Category: Learning

Authors Ohloff/Pickenhage/Kraft

This is a chemistry text book of sorts but as chemistry books go it is very readable and accessible to the intermediate to advanced perfumery student. There is a facebook and twitter account that tweets amazing in depth fragrance formulae and deconstructions. Search scent and chemistry to follow them online.

The book itself profiles a lot of naturals as well as aromachemicals so don’t be put off if synthetics are not your thing and it also gives juicy tidbits of information on the actual amounts of certain materials in well known fragrances. 

This in itself is a great way to learn how fragrances are created.

This book is sadly out of print right now but you might be able to find a second hand copy online.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Authors Calkin/Jellinek

This is possibly one of the most interesting and comprehensive books for the budding perfumer although it was written in 1994 so some of the material on IFRA will be out of date. At the time of writing the authors were a teacher at the Dragoco (now part of Symrise) perfumery school and the manager of product and consumer research also at Dragoco.

There are chapters on all aspects of perfumery and raw materials including compounding notes for particular florals and a table of the basic raw materials and their classification. There is the section titled “studies in fine fragrance” which delves into how some of the classic fine fragrances were created and the materials used.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Author Curtis/Williams

This is a perfumery textbook from the 90’s for a course at Plymouth University The book contains much of the information in the course notes so makes it a lot more cost effective to study although of course you don’t get the qualification. 

The course and book are designed for those in or intending to go into the commercial fragrance industry so there is also a lot of material on marketing and the structure of a fragrance house which may not be so interesting for some. 

It has the materials profiles which are a good reference and the fragrance formulae they include. Also as it is a text book, there are exercises and experiments to do – so a great learning tool.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Authors Josephine Fairley and Lorna McKay

If you want just one good all round perfume reference book then this is the one. 

Like Jo Fairley’s other book “The Beauty Bible” this is aimed at educating the fragrance buyer. 

There are chapters on fragrance families, terminology and interviews with perfumers as well as a guide to the best blogs and fragrance shops. 

The section “top 100 perfumes to try before you die” is a great compendium of iconic fragrances both old and new that any perfume lover should smell.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Authors Luca Turin and Tania Sanchez

This book is a cult classic for it blunt and often scathing reviews of famous fragrances. 

There are plenty of glowing reviews too and a star rating from 1 star = Avoid to 5 stars = Masterpiece.

It is a fun read and another great reference book for those wanting to learn more about perfume even if it is just to choose a fragrance for yourself.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Author Chrissie Wildwood

It’s now out of print but you can still find copies on Amazon. Natural blends for perfume. It is a very simple book with basic information but it uses accords as building blocks rather than just giving simplistic blends.

See Karen Gilbert’s post on working with materials HERE

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Author Mandy Aftel

Mandy is a pioneer of natural perfumery who also teaches and creates beautiful perfumes and chefs essences. This book is it’s slightly esoteric slant with history, myths and alchemy or fragrance and fragrance materials. It also has a good introduction to creating natural fragrances and suggests materials that work best together.

Something worth mentioning which goes for all books on perfumery is that anywhere formulae are suggested it is for educational purposes and home use. Those intending to create fragrances to sell need to be aware of individual regulations and limits on materials in your own country especially for those in the E.U where regulations on naturals are much tighter than the USA.

Karen Gilbert recommendation

Author Karen Gilbert

Its a great place to start for beginners who want to learn about materials, creating accords and proper perfumery techniques. The formulations  are very simple using essential oils and absolutes but we do touch on some aromachemicals. 

There is no reason why you can’t incorporate some synthetics into the natural scents in the book too. There is a resources section at the back on where to buy perfumery materials and a regularly updated version of the resources guide can be found HERE

Karen Gilbert’s blog: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk