The Institute for Art and Olfaction

Open Purchasing Hours
2026-05-23 13:00 - 16:00 (America/Tijuana) | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-purchasing-hours-tickets-1989276328047?aff=oddtdtcreator
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The public is invited to peruse our Student Organ and purchase small vials of aromamaterials. Our offerings also include a curated selection of books, magazines, and fragrance wheels.
For ease, please check out our online Inventory to see what will be on offer; you can assemble your shopping lists ahead of time!* This is a convenient time to purchase materials for classes that have Materials Lists, as well expand your personal collection of scents for your own creative endeavors.
Our pricing is as follows:
• 5/8 Dram Vials for $4.00 (Refills for $2.00)
• 1 Dram Vials for $6.00 (Refills for $3.00)
The library will be open for enjoyment as well. Staff will be present to assist with the sales but cannot provide consultation or education. RSVP is appreciated, but walk-ins are welcome!
*Our inventory can be seen at the following spreadsheet, under the tab “Student Organ”: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1E6RW6AYBrwL20Rd4FKbtdg-LrNvN07KS5wFP1L1oR_8/edit?gid=1862841218#gid=1862841218

Perfume 101: Perfumery for Beginners (in person)
2026-05-24 15:00 - 17:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perfume-101-perfumery-for-beginners-in-person-tickets-1986277266774?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Perfume 101 serves as an orientation session for newcomers to the field, olfactive adventurers, curious minds, and budding scent enthusiasts who need a little boost.
In this theory-focused introduction to perfumery, participants will learn about perfume basics such as fragrance families and classifications, get an introduction to perfume-making in a lab, and get an introduction to the different kinds of aromatic materials. As a group, the class will learn the difference between top, middle and bottom notes, what’s in a perfume lab, get a brief introduction to perfume math concepts, and more. We’ll smell and look at different aromatic materials, useful labware used in blending scents, and more!
Participants will leave with the basic knowledge they need to start a journey down the rabbit hole of appreciating and even making scent.
Please note: This is primarily a lecture-based class, with a smelling component. There is one group blend exercise and one individual blend exercise, with participants taking home a small spray vial of their individual scent blend and select reference materials. If you wish to take a class with a hands-on focus, please register for Introduction to Perfume Blending.

Eleven Week Perfume Materials Course - Module 1 (online)
2026-05-25 10:00 - 12:00 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/eleven-week-perfume-materials-course-module-1-tickets-1984929270882?aff=oddtdtcreator
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About this Materials Course
Ashley Eden Kessler returns to lead module 1 of her popular online materials course, over eleven sessions spent exploring the crucial materials in the perfumers’ organ. This slow, steady emphasis on deep sensorial study provides an indispensable first step in learning perfumery, and an opportunity to grow a technical familiarity with perfume materials.
Registration includes a materials kit (55 materials, scent strips), and attendees are invited to join live on zoom or catch the class as a video replay: All registrations provide access to the live zoom sessions (72 spots) and 11 week replay access to the recorded sessions. Recording access for all sessions will end on September 14, 2026.
This is Module 1 of a total of three modules. These modules are not consecutive: any student can start at any module (though modules one and two cover more commonly used materials). This module is appropriate for beginners and intermediate perfumers alike.
Class Experience
In each 2-hour online session, Ashley will lead attendees in smelling and discussing five crucial perfume materials of natural and synthetic origin. Over the eleven total sessions offered in this course, the group will systematically go through the course material, category by category. We thoughtfully explore the function, aesthetics and technicalities of each material in the context of other aromatics from its fragrance family.
Each session focuses on our unique experience with the materials. By sharing these experiences, we work towards developing a language, both personal and communal, for our experience of scent. Through this course, participants will gain fluency in the most important molecules of modern perfumery. Growing a familiarity with the materials is, after all, a crucial first step in practicing perfumery.
There is a lot to gain from this slow-paced work. For newcomers to fragrance, this intimate knowledge of the materials is indispensable, offering a grounding and deeply enriching practice that brings us into the present and connects us more deeply to our lived experience—and our creativity. For more experienced perfumers, the class presents an opportunity to enrich the process and technical knowledge necessary to mastery.
Course Takeaways

Technical knowledge about the molecular components of the studied material
Knowledge of aromatic materials’ origins and use in fine perfumery
A greater familiarity with aromatic materials and scent categories

Olfactory Research Notes: Sensory Literacies and Children’s Reading (online)
2026-05-26 08:00 - 09:30 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/olfactory-research-notes-sensory-literacies-and-childrens-reading-tickets-1986361038337?lid=zj5izzdshlrl
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Researcher Radel James Gacumo joins the IAO to share his research into early childhood literacy and sensory studies. Online.

This talk explores how sensory literacies can deepen our understanding of children’s engagement with reading. Drawing on his doctoral research, Radel James Gacumo discusses how multisensory and multimodal texts, including olfaction-enhanced digital books, shape children’s embodied participation, meaning-making, and affective responses in early literacy contexts. The session highlights how sensory experiences can support more inclusive and responsive reading environments and invites educators and researchers to rethink reading as a multisensory, relational practice.
This presentation will be followed by a question and answer session with attendees.

Takeaways and Learning Points:

️Multisensory practices for child educators
Strategies for reading engagement
Introduction to multisensory and multimodal texts and their use

ABOUT RADEL JAMES GACUMO
Radel James Gacumo is a researcher in early childhood literacy and sensory studies based at the University of Stavanger, Norway. His work examines how multisensory and multimodal texts shape young children’s engagement, meaning-making, and experiences of inclusion. He develops Critical Sensory Multimodal Literacy, a framework that brings together sensory studies, multimodality, and critical literacy to understand reading as an embodied and socially situated practice. His research spans sensory literacies, children’s literature, and olfaction-enhanced reading in early education.

ABOUT OLFACTORY RESEARCH NOTES
Olfactory Research Notes is a lecture series presented by the Institute for Art and Olfaction that highlights important research done in the field of olfaction, directly from the scientists, researchers, academics, and artists who do it.

ATTENDANCE AND REFUND POLICY
This is an online class that will take place on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent by email approximately 24 hours before the class. Lest this email end up in your spam folder, please be sure to add hello@artandolfaction.com and noreply@order.eventbrite.com to your address book.
+ Learn more about how we teach and our community guidelines here: https://artandolfaction.com/newcomers/.
+ We will upload the class recording after the end of the session, and share it for 14 days with attendees. This video is view-only, and expires at the end of the 14 day window.
+ Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds or credit for this class. Note also that event tickets are non-transferable.
Image credits: Pexels, Radel James Gacumo.

Introduction to Perfume Blending: Structured (in person)
2026-05-27 17:30 - 20:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-perfume-blending-structured-in-person-tickets-1990057764344?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Join us for a structured approacg to perfume blending. This class is designed for newcomers and beginners of the craft as an onboarding to working with scent at the Institute for Art and Olfaction.
In this class, Minetta Rogers will introduce you to the foundational terminology and techniques of perfumery as we guide you through the steps of working with aromatic materials in our labspace. The class will begin with a guided smelling session that introduces you to the world of aromatic materials. You’ll smell a selection of materials from our organ that shine light on the difference between naturals, synthetics, and bases; top, middle, and base notes; and different dilutions and odor intensities. As a group, you’ll take part in several group blending exercises to demonstrate proper technique in writing perfume formula iterations and blending scent trials.The second portion of the class is dedicated to individual blending time, with a selection of 5 materials chosen and decanted into blending vials by you.
Minetta Rogers is here to assist with material selection, formula tweaking, and basic perfume arithmetic as you experiment, explore, and learn. At the end of class, you’ll take home 5 aromatic materials, a final spray vial of your own formulated blend, and perfume-making knowledge!

The 7th Experimental Scent Summit, Athens
2026-06-09 10:00 - 18:00 | ImpactHub Athens, Karaiskaki 28, Athens, 105 54, Greece
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-7th-experimental-scent-summit-tickets-1986286848433?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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The 7th edition of Experimental Scent Summit takes place June 9, 2026, at ImpactHub in Athens, Greece.
Presented as part of an ongoing collaboration between Los Angeles-based The Institute for Art and Olfaction and Barcelona and Berlin-based Smell Lab, the Experimental Scent Summit is an annual gathering where invited speakers share research and ideas in an informal, friendly setting.

Opening: Residual Contact, at HGW Athens
2026-06-09 18:00 - 23:00 | HGW std., Mavromichali 138, Athens, 114 72, Greece
Learn more: https://thegoldenpears.com/2026-residual-contact
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Residual Contact is a group exhibition presented by The Institute for Art and Olfaction and HGW std. This event is an immersive dialogue, bringing together contemporary visual artists and independent perfumers from Greece to explore the connection between image, material, atmosphere, and scent.
Following the Experimental Scent Summit that takes place earlier that same day, Residual Contact expands the conversation around contemporary olfactory culture and experimental creative practice.
Six perfumes are paired with the works of twelve artists, creating a series of encounters that move beyond traditional exhibition formats and into the realm of embodied perception. Rather than treating scent as a supplement to the artwork, the exhibition positions fragrance as an active artistic medium capable of shaping atmosphere, disrupting perception, and creating new relationships between bodies, objects, and space.
Installations, videos, paintings, sculptures, sound and scent invite visitors to navigate the space not only visually, but physically and emotionally. Residual Contact explores the invisible traces that scent and visual experience leave behind: memory, emotional residue, spatial awareness, intimacy, and transformation.
Residual Contact is on view June 9 to 13, 2026
Curated by: Ilias Loukopoulos and Dorina Kappatou

