variations, each one advancing from what has come before. In this episode, Karen gives you a full and comprehensive overview of the history of synthetic musk, how they changed the p
The Evolution of Musk - Part 1
This week, Karen is introducing the first in a two-part series on musk. Musk started life as one of the most prestigious materials in the world of perfumery and was often associated with nobility and power. However, over the years, it has constantly evolved and, today, is seen as one of the most common and well-known materials in all of perfumery. In this episode, Karen takes you on a jou
Soapy, Sparkling, Strange - A Journey Through Aldehydes
After last week’s episode on Chanel No. 5 and its revolutionary use of aldehydes, Karen is going to delve deeper into this fragrance family and its role in the world of perfume. Whilst most people associate aldehydes with Chanel and, in domestic use, soap, there are many different types of aldehydes that produce various fragrances. So, if you want to know your aliphatics from your aromati
Decoding Aldehydes - The Chemistry of Chanel No. 5
Over the years, Karen has received countless questions about one fragrance family in particular: aldehydes. They often leave people puzzled about what they are and how they’re used in perfumery. In this episode, Karen breaks down the fragrance family that sparked a true revolution in the perfume industry. Focusing on Chanel No. 5, the impact it made, and its groundbreaking use of aldehyde
Synthetic Scents - The Risks of AI in Perfumery
Last week, in one of Karen’s classes, a student was surprised to learn that some information she had received from ChatGPT was inaccurate. With AI becoming increasingly common in perfume making - from formulations to safety advice - this week, Karen is offering an overview of how AI fits into the world of fragrance, where it can be helpful, where it falls short, and how you can get the mo
When Chemistry Meets Creativity - A Beginner’s Guide to Synthetic Perfume Materials
Karen often hears from people who work exclusively with natural materials in their fragrances but are beginning to notice the limitations, whether it’s their blends smelling too much like aromatherapy products or lacking longevity. If you want to move past these challenges and create fragrances that compare to commercial ones, the key is to incorporate synthetics. In this episode, Karen w
Eau de What? - Demystifying Perfume Concentrations
This week, Karen is tackling a question she's asked all the time, especially by those transitioning from aromatherapy to natural perfumery: “What’s the deal with concentration levels for leave-on and rinse-off products?” It’s a topic surrounded by myths, often fueled by social media posts or 'how-to' guides, and the conflicting advice out there only adds to the confusion. That’s why, in t
The Art of Weaving Time - Crafting Order from Chaos
After a well-deserved break, which was extended by a week, Karen is back. During her time off she took part in ‘Hampshire Open Studios’, a scheme where artists across Hampshire open up their workshops to the public. Karen decided to run a pop-up perfume bar and actually learned a lot. She also had a lot of downtime and was able to reflect on its importance. So, in this week's episode, Ka
Rest - The Most Underrated Note
After 110 episodes, week in, week out, on top of 3 ongoing courses, authoring her latest book, a family trip to France, and a family wedding in Spain, Karen has decided to take a well-earned break over August. That’s why, in this week’s brief episode, Karen is talking about the importance of stepping back and taking some time to let life happen. From following up on projects that you’ve p
The Tincture Trap - Why Tinctures Often Fall Flat
This week Karen is addressing a question she gets asked all the time regarding the use of tinctures in perfumery. The short answer to this question is that tinctures don’t work. But, with so many people using this process, there has to be something to it, doesn’t there? In this episode, Karen gives you a comprehensive lesson on tinctures from early history to the way they behave in perfum
Too Much of a Good Smell - The Myth of Longevity in Perfumery
This week on the show, Karen is finally addressing an issue that has been annoying her for years - the obsession with extreme longevity of a fragrance. There is a theory that the longer a perfume lasts, the more desirable and worthwhile it is - but Karen is calling that a myth. In this week's episode, Karen is here to explain that just because something doesn't last, that doesn’t mean it’
The Architecture of Aroma - Structuring Floral Fragrances
