10 Things to Stop Doing (to be a good perfumer)

1. Quick judgment on your creations:

Let your creations age, and take your time smelling, judging, and modifying them.

The scent will change over time; some materials will become more noticeable, others will soften, edges will smooth out.

Performance will improve, the blend will become more harmonious, and you might realize there's nothing you need to change.

2. Quick judgment on others' creations:

Other perfumers have different ideas, markets, projects, demands, resources, and consumers.

Keep all of that in mind when making a judgment.

And remember, sometimes we don't like what we’ve created as perfumers, but the client and consumers do.

So, our opinion doesn’t always matter.

3. Surface Smelling (not in detail):

It's like reading a 1,000-page book in 30 minutes.

Take your time smelling the fragrance or material through all its evaporation stages to get a clearer picture of its different dimensions.

But don’t go to the other extreme either 'spending four continuous hours smelling the same material isn’t helpful; it’ll just give you nasal congestion."

If you're smelling a fragrance: put it on a blotter. Smell it in the first 2 minutes, then leave it for 15 minutes and smell it again. After that, wait an hour and smell it once more.
If you're smelling a synthetic ingredient (molecule): dilute it first (if it's a high-impact material). Then put it on a blotter, smell it in the 2 minutes, wait 15 minutes, and smell it again.
If you're smelling a natural ingredient (oil, absolute, etc...): treat it the same way you'd smell a finished fragrance, as described above.

4. Adding more instead of removing:

"Minimalism is not a lack of something. It's simply the perfect amount of something."
— Nicholas Burroughs.

Defects in your creation won’t be fixed by simply adding more materials, hoping they’ll cover it up.

95% of a good treatment comes from proper diagnosis.

You need to understand the root cause first, then figure out the best strategy to improve the fragrance—whether it's the smell, performance, or stability.

5. Creating for yourself not for the market:

You have to create a fragrance that fits the brand, the market, and the consumer.

Yes, bring your creative side, express yourself, and leave your unique fingerprint, but don’t forget the key metric of a fragrance’s success: it should help the product sell.

6. Not being patient:

Succeeding in perfumery is a long journey. Don’t give up before 10 years. Yes, 10 years. Do whatever you need on the side to make a living, but don’t quit perfumery.

7. Being narrow-minded:

Stay curious and open to different perspectives, as every person and experience can teach you something valuable.

8. Not exploring:

Always listen, try, absorb ideas, and experiment with crazy ideas.

9. Not expressing yourself in non-profitable projects:

In non-profitable projects, we find the purest form of self-expression, untainted by commercial motives.

10. Having an unclear idea about your goals:

"The clearer your goals, the more likely you are to achieve them." — Zig Ziglar

Do you want to create just for yourself, for family and friends, work in a company, or build a niche brand? Will it be your main professional focus or more of a side hustle?

You need to have a clear vision of why you're here at this stage and where you want to go.

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