Aroma: A Greek Scent Fair
2026-06-10 12:00 - 16:00 | Vryssaki (artFix Athens), Vrisakiou 17, Athens, 105 55, Greece
Learn more: https://thegoldenpears.com/2026-aroma
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As part of the broader program surrounding the 2026 Art and Olfaction Awards, Athens becomes a meeting point for the global fragrance community. Following the Experimental Scent Summit and the Art Exhibition Residual Contact, attention turns to the local creative scene, before the night of the awards. On June 10, independent Greek perfume brands will come together in the vibrant heart of Plaka for an intimate, one-day showcase dedicated to contemporary Greek olfactory art and creativity. The event brings a fresh point of view to the local fragrance scene highlighting a new wave of perfumers who are shaping Greek perfumery through craftsmanship, storytelling, and a deep connection to local materials and cultural heritage.
This is an intentionally personal meeting point; relaxed and targeted. A space where creators, industry professionals, journalists, and the international fragrance community can connect directly. No barriers! Guests will have the opportunity to meet the founders/perfumers in person, explore their work, and exchange ideas in an open, informal atmosphere.
The showcase aims to support greater visibility and international dialogue for Greek niche perfumery, positioning it within the broader global creative fragrance landscape. Each brand offers a distinct olfactory identity, reflecting diverse creative directions offering a snapshot of how dynamic Greek niche perfumery is.
Participating perfumers:
Angelos Créations Olfactives
BARUTI Perfumes
Klio Parfums
Little Bottle Perfumes
The Things Past

Drone Bath, Athens
2026-06-10 19:00 - 23:00 | PLEX, Keramikou 28, Athens, 104 36, Greece
RSVP: https://plx.gr/event.php?id=350
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dronebath is an experimental composer-driven listening session featuring 3 hours of uninterrupted low frequency in a quad sound system for premium acoustics. Similar to a sonic meditation, we encourage you to come prepared with anything you’d need to get comfortable to fully surrender to deep listening.
With: Konstantin Gabbro, Viki Steiri & Dario Papavassiliou, Lion Wintersea (Hannah Marcus), EMI PATH, curated by by Halston Bruce

The 12th Art and Olfaction Awards, Athens
2026-06-11 19:00 - 22:00 | Gazarte Cultural Center, 32-34 Voutadon Str., Athens, Gazi Kerameikos, Greece
Register to attend: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1986287195471?aff=oddtdtcreator
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We are thrilled to celebrate the 12th edition of the Art and Olfaction Awards at Gazarte Cultural Center, in Athens, Greece. Join us to honor the finalists and winners, with fellow perfume lovers from around the world.

Smounds
2026-06-12 20:00 - 23:30 | Fikos Bar, Lefkosias 12, Athens, Greece
Learn more: https://thegoldenpears.com/2026-smounds
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Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 20:00 – late
Location: Fikos Bar, Lefkosias 12, Athens
Presented by: Simon Knight
Smounds from the UK Underground (1963-1999) is a multi-sense listening experience produced by Simon Knight.
Come and experience the magic that happens when smell and sound merge to produce Smound in the mind. Simon Knight presents an evening exploring the convergence of smell and sound through five genre-defining moments from the UK underground. Each musical journey is paired with a specially composed fragrance shaped by the music itself, transforming sound from something you hear into something you can also smell.
– Smell the sounds
– Listen to the smells
– Feel the Smound
Featuring the Smounds of:
– Psychedelia
– Northern Soul
– Synth-Pop
– Jungle
– Trip-Hop

The Art and Craft of Perfumery: History, Extraction, and Formulation Intensive
2026-06-14 - 2026-06-20 | Mas Flaquer, 17708 Cantallops, Girona, Spain
Learn more: https://www.bravanariz.com/en/product/the-art-craft-of-perfumery-14-06-26-20-06-26-7-days/
Sadly, this event is sold out.
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Perfumery is a complex practice. For this reason, it is often presented and taught in the context of oppositions: natural versus synthetic, historic versus contemporary. These dualities present a divisive approach to perfumery, which serves only to fracture and limit the potential of the practice.
Mas Flaquer is a regenerative farm outside Barcelona which serves as the headquarters for Spanish perfume brand Bravanariz, It is here that Ernesto Collado, Spyros Drosopoulos and Saskia Wilson-Brown combine their areas of expertise to present a six day perfume intensive that approaches the practice with a holistic and inclusive lens.
Through a combination of field work, hands-on blending time, and lectures, this intensive will highlight the connections between diverse ways of working: It will focus on how to interrelate natural sourcing and extraction strategies, modern chemistry, technical perfumery, and experimentation. In this way, this intensive will provide participants with an expansive understanding of all the possibilities for their craft, and a fuller appreciation of what is possible with scent.
NOTE: This class is administered by Mas Flaquer, in Spain, not the IAO.

Tracing Perfume: Aquatic/Marine (online)
2026-06-16 10:00 - 11:30 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tracing-perfume-aquaticmarine-online-tickets-1986274546638?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Dana El Masri explores the history of fine fragrance through a series of classes that cover the genealogy of scent. How did aromatic materials influence perfumery? How did perfumers draw from the same source to produce such diverse expressions? Each class in this series explores the most important perfumes in 20th and 21st perfumery from the perspective of the materials that inform them.
In this class, Dana covers perfumes highlighting aquatic and marine materials. She will explore the material provenance, aromatic aspects, and notable perfumes that make use of these aquatic and marine notes in various ways. Then, as a group, the class will discuss a series of notes and perfumes that elucidate the category.

Topics covered:
History and cultural impact of perfume materials
Technical information about perfume materials
Overview of these materials in classic, contemporary, mass market, and niche perfumes

"all perfume yes": Bloomsday 2026 Ulysses Smelling Session (In Person)
2026-06-16 17:30 - 19:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
RSVP: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/all-perfume-yes-bloomsday-2026-ulysses-smelling-session-in-person-tickets-1988021328309?aff=oddtdtcreator
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The library at the Institute for Art and Olfaction contains a perfume archive of over a thousand fine fragrances, pieces of olfactory art, and more.
Smell through the pages of this classic novel as we smell aromatics and perfumes mentioned in James Joyce’s Ulysses. The novel follows the interconnected meanderings of Stephen Dedalus, Leopold Bloom, and a cast of hundreds over the course of one day in Dublin — June 16. Bloomsday is a worldwide celebration of the novel and the author. Join us at the Institute for Art and Olfaction for our own olfactory meandering through this masterpiece of modernism. (We might even provide cheese sandwiches.)
The Institute for Art and Olfaction team leads a guided smelling session of notable aromatics discussed in the novel. We will read out key passages concerning scent and perfume to enhance our smelling session. Scent strips will be handed out by your instructors, before we spend time smelling and discussing our impressions of the scents.
Our discussion will focus on the impressions of aromatics, perfumes and their concordance with the accompanying text. Familiarity with the original novel is not necessary but is highly recommended!
This smelling session will be a special opportunity to smell aromatics and fine fragrances from our library archive to which we otherwise do not allow everyday access.
This session will be guided by Minetta Rogers.

Summer Smells: Perfume Blending Workshop
2026-06-21 14:30 - 16:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Register: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/summer-smells-perfume-making-workshop-in-person-tickets-1989047356186?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Join Minetta Rogers for a guided blending session celebrating the summer solstice — and, of course, perfume-making! For beginners, but all levels are welcome.
For the first portion of this smelling and blending session, we will learn about some smells of summer and scents associated with the sun. Scent strips will be handed out by your friendly Institute for Art and Olfaction team, and we will spend time smelling and discussing our impressions of aromatic materials associated with the season.
We will start the second portion of the session by briefly discussing and practicing blending scent. Each student will have the opportunity to blend with aromatic materials from the session’s selected palette. We will spend the rest of the session experimenting with our own short formulas.
Each attendee goes home with a small trial of their aromatic blend.

Open Session for Returning Students (in person)
2026-06-22 17:30 - 19:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/open-sessions-returning-students-only-tickets-1988878896318?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Aromatic materials are not included. Bring your own materials or purchase small quantities from us.
Our open sessions for returning students only are designed as an informal, convivial space in which to co-work with other perfumers. Relaxed and self-directed (don’t worry, we’re here to help), these sessions are a great chance to refine a formula, work out an idea or just hang out with like-minded colleagues. Let’s learn from each other, and make new friends.
Relaxed and self-directed, these informal sessions are a great chance to refine your blending techniques in the presence of other scent enthusiasts and #friendswithpipettes. Open Sessions are the IAO’s longest running program. These Open Sessions for Returning Students Only are designed precisely for newcomers who have already attended one Open Session for First Timers, intermediate perfumers who want to explore new materials, or advanced perfumers who want to co-work with a diverse and creative community.
As a returning student, you will be able to independently tinker with materials of your choice in a casual, social setting.We have everything you need: aromatic materials (natural, synthetic, and some accords), beakers and droppers, scent strips and bottles… All you need to bring is a notebook, and and open mind. Down the rabbit hole you go!