Karen has a new live course coming up, on the 7th of July, and in this episode she wants to explore two things that link into that live course - Floral Fragrances and Structure. Working with florals, without experience, can be an overwhelming task that often leads to disappointing results as florals are dense materials that fight with each other if you don’t know how to mix them. But, whe
Reflections of 30 Years - Things I Would Tell My Younger Self
Inspired by a recent chat with her social media manager, and the realisation that she is approaching thirty years in the perfume business, Karen has decided to take a look back and ponder on the thing that she would tell her younger self if the opportunity arose. When you’re new to anything, whether it be a perfume business or not, you are also naive. Only with time, failure and growth ca
Lessons That Last Part 4 - Building a Brand Without Breaking the Bank
To date, my new mini-series has very much been focused on the creation of your fragrances. However, once it’s created, it becomes the time to put it out into the big wide world. But, how do you achieve it if you’re a small independent perfume maker and you don’t have the marketing budget or resources of a big company? Whether you know it or not, you’re also carrying an expectation that yo
Lessons That Last Part 3 - How to Structure a Scent
A problem that most of Karen’s students inevitably face is how to structure a scent. Once they learn the perfume pyramid, top, middle and base notes, they assume that they have learned all they need to know…but they haven’t. The problems arise when synthetic materials are introduced as the perfume pyramid is not the best model for them. In this episode, Karen is going to break down when
Lessons That Last Part 2 - Learning Materials
After taking a slight detour to the Rose Retreat last week, Karen is back with her ‘Lessons that Last’ mini-series, and this week she is taking a look at the process and importance of learning materials. The most important, but also time-consuming aspect of perfume making is learning materials, because without knowing how they smell, interact with each other and react to the skin, you si
Rose Overdose - My Week at The Rose Retreat
Karen has just returned from a trip to Bulgaria where she attended the Rose Retreat by Rose Overdose. In this week’s episode, she is here to give you a debrief on the whole experience. From visiting rose fields to witnessing the distillation process and even stopping off at a local winery to sample the vino, Karen enjoyed the complete Rose Retreat experience. So, if you’ve ever wanted t
Branding 101 - An Interview with Fiona Humberstone, The Brand Stylist
This week Karen is joined by Fiona Humberstone, also known as ‘The Brand Stylist’. Fiona has worked with clients ranging from tiny artisan brands to large country estates, as well as being a published author and course facilitator. With a lifetime of experience, it’s safe to say that what Fiona doesn’t know about branding isn’t worth knowing. In this interview with Karen, Fiona gives an i
100 Episodes Later… Lessons That Last
When Karen started this podcast, she expected to do no more than 20 episodes that would address the most common questions she receives. However, things took a turn and here we are at episode 100. To celebrate this landmark, Karen isn’t going to do the usual and look back at the show’s highlights, instead she is beginning a brand new mini-series based on things that still hold true after 1
You Don’t Have to Break the Bank - Starting a Perfume Brand on a Realistic Budget
This week Karen is addressing a question she is asked all the time on social media and through email - “I’m obsessed with perfume and I want to start my own brand, but I don't have the money to invest…can you help me for free?” Well, the answer is yes and no. In this episode, Karen breaks down the hard truths of starting a perfume brand, and whilst you can’t do it for free, it doesn't ha
The Democratisation of Scent - Perfume in the Digital Age
This week on the show, Karen is joined by Thomas Dunckley AKA The Candy Perfume Boy, 6 time Jasmine award winner, writer, trainer and industry consultant. After taking a step away from the industry Thomas has returned with a new mission and a new branding - ‘Making Scents Make Sense’. Thomas’ mission is to cut through the snobbery and gatekeeping traditionally associated with the perfume
From Day Job to Dream Job - Why it’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams
This week Karen is joined by Artisan Perfumery Mastermind alumni Gabrielle Durand, the founder of natural fragrance brand ‘On the Nose’ perfumes. After a long career in the corporate world of HR, Gabrielle decided to take a leap of faith and follow her lifelong dream of being a perfumer. Changing your career late in life can be a very daunting prospect, but Gabrielle was determined to suc
