This class meets online on February 5, 2026 from10am to 12pm PDT for Perfume 101 and February 19, 2026 from 10 to 11:30am PDT for Live Q&A for Perfume 202 and 303, with the prerecorded lectures for Perfume 202 and 303 released on February 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

February 5, 2026 -10am-12pm PDT
Perfume 101 – live on Zoom, with 1 week video replay.

February 12, 2026
Access to pre-recorded lectures for Perfume 202 and 303 – video replay.

February 19, 2026 10-11:30am PDT
Live Q&A for Perfume 202 and 303 –  live on Zoom, with 1 week video replay.

A ticket allows for access to the live classes, prerecorded lectures, and videos of the classes after they’ve taken place. Videos are available for 7 days after each session.