Perfume 101: Perfumery for Beginners (in person)
2026-06-23 17:30 - 19:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perfume-101-perfumery-for-beginners-in-person-tickets-1988030609068?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Perfume 101 serves as an orientation session for newcomers to the field, olfactive adventurers, curious minds, and budding scent enthusiasts who need a little boost.
In this theory-focused introduction to perfumery, participants will learn about perfume basics such as fragrance families and classifications, get an introduction to perfume-making in a lab, and get an introduction to the different kinds of aromatic materials. As a group, the class will learn the difference between top, middle and bottom notes, what’s in a perfume lab, get a brief introduction to perfume math concepts, and more. We’ll smell and look at different aromatic materials, useful labware used in blending scents, and more!
Participants will leave with the basic knowledge they need to start a journey down the rabbit hole of appreciating and even making scent.
Please note: This is primarily a lecture-based class, with a smelling component. There is one group blend exercise and one individual blend exercise, with participants taking home a small spray vial of their individual scent blend and select reference materials. If you wish to take a class with a hands-on focus, please register for Introduction to Perfume Blending.

Introduction to Perfume Blending: Structured (in person)
2026-06-24 17:30 - 20:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-perfume-blending-structured-in-person-tickets-1988027678302?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Join us for a structured approacg to perfume blending. This class is designed for newcomers and beginners of the craft as an onboarding to working with scent at the Institute for Art and Olfaction.
In this class, Minetta Rogers will introduce you to the foundational terminology and techniques of perfumery as we guide you through the steps of working with aromatic materials in our labspace. The class will begin with a guided smelling session that introduces you to the world of aromatic materials. You’ll smell a selection of materials from our organ that shine light on the difference between naturals, synthetics, and bases; top, middle, and base notes; and different dilutions and odor intensities. As a group, you’ll take part in several group blending exercises to demonstrate proper technique in writing perfume formula iterations and blending scent trials.The second portion of the class is dedicated to individual blending time, with a selection of 5 materials chosen and decanted into blending vials by you.
Minetta Rogers is here to assist with material selection, formula tweaking, and basic perfume arithmetic as you experiment, explore, and learn. At the end of class, you’ll take home 5 aromatic materials, a final spray vial of your own formulated blend, and perfume-making knowledge!

Tracing Perfume: Amber and balsamic, 1 (online)
2026-06-30 10:00 - 11:30 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tracing-perfume-amber-balsamic-part-1-online-tickets-1989624295828
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Dana El Masri explores the history of fine fragrance through a series of classes that cover the genealogy of scent. How did aromatic materials influence perfumery? How did perfumers draw from the same source to produce such diverse expressions? Each class in this series explores the most important perfumes in 20th and 21st perfumery from the perspective of the materials that inform them.
In this class, Dana covers perfumes highlighting amber and balsamic materials, focusing on benzoin, frankincense, myrrh, peru balsam, and styrax. She will explore the material provenance, aromatic aspects, and notable perfumes that make use of these notes in various ways. Then, as a group, the class will discuss a series of notes and perfumes that elucidate the category.

Topics covered:
History and cultural impact of perfume materials
Technical information about perfume materials
Overview of these materials in classic, contemporary, mass market, and niche perfumes

Introduction to Perfume Blending: Freestyle (in person)
2026-06-30 17:30 - 20:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-perfume-blending-freestyle-in-person-tickets-1988879025705?keep_tld=true
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Join us for Introduction to Blending, a class for beginners to perfumery that is focused on learning how to blend with aromatic materials, and how to create (and balance) a formula. Perfume-lovers and burgeoning olfactory artists have the opportunity to jump right into making their scent dreams a reality, with access to the hundreds of aromatic materials in the IAO lab space.
The class will begin with a quick primer to the world of aromatic materials: synthetics vs. naturals, top/middle/base notes, and dilutions. Participants will be guided through the process of setting up a workstation and how to write a perfume formula, with proportions and balance in mind.
The second portion of the class will be the open exploration of the IAO Organ by all participants. After making individual selections, we will get to blending! With Julianne Lee guiding the class, each participant will learn to make bold changes, subtle refinements, and expand their final formula into a small spray vial to take home.