From Scroll to Sold - Mastering Social Media for Brand Growth
This week Karen is joined by Kate Beavis, a social media strategist and content expert. Kate has been working with Karen since 2018 on her social media presence to make her brand feel authentic and not overwhelming. And, after Karen’s initial reluctance to use social media, Kate has shown her the many benefits that can come from embracing your online presence. In this interview, Kate spil
A Nose for the Niche - Crafting a Unique Fragrance Voice
The world of indie perfumes has become extremely crowded, leading people to wonder if there is space for their product in a marketplace full to the brim. And, that is the question Karen is here to address this week. Entering any marketplace as a beginner can feel daunting, but facing one that is over-saturated and full of high end brands posing as independent can easily be enough to give
Success Doesn’t Have a Deadline - The Importance of Moving at Your Own Rhythm
Last week Karen took the time to reflect but, as most of us do after we have a brief rest bite, she now feels the pressure to act with urgency creeping up on her. So, what happens when ambition and energy are at complete odds? The pressure we place on ourselves to be instantly successful, coupled with the pressure from society, is very real and can cause us to doubt our every move. Howeve
The Art of Stopping - A Moment to Reflect
Karen has just returned from a four week trip around Australia where she attended a family wedding and spent time catching up with old friends. However, what struck her unexpectedly, was what she discovered about herself, and her creative process, once she actually stopped and got off the hamster wheel. On this week’s episode, Karen shares both her travel experiences and what they reveale
The Emotional Palette - Using Colour to Connect with Consumers
This week Karen is joined on the show by Karen Haller, an expert in behavioural colour psychology and author of ‘The Little Book of Colour’, to discuss how colour shapes our experience of scent. The first thing any consumer sees when they interact with your product is the colours, and whether you mean it or not, the consumer will have an emotional response to that colour. In this fascinat
The Essence of Roses - From Harvest to Heart
This week Karen is talking to Silvia Yonkova, founder of Rose Overdose, a company that grows roses and produces stunning fragrances from them. But, on top of this, Silva also hosts a yearly ‘Rose Retreat’ where budding perfumers can experience what it’s like to harvest roses and work with organic materials. In this interview with Karen, Silvia shares her family's rich history with roses,
Experience of a Lifetime - An Interview With Pia Long Part 2
Following on from last week’s episode, Karen is once again joined by Pia Long for part 2 of her interview. In this second part, Pia gets into the passionate side of her career. As she explains to Karen, she has long been an outspoken advocate for regulation reform and fragrance compliance. She explains her views to Karen, and how her work and advocacy led her to be the recipient of unexpe
Experience of a Lifetime - An Interview With Pia Long Part 1
This week Karen is delivering the first of a two-part interview with Pia Long, head perfumer at Olfiction. Pia has worked in almost all areas of the perfume industry from sales and marketing to product development and quality control. She has, to use a cliche, seen and done it all. In the first part of this interview, Pia goes into depth about her incredible journey from student to master
Back to Basics Part 4 - Why The Fragrance Journal is the Best Tool You’re Not Using
This week marks the final episode in Karen’s back to basics mini series, and as a special treat, she is focusing on something that often gets overlooked - fragrance journaling. Although many people don’t have one, a fragrance journal is a key tool to helping you progress as a perfumer. Whether its notes on your formulation or mood boards for inspiration, your journal should be your person
Back to Basics Part 3 - The Importance of Having an Efficient Workspace
Karen is back for part three of her ‘Back to Basics’ mini series and this week she is taking a look at how to set up your workspace so you can create perfume safely and efficiently. When we start something new, diving in and trying everything at once is exciting and refreshing, but without proper preparation and organisation this way of working can lead to headaches down the road. In this
Back to Basics Part 2 - A Beginner's Guide to Perfume Formulation
