The Perfume Making Podcast Karen Gilbert

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 about all things sandalwood from the therapeutic benefits, the growing and harvesting procedures and why, with the right approach, sandalwood will never be endangered again.  

KEY TAKEAWAYS


As well as producing an incredible scent, sandalwood also has some amazing therapeutic benefits, such as anti-aging. Vanessa breaks down these benefits and the research behind them.
Vanessa outlines the history of sandalwood, its importance as an export for Australia and why, 30 years ago, Quintis decided to create plantations which, today, total over 4 million trees.
Sophie discusses the importance of having strong relationships with the team that grow and harvest the sandalwood and how this creates transparency and trust with their clients. 
Sandalwood was once endangered and Quintis are determined to make sure that never happens again. Sophie discusses the company's approach to making sure that sandalwood will be sustainable for the future. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Sandalwood has the same effect on the brain as meditation. It has the ability to calm you and reduce anxiety.”

“You have to make sure you are honest with your clients so they can be honest with their customers.”

“Sandalwood  has an incredible ability to adapt to the other ingredients it blends with to give a wide range of scents.”

 

EPISODE LINKS

Quintis Website

Quintis Instagram

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

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 decided to attend Karen’s class, and her life changed forever. In this interview with Karen, Nicole gives a detailed account of her journey over the last 3 years and will inspire you to do what she did….follow your dream. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Nicole recounts her journey which started with her beloved childhood perfume making kit, and how, during covid, Karen’s course reignited those memories which ultimately led her to launching her own perfume business. 
Nicole explains the theory behind her workshops and how they are designed to encourage mindfulness and harmony in the participants, as well as bringing people closer to scent. 
Nicole finally took the step to launch her own perfume business once covid hit and she found herself to be desperately unhappy. She details her process to Karen, the challenges she faced and how she ultimately overcame them.
Karen and Nicole discuss the importance of obtaining objective feedback on your work, where to get it from and how, if done correctly, it can help you to grow. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Being creative is not only fun, but it releases positive endorphins which helps to reduce stress and make you feel better.”

“If you’re thinking about doing something, just go for it. If you have time to put barriers up, you’ll find a reason not to do it.”

“Start small, test your market, test your audience. That's the best way to grow anything.”

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

EPISODE LINKS:

Elix Fragrance Website

Elix Fragrance Instagram

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

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, Karen is here to guide you into the world of mindfulness practices so that you can achieve your full potential.

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Karen breaks down the science behind mindfulness and creativity, how we process both creativity and emotions and why practicing mindfulness techniques can enhance the key areas of our brain. 
Karen walks you through a breathing technique that not only calms your mind, but engages your sense of smell, and shares the advantages of practicing this technique prior to any practical work.
Are you conscious of how your workspace makes you feel? Karen talks about how you can incorporate mindfulness into your workspace to help improve your creativity and shares her top tips for doing this. 
Being mindful in your working practices is key, but being mindful about your mindfulness is really what helps you to grow. Karen talks about the importance of being present in the moment and evaluating and refining your mindfulness practices. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Mindfulness practices help calm the mind, clear mental clutter and improve our focus.”

“By integrating mindfulness practices to your routine, you’re going to significantly enhance your ability to work with and understand a variety of different scented materials.”

“It’s too easy to get to the end of the day and think that you haven’t achieved anything, but if you spend even a few minutes reflecting, you’ll be amazed and what you realise.”

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

EPISODE LINKS

The Scent Shift

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

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 approach to online shopping, how they are mastering Tik-Tok to leverage their brand and the power of being independent. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Josh and Samuel talk through their process of creating their unique fragrance finder, which gives online customers the same experience of in store shopping, but with an exciting twist. 
Josh explains the company’s approach to Tik-Tok, how they saw a way to make perfumery accessible to masses and the success they have achieved through this approach.
Fiole specialises in selling artisan brands. But what is the difference between artisan and niche? Josh and Samuel explain. 
Samuel talks about the strong position that Fiole finds itself in due to their unique nature and how this gives them the advantage when big fragrance houses approach them for collaboration. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“When you’re in a store the fragrance is doing the talking, but when you’re online, it’s packaging, images, ingredients.”

“Tik-Tok is a great platform for education which ultimately drives customers to your website.”

“Fragrances aren’t niche in terms of personal taste, they’re only niche in terms of availability.”

 

EPISODE LINKS

Fiole Website

Fiole Instagram

Fiole TikTok

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

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 market research to understanding your goal to finding your ideal customer, it’s all covered in this episode so that you can hit the ground running. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS


The world of perfume marketing has changed. Brands no longer need to advertise in prestigious magazines, you can be successful just by using tiktok. But there are things to consider with this approach, which Karen explains. 
Karen talks about how understanding what you want out of life, and not just within the confines of your perfume business, will help you to create a clear definition of success and, in turn, a tangible goal to work toward. 
Having a strong understanding of costs is crucial to success. But this isn’t just about how much you charge for your product, it’s about what you're spending too. As Karen explains, the beauty of a pilot launch is that you can create small batches to test costing on various items so you can find that sweet spot. 
Karen talks about the importance of creating a potential market for your product before your launch and how the creation of ‘waiting list’ is an invaluable tool to help you do this. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“The perfume market is vast. To stand out, it’s not just about having a great product, it’s about understanding your audience and understanding there's a demand for your unique scent.”

“Do you know who you're really trying to sell to? It’s so important to identify your dream customer.”

“A small scale launch can act as a test to gather customer feedback without the full financial risk of a large inventory.”

 

EPISODE LINK

Karen’s Business Launch Plan

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email

This week Karen is joined by Daniela Carrasco, an alumni of Karen’s Perfumery Mastermind course and founder of her own perfume brand, Linen Tutu, a 100% natural fragrance brand. In this interview, Daniela shares her fascinating take on both the production of her fragrances and her branding and marketing. By using only natural materials, having total transparency with her customers and using visual and audio art in her own unique way, Daniela has created a company that feels new, fresh and exciting and is producing exquisite products. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS


Daniela shares her journey from aromatherapist and a student at design school to her current occupation as a perfumer, and how her previous roles have helped to shape her current one. 
Daniela shares her research and learnings on sensory design, how she discovered all five senses do not operate in isolation and the relationship between these discoveries and her approach to perfume making.  
Daniela details the extensive research and learning she conducted prior to launching her brand, how this helped her to prepare for her new venture, but also how she would have done things differently given the chance again. 
Daniela, who only uses natural materials in her perfumes, details the ethical and moral considerations behind this decision and how she has achieved incredible results. 

BEST MOMENTS 

“Most people wear a fragrance for themselves, not for other people.”

“Everyone has a right to know what materials are in the perfumes they are wearing.”

“There is more than one way to communicate the message of your fragrance. Music, film and photography can all contribute to creating the story you want to tell.”

 

EPISODE LINKS

Linentutu Website

Linentutu Instagram

Linentutu TikTok

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind  

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. 

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

Website

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube

Email