Olfaction Beyond Gravity: Human Scent Experience in Space
2026-07-07 10:00 - 11:00 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/olfaction-beyond-gravity-human-scent-experience-in-space-tickets-1988011607233?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Dr Caroline McMillan joins the IAO to share her research into human scent experience in space in the latest talk in the IAO’s Olfactory Research Notes series.
On Earth,scent molecules disperse primarily through rising air and diffusion. In microgravity, olfaction changes dramatically. Without aggressive ventilation, air pockets stagnate, odours linger, and bodily fluids migrate toward the nasal cavity, congesting the passages and dulling the sense of smell. The result is sensory monotony, olfactory fatigue, and altered perception. Additionally, astronauts navigate unavoidable, intimate realities in confined, shared spaces. These circumstances create persistent atmosphereswith no fresh air or open windows, and are often marked by avoidance or taboo.
Olfactory cues bespeak identity and anchor well-being. So how do we create meaningful olfactory experiences in orbitwhen our understanding of smell is profoundly altered, both physically and perceptually?
Drawing on astronaut accounts and research from the commercial space industry, this presentation explores scent as an untapped dimension of spatial design. Smell offers subtle, temporal, functional layers that ease discomfort, support mental health, and social cohesion in high-performance environments.

Introduction to Perfume Blending: Freestyle (in person)
2026-07-07 17:30 - 20:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/introduction-to-perfume-blending-freestyle-in-person-tickets-1990620501506?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Join us for Introduction to Blending, a class for beginners to perfumery that is focused on learning how to blend with aromatic materials, and how to create (and balance) a formula. Perfume-lovers and burgeoning olfactory artists have the opportunity to jump right into making their scent dreams a reality, with access to the hundreds of aromatic materials in the IAO lab space.
The class will begin with a quick primer to the world of aromatic materials: synthetics vs. naturals, top/middle/base notes, and dilutions. Participants will be guided through the process of setting up a workstation and how to write a perfume formula, with proportions and balance in mind.
The second portion of the class will be the open exploration of the IAO Organ by all participants. After making individual selections, we will get to blending! With Julianne Lee guiding the class, each participant will learn to make bold changes, subtle refinements, and expand their final formula into a small spray vial to take home.

Tracing Perfume: Amber and balsamic, 2 (online)
2026-07-14 10:00 - 11:30 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tracing-perfume-amber-balsamic-part-2-online-tickets-1989624871550
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Dana El Masri explores the history of fine fragrance through a series of classes that cover the genealogy of scent. How did aromatic materials influence perfumery? How did perfumers draw from the same source to produce such diverse expressions? Each class in this series explores the most important perfumes in 20th and 21st perfumery from the perspective of the materials that inform them.
In this class, Dana covers perfumes highlighting amber and balsamic materials, focusing on beeswax, cistus-labdanum, and vanilla. She will explore the material provenance, aromatic aspects, and notable perfumes that make use of these notes in various ways. Then, as a group, the class will discuss a series of notes and perfumes that elucidate the category.

Topics covered:
History and cultural impact of perfume materials
Technical information about perfume materials
Overview of these materials in classic, contemporary, mass market, and niche perfumes

Botanical Oil Extracts: Traditional and Machine Methods (online)
2026-07-14 17:00 - 18:30 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/botanical-oil-extracts-traditional-and-machine-methods-online-tickets-1989953043120?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Perfumer Lakenda Wallace (Modern Peasant Beauty) is here to help open our eyes to the beauty in our backyards, and harness our favorite herbs and aromatics for applications in artisan beauty and scent practices.

In this online session, Lakenda covers the how-tos and what not-to-dos of extracting oil from botanical materials.
With plenty of time for questions, Lakenda will guide you through the steps for converting enchanting aromatics from your home garden into lovely and meaningful aromatic oil-based materials.

Hsuan L. Hsu and Olfactory Worldmaking (online)
2026-07-15 17:00 - 18:00 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/hsuan-l-hsu-and-olfactory-worldmaking-online-tickets-1986805424508?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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Hsuan L. Hsu shares his research into how smell reshapes human connections, and resists racial and colonial capitalist systems.