Karen’s ‘back to basics’ mini-series continues this week with part two, which takes a look at ‘Formulation’. Formulation is, as Karen says, “The reason you are here.” It is the very essence of perfume making, but it is also an area that most beginners rush into and, by doing so, make a number of costly, but easily avoidable, mistakes. In this episode, Karen breaks down the basics of formu
Back to Basics Part 1 - Selecting the Right Materials
This week Karen is introducing a new mini series that will be looking back at the basics of creating your own fragrances. In this first part Karen is tackling the topic of selecting the right materials. With so many options out there, material selection can be an overwhelming task for first-timers. But Karen is here to guide you through everything from synthetics or naturals to choosing t
A Strong Base - Why Alcohol is the Best Place to Start
This week, Karen is going all the way back to a fundamental topic for those starting their journey in perfumery - “Why alcohol based perfumes are the best starting point for beginners.” Alcohol, as a base material, often gets overlooked and has many false narratives surrounding it. But, it is actually the best place to start your perfume journey. In this episode, Karen is here to explain
Next Steps - How You Can Grow Your Brand with Confidence
Karen recently received an email from a listener that posed an interesting question…”Should I keep my business doing what is already working or should I branch out and try something new?” Stepping into a new world can be daunting and can leave you second guessing if you’ve made the right choice, however, there is a way to do this and minimise your risk. This week, Karen is here to explain
Fragrance 2.0 - The Integration of Technology and Scent
On this week's show Karen is joined by a leader in the tech world of fragrance, Camila Thomas. Founder of Air Parfum, a device that allows you to test multiple fragrance without sensory overwhelm, WikiParfum, a digital encyclopedia of fragrance, and ScentXP, a platform that bridges the gap behind online and in-store scent discovery. In this interview with Karen, Camila explains how techno
Reflections for Growth - Learning From 2024 to Build a Better 2025
Happy New Year and welcome to the first episode of 2025. Before bursting into the new year with a host of new content, Karen is here to deliver an interactive episode that will allow you to look back and reflect on 2024. Whilst you may not think you achieved much last year, Karen is here to offer you some prompts and advice that might just make you think different. And, once you’ve comple
Scent Shift Part 3 - The Smell of Success - Creating Habits with Scent
This week marks the third and final part of Karen’s mini series on her scent shift programme. This time of year we all make promises to ourselves about how the next twelve months will be different but, as we all know, these promises never last. The reason they never last is that we always fail to create new habits, which are the key to lasting change. Karen is here to help. In this episod
Scent Shift Part 2 - Creating Emotional Anchors With Scent
Welcome to part two of this mini series inspired by Karen’s ‘Scent Shift’ programme, which looks at how scent can be a tool for meditation and wellbeing. This week, Karen is looking at how to create emotional anchors with scent. Emotional anchors are an incredibly powerful tool that can be harnessed to bring about positive changes to all aspects of your life. But, how do they work, when c
Scent Shift Part 1 - How Fragrance Influences Emotions
This week’s episode marks the first in a series of shows inspired by Karen’s ‘Scent Shift’ programme, which looks at how scent can be a tool for meditation and wellbeing. In this first part, Karen is looking specifically at how fragrance interacts with our brains to influence our emotions. Drawing from the evidence based research, Karen explains not only how this happens, but why. And, te
Black Friday Special - Foundations of Fragrance
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 fr
Scent as Story - How to Build a Brand that Captivates
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, Vio
Beyond the Scroll - The Positive Impact of Social Media on Your Business
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
Reframing Your Thoughts and Fears - How a Mindset Change Can Take You to the Next Level
Running a successful perfume business doesn’t just require someone who can blend materials to create a sweet scent, or someone who can market effectively. A truly successful perfume business also requires someone with the right mindset. That’s why, this week on the show, Karen is taking a break from regular programming and presenting an interactive episode designed to change your mindset.
Slow and Steady Wins the Race - Why Rushing Will Only End in Disaster
Karen recently received an email asking for her advice on launching a perfume brand. However, the author of the email had only given themselves a 6 month deadline to get everything ready to launch. Karen’s instant reaction - “This is not enough time.” Perfume making is not just a science, it’s an art. And, like all art, it can’t be rushed. In this episode, Karen doubles down on the import
It Takes Time - Growing Your Brand Piece by Piece with Liz Grech
This week Karen is joined by Liz Grech, an alumni of Karen’s Artisan Perfumery Mastermind course and founder of Olentium, a perfume brand based in Malta. Liz started her career as a journalist before the birth of her son unexpectedly moved her into the world of fragrance. In this interview with Karen, she discusses her career trajectory, how it takes time to find your voice, what you can
The Time is Now - When to Take Aligned Action
This week on the show, Karen is taking a break from regular programming and presenting you all with a diary-style episode after spending the last week thinking about staying in alignment with your actions, not just in business, but in life. In this episode Karen covers what it means to stay true to your values and creative goals, the importance of avoiding the shoulds, and her top tips fo
An Introduction to Fragrance Families - Part 5 Fougere
This week marks the fourth and final part of Karen’s mini-series on fragrance families. And, she’s ending the series with one of the most important families - Fougere. Created over a century ago, Fougere has had an immense impact on the perfume industry, from its pioneering use of synthetics to its worldwide appeal with the launch of ‘Brut’. In this episode, Karen tells you all you need t
An Introduction to Fragrance Families - Part 4 Amber
Continuing her deep dive into fragrance families, this week sees Karen delving into the world of Amber fragrances. Known for their warmth, richness, and versatility, amber fragrances have remained incredibly popular from their inception in ancient Egypt to the modern day. Unique in their makeup and with an incredible number of variations, there is a lot to learn about amber fragrances. In
An Introduction to Fragrance Families - Part 3 Chypre
Karen is continuing her in-depth look at different fragrance families. This week, she’s taking a look at the misunderstood Chypre family. Created in 1917, the chypre family of fragrances has never been considered the best or most popular but has stood the test of time, and the family continues to grow with new subcategories being added year on year. In this episode, Karen details everythi
An Introduction to Fragrance Families - Part 2 Floral
This week Karen is continuing her series on fragrance families, looking at floral families. The largest and most varied family in fragrance production, florals have stood the test of time and are as popular today as they ever were. From key notes to the difference between soliflore and floral bouquets and a breakdown of some of the most popular notes, Karen covers everything you need to k
An Introduction to Fragrance Families - Part 1 Citrus
This week Karen is starting a new mini series, looking at each of different fragrance families. And, to start, she’s looking at one of her personal favorites, Citrus. In this jam packed show Karen covers what materials go into a citrus fragrance, the right notes to add to make your scent last longer, key regulations to understand and the interesting history of citrus fragrances. And, on t
Customers are Waiting - Selling Your Products on Amazon with Kelly Colman
This week Karen is joined by Kelly Colman, an award winning product expert. After developing and selling her own cosmetics products, Kelly now helps other entrepreneurs find their niche and sell their products on Amazon. Surprisingly, most people don’t consider the possibility of selling on Amazon for various reasons, such as the high levels of competition or fear or altering the percepti
The Untold Power of Scent - How Fragrances Can Lead to Happiness and Wellbeing
This week on the show, Karen is talking to Kyle Fearn of Redolescent Fragrances. Kyle created his first fragrance as a way to make an emotional connection with his boyfriend who was travelling across the world. This creation started Kyle on a journey of developing fragrances that would tell a story which people could integrate into their lives. Focusing on wellbeing and mental health, Kyl
A Holistic Message - Blending Marketing, PR and Wellbeing with Ana Kaplan
On this week's show, I'm joined by Ana Kaplan of Kaplan Communications, a PR company that works with beauty and holistic companies. Ana worked for a large PR company but increasingly felt like they didn’t match her values. So, during COVID-19, she took the brave move of leaving them behind and setting up her own company that has the unique approach of blending PR and marketing with holist
2+2=4 - Perfume Math Made Easy
Get your calculators, beakers and bottles ready because this week Karen is tackling the often talked about subject of perfume math, or more simply, the basic calculations involved in creating and scaling up perfume formulations. The idea of perfume math can fill most first timers with dread, especially when considering ratios, scaling up and concentration equations. But, Miss. Gilbert is
Overcoming Overwhelm - Where, When and How to Start Perfume Making
This week’s show is inspired by a question Karen received from one of her listeners - “Can you give me your top tips on how to overcome the overwhelm of starting perfume making?” This is a problem that most first timers encounter. That initial adrenaline rush of creating something new can easily be dampened when you start to dive into the world of perfume making and see just how big it
Triumph Over Adversity - Turning Life’s Challenges into Booming Businesses
This week Karen is talking to Anne Onwusowulu, an alumni of Karen’s Artisan Perfume Mastermind course. Anne is the founder of fragrance company House of Purple Rose and, along with her husband John, runs a second company, the Skin and Hair Manufacturing Hub. However, both of Anne’s companies, and all the services they offer, were born out of personal tragedy or challenges she faced on her
A Different Kind Of Magic - How Perfume Making is Magic in its Own Right
This week on the show Karen is joined by Michael Paul from Day 3 Fragrances. From childhood Michael was fascinated by magic. Supported by his father, he became a professional magician and toured the world. However, he would always turn to his hobby of perfumery when he was stuck. In time he realised that magic and perfumery were one and the same. During COVID his ability to perform magic
Navigating MOCRA: Understanding the New Fragrance Industry Regulations with Jaclyn Bellomo
In this week's episode Karen is joined by Jaclyn Bellomo, a cosmetic industry professional with over a decade of experience in regulatory compliance. In the USA, up until now, the FDA has managed and maintained all fragrance industry regulations. However, the biggest overhaul in these regulations is about to occur with the introduction of MOCRA. But these new regulations don’t just impac
A World of Fragrances - A History of the Classification of Scent with Micheal Edwards
On this very special one year anniversary episode of the Perfume Making Podcast, Karen is joined by Micheal Edwards, author and founder of Fragrances of the World and author of "Fragrance Legends" and his latest book "American Legends" Micheal, who has worked in the fragrance industry for over 4 decades is the creator of one of the first classification systems for commercial fragrances, w
Eye of the Beholder - How You Can Create a World Class Visual Brand on a Budget
This week on the show Karen is joined by Natalie Napoleon, a world renowned visual branding strategist and product photographer with over 25 years of experience. An expert at creating strong, unique visuals for brands, Natalie is always asked by indie brands “How can I compete with the big companies?” Luckily, that’s where Natalie’s passion lies. In this interview with Karen, Natalie is g
Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain - Jumping Head First into the World of Perfumery with Liz Moores
This week on the show Karen is joined by Liz Moores, founder of Papillon Perfumery. When Liz started her brand she was taking a huge gamble. Self-taught, inexperienced and jumping into an already heavily populated marketplace, Liz’s view was “I’ve got nothing to lose.” If her venture didn’t work out, she was prepared to sell her initial batch of fragrances at a car boot sale to recoup her
The Master of Scent - The Life and Work of Jean Carles
This week on the show Karen is giving a history lesson on the life and work of Jean Carles. Founder of the first ever perfumery school, today known as the Givaudan, and the father of the most influential method of perfume making, his influence is still felt far and wide in the perfume industry today. Jean Carles lived an incredible life, created some of the industries most iconic scents a
The Beginners Challenge - 8 Challenges You Will Certainly Face and How to Overcome Them
Karen is in the process of writing a new book on the many challenges that await those who want to create perfumes or set up their own perfume business. Inspired by this, Karen has decided to go over eight of the most crucial points in this week's episode. Looking at some of the myths of the perfume industry, such as a need for a chemistry degree or the need for industry validation, as wel
Keep Moving Forward - How To Get Where You Want To Go with Earl Williams
This week on the show Karen is joined by one of her Artisan perfumery mastermind alumni, Earl Williams, founder of ESW Perfume Bar. Through Earl’s unique business he creates bespoke scents for private clients as well as hosting pop up perfume bars at public and private events. But what really sets Earl apart is his determination and drive to keep moving forward no matter how many times th
Saved From Extinction - How Quintis took Sandalwood from endangered to sustainable.
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 ab
A Leap of Faith: Why Following Your Dreams is the Most Rewarding Thing You Can Do
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
Mindfulness and Meditation: How Internal Exploration Enhances Creativity in Perfume Making
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, Ka
From Artists to Artisans - How a Former Actor and Former Musician Launched an Online Fragrance Store for Artisan Brands.
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 app
Piloting Success: Navigating the Launch of Your Product with Karen's 7 Essential Tips
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 mar
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