Learn how to think and design like a natural perfumer, using solely botanical materials. Citrus, Raw to Refined is a sensory-driven class designed to introduce beginners to perfumery, and to learn to work with a palette of natural materials.

CLASS PROGRAM

Perfumer Jeffrey Paul leads an immersive introduction to natural perfumery, with a focus on citrus materials and the Eau de Cologne fragrance category. Over several hours, participants will smell and assess beautiful natural aromatics and learn to create classic Eau de Cologne structures using a palette that includes fresh citruses, aromatic herbs, elegant woods, and some unexpected surprises.

This class will help train your nose while sharpening your olfactory perception, providing the tools and knowledge that will allow you to transform a handful of raw aromatics into a traditional, structured cologne, based on your own formula developed in class.

ABOUT THE RAW TO REFINED CLASSES

Inspired by the methodology of Jean Carles, the Raw tothe Refined classes are rooted in materiality. Each class begins with a smelling session, where participants will discover a group of curated materials chosen to support the olfactory topic of the day. Over repeated scent evaluations, students learn to sharpen their olfactory perception, a crucial tool in learning to blend perfumery. Students will then be guided through the process of building a blend on top of a foundational citrus-eau de cologne accord to create a fragrance that is rooted in a strong concept and specific fragrance family.

In these classes, perfumer Jeffrey Paul will teach you how to transform olfactory instinct into blending based on a foundation of critical evaluation and an appreciation for the complexity of natural materials. The classes aim to provide a foundation of knowledge about material extraction and fragrance families, and techniques for blind smelling and formulation, resulting in a clear, repeatable method for perfume creation.

Specific class themes will progress seasonally, with citrus in the summer, woods and resins in the fall, gourmand compositions in the winter, and florals in the spring. While each class can be taken as a stand-alone experience, the full series helps build skills, over time.

TOPICS COVERED:

+ Odor evaluation: How to smell and appreciate perfume materials (and reset your senses!)

+ Guided reflection: Documenting smell experiences and ideating for perfumemaking

+ Material understanding: Learning about the qualities and extraction of the chosen ingredients

+ Structural accord construction: Construction of a group accord with an emphasis on formulation techniques

+ Sensory brief creation: The development of a sensory brief in class, with the knowledge required to further refine it, after class