Smell is a vital, if underappreciated, medium through which we inhabit and imagine the world. In his new book Olfactory Worldmaking, Hsuan L. Hsu traces how olfactory experience communicates across visceral, material, and affective registers to offer new ways of relating, which challenge the extractive logics of racial and colonial capitalism. Blending environmental humanities, sensory studies, and critical ethnic studies, the book highlights how scent animates suppressed histories and marginalized memories.
Hsu theorizes olfaction as a speculative, reparative practice. Examining projects from historical novels, memoirs, and speculative fiction to conceptual art and experimental perfumes, he reveals how these works mobilize scent to imagine alternative ways of sensing, relating, and creating more equitably livable worlds.
Learn more about ‘Olfactory Worldmaking’, here

ABOUT HSUAN L. HSU
Hsuan L. Hsu is professor of English at the University of California, Davis. He is author of Geography and the Production of Space in Nineteenth-Century American Literature; Sitting in Darkness: Mark Twain’s Asia and Comparative Racialization; The Smell of Risk: Environmental Disparities and Olfactory Aesthetics; and Air Conditioning.

ABOUT OLFACTORY RESEARCH NOTES
Olfactory Research Notes is a lecture series presented by the Institute for Art and Olfaction that highlights important research done in the field of olfaction, directly from the scientists, researchers, academics, and artists who do it.

Citrus, Raw to Refined: A Natural Perfume Workshop (in person)
2026-07-16 17:30 - 20:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Learn more: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/citrus-raw-to-refined-a-natural-perfume-workshop-in-person-tickets-1988879196215?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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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

Perfume’s Most Notorious Book and Its Scents: Smelling Session (In Person)
2026-07-17 17:30 - 19:00 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perfumes-most-notorious-book-and-its-scents-smelling-session-in-person-tickets-1988018267153?aff=oddtdtcreator
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The library at the Institute for Art and Olfaction contains a perfume archive of over a thousand fine fragrances, pieces of olfactory art, and more. Smell through the pages of perfumery’s most notorious book as we smell aromatics mentioned in and perfumes inspired by Patrick Suskind’s Perfume: The Story of a Murderer. The novel follows super-smeller Jean-Baptiste Grenouille as he travels through France in the 18th century, honing his sense of smell as he becomes a perfumer and a murderer. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer is a worldwide phenomenon, inspiring multiple adaptations into film, television, music, and fine fragrance, and influencing decades of enthusiastic readers to enter the world of perfumery — and vice versa.

The Institute for Art and Olfaction team leads a guided smelling session of notable aromatics discussed in the novel, as well as several fine fragrances created as an homage to the work. Scent strips will be handed out by your instructors, before we spend time smelling and discussing our impressions of both the materials and perfumes.
Our discussion will focus on the impressions of aromatics, perfumes and their concordance with the accompanying text. Familiarity with both the original novel and the movie adaptation is not necessary but is highly recommended!
This smelling session will be a special opportunity to smell aromatics and fine fragrances from our library archive. Session will be guided by Minetta Rogers.

Tracing Perfume: Uncommon Florals (in person)
2026-07-21 17:00 - 18:30 | The Institute for Art and Olfaction, 932 Chung King Rd, Los Angeles, CA, 90012, United States
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tracing-perfume-uncommon-florals-in-person-tickets-1989625143363
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Dana El Masri explores the history of fine fragrance through a series of classes that cover the genealogy of scent. How did aromatic materials influence perfumery? How did perfumers draw from the same source to produce such diverse expressions? Each class in this series explores the most important perfumes in 20th and 21st perfumery from the perspective of the materials that inform them.
In this class, Dana covers perfumes highlighting uncommon florals, including hyacinth, osmanthus, and narcissus. She will explore the material provenance, aromatic aspects, and notable perfumes that make use of these uncommon floral notes in various ways. Then, as a group, the class will smell and discuss a series of notes and perfumes that elucidate the category.

Topics covered:
History and cultural impact of perfume materials
Technical information about perfume materials
Overview of these materials in classic, contemporary, mass market, and niche perfumes

Citrus, Long Lasting: Perfume Accords (online)
2026-07-30 10:00 - 12:00 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/citrus-long-lasting-perfume-accords-online-tickets-1963642634981?aff=oddtdtcreator
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Explore fragrance categories through specific classes designed by The Institute for Art and Olfaction to help new perfumers gain sensory understanding and technical perfumery skills.

For newcomers to the Institute for Art and Olfaction or beginners to the art of blending, this class can be an easy entry point into our Perfume Accords series.
In the latest of her accords classes, Ashley leads an investigation into a long-lasting citrus perfume accord. Learning how to assemble perfume accords leads to a greater adeptness at blending, and well-trained noses. Learn how to construct accords as you explore the individual aromatic components of these perfume accords.

Our accords series helps students of perfumery understand the molecular components of the various facets and types of the most important notes in perfumery. By attending this class, an emerging perfumer or scent artist will expand their capabilities and training, gain the materials knowledge to add a new accord to their arsenal, and leave with a deeper understanding of the artistry and science behind perfumery.
Materials Needed/Pre-Class Homework: We will send you a master document containing the materials list and formulation exercises upon signup via the confirmation email from Eventbrite. Please purchase these materials before attending class. The estimated cost of the perfume materials is $62, not including any labware you may need to purchase. The formulation exercises must be accomplished before the class meets.

Perfume 101, 202, 303 Course (Online: Live + Video)
2026-08-05 10:00 - 2026-08-12 12:00 | On Zoom
Sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/perfume-101-202-303-course-online-live-video-tickets-1990665849142?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true
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This class meets online on Wednesday August 5, 2026 from10am to 12pm PDT for Perfume 101 and Thursday, August 20th, 2026 from 10 to 11:30am PDT for Live Q&A for Perfume 202 and 303. The prerecorded lectures for Perfume 202 and 303 will be shared with all registrants on August 12, 2026.

Perfume is an art, a science and a craft. This set of classes serves as an orientation session for newcomers to the field, olfactive adventurers, curious minds, and budding scent enthusiasts who need a little boost.
Perfume 101
In this lecture-based introduction to perfumery, participants will learn about perfume basics such as fragrance families and classifications, get an introduction to perfume-making in a lab, and get an introduction to the different kinds of aromatic materials. Participants will leave with the basic knowledge they need to start a journey down the rabbit hole of appreciating and even making scent, as well as a more considered understanding of what they encounter at the fragrance counter.
Topics covered:
Introduction to scent literacy
Introduction to aromatic materials
Introduction to perfume creation
Introduction to learning resources provided by The Institute for Art and Olfaction
This is an online class that will occur live on Zoom. The video for this session will be available to replay on Zoom for one week after the session ends.

Perfume 202 + Perfume 303
Thoughtful creative preparations and revisions can provide the structure for a thriving artistic output in perfumery. Join Ashley Eden Kessler in two pre-recorded lectures and one live Q&A as she guides you through the important first steps of setting up your own perfume laboratory and working on perfume blends.
Perfume 202: Lab Strategies
Good lab practices can provide the backbone for a thriving creative practice and – for that reason – perfumer Ashley Eden Kessler leads a class that is designed to provide you with the important next steps in your practice. Providing crucial information for setting up a professional perfume lab, and helping you ensure that your practice is built on a solid foundation, Perfume 202 covers the important technical minutiae of your perfume practice, from how to use a scale to how to make a lab solution, an overview of lab hygiene and organization, and how to set up and maintain a working scent organ. This class will allow you to orient yourself as an aspiring perfumer, and help you set up a thriving independent perfume laboratory of your own.
Topics covered:
Pipette techniques (basic and advanced)
How to use a scale with confidence
Overview of lab hygiene and organization
Setting up your work station
Overview of perfume organ set-up and maintenance
Making dilutions from pure, for safe use in perfume-blending
Perfume 303: Perfume Composition Techniques
Designed to provide important next steps for budding perfumers, Perfume 303 will teach you the crucial information for setting up a professional perfume organ, conceptualizing and creating perfume formulas, and helping you ensure that your practice is built on a good artistic habits.
This recurring online class will cover the important creative minutiae. We will review how to organize your library of aromatic materials, talk about how to select your palette for composition, discuss how to best track your formulas, and learn strategies for how to evaluate your trials.
This class, in short, will allow you to ground yourself as an aspiring independent perfumer, and help you develop a methodological approach that will support your long-term practice and give structure upon which your creativity can thrive.
Topics Covered:
How to choose a material palette for perfume composition
Overview of perfume formula writing and maintenance
Introduction to organizing perfume formula writing
How to evaluate perfume trials and revise formulae
Techniques for saving perfume trials
This class is a hybrid video and live online Q+A session. We will send the link to the video portions before the live Q+A. All participants must watch the prerecorded videos for Perfume 202 and 303 before attending the live Q&A session.
For the live event, Ashley Eden Kessler will join for a 1.5 hour Q+A session to cover questions and more.

Schedule of Classes
Wednesday, August 5, 2026 from10am to 12pm PDT
Perfume 101 – live on Zoom, with video replay until September 4, 2026.
August 12, 2026
Access to pre-recorded lectures for Perfume 202 and 303 – video replay until September 4, 2026.
Thursday, August 20, 2026 from 10 to 11:30am PDT
Live Q&A for Perfume 202 and 303 – live on Zoom, with video replay until September 4, 2026.
A ticket allows for access to the live classes, prerecorded lectures, and videos of the classes after they’ve taken place. All videos are will be viewable until September 4, 2026; these videos are not available for download.
