Katarina Kudryashova, stylist, blogger
Have you ever wondered how you become a perfumer? We know about the great "noses" of France. Here are just a couple of famous names: Jacques Polge developed the formulas for the most popular Chanel fragrances (Coco, Allure, Coco Mademoiselle, Chance); Jean-Claude Ellena launched a perfume line at Hermes (which are only Terre d'Hermès and Kelly Calèche, iconic for the brand); Sophie Labbe created Organza and Very Irresistible for Givenchy, Boss Woman for Hugo Boss, Jasmin Noir for Bvlgari.
Are there "noses" in Russia? Of course. We met with three perfumers and learned how they came to the profession and how they build their business in our country.
Vladislava Kochelaeva, founder and chief perfumer of Vladislava Parfum, author of the book "The Influence of Smells on the Subconscious" (being prepared for publication)
For Vladislava Kochelaeva, the first step towards a dream was the education of a chemist. After obtaining fundamental knowledge, an exchange of experience with Russian and French perfumers followed, as well as work in the laboratory of Sheremetyev at the Institute of Organic Chemistry. Zelinsky and in the Science Park of Moscow State University on the topic of innovation "Aromadizin". Being a supporter of an integrated approach, Vladislava works not only on creating formulas for perfume bases (these are 100% aroma compositions, which are then diluted to the desired concentration of perfume water or perfume), but also with innovative aroma-olfa codes that affect our subconscious.
“As a professional perfumer and biochemist, I am interested in creating a“high range”perfume that affects a person and his subconscious. This allows us to make the owner of this perfume more charismatic, successful, attractive both for himself and for those around him."
Today Vladislava works in several directions. “I have ready-made aroma formulas. Perfumes created according to these formulas can be bought in the public domain. There are more than 50 titles. They cost from 100 euros. Vladislava Parfum also creates individual formulas, including aroma marketing and aroma design. The cost of developing an individual formula is from 1,500 rubles per 1 ml.
Why can't everyone like the same scent? “The perception of aroma depends on our hormonal state at the moment, which is constantly changing. You like exactly the scent that reflects your internal hormonal balance, that is, your energy. And this is as individual and unique as, for example, fingerprints."
Anna Gurina, perfumer, founder of the Perfume Project laboratory
Anna Agurina, a graduate of the Faculty of Chemistry, got the idea to open a perfume laboratory after several years of work as a perfumer in France at Galimard, where she specialized in creating individual perfumes and developing fragrances for brands. “The French love to create personal perfumes for special occasions - for weddings, anniversaries or, for example, when they cannot find a suitable fragrance in stores. But in Russia there is no such culture, few people know that this is generally possible. And I realized that I could become a guide to the world of personal fragrances."
In 2015, Anna returned to Moscow with experience of working in French companies and training at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery, and opened the Perfume Project laboratory. Today, together with her team, she is engaged in the creation of individual fragrances and the production of perfumes under her own brand Aromamusic, as well as conducting training in conjunction with the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (France).
“It costs 10,000 rubles to create an individual perfume in the Perfume Project laboratory (this service will cost the same in France). When working on the creation of perfumes, I use exclusively French ingredients (there are 250 of them), and the process of mixing the pre-selected ingredients itself lasts about three and a half hours. I prefer to make two versions of the scent so that the client has a choice. After the skin test, the client chooses the option he likes, and I reproduce it in a volume of 100 ml in the concentration of eau de parfum. Each formula is secret and is reproduced in a single copy. Only the customer can repeat the aroma”.
In addition to individual solutions, there are ready-made options: three fragrances - Amber Jam, Mirrow, Pullover, as well as a collection of memories Memo Box Perfume in travel set format. These are miniature fragrances that come in a set of three (each volume is only 15 ml). It remains only to choose those compositions that cause nostalgia.
The main difficulty of a perfumer's work, according to Anna, is patience: “To create a new fragrance, you need at least three months and more than a hundred attempts (if you're lucky). Keeping motivated and getting things done can be difficult. Therefore, not everyone can work in this profession. Students at my school are often involved in related activities, such as opening perfume boutiques, working in the field of psychology or winemaking."
Maria Borisova, Founder of Selection Excellence
The story of our third heroine is different from the previous ones. Trained as a political scientist, Maria worked for a long time in the office of the French company Louis Vuitton. But once in Belgium, she met a perfumer who literally turned her world upside down and inspired a completely new experiment.
I was not looking for an opportunity to get a fundamental education as a perfumer and now I am sure that it was right. Our creative duet with a perfumer-artisan in Belgium allows me to devote the necessary attention and time to the development of the brand in Moscow. For me, every our meeting with him is an opportunity to learn a lot of the necessary and new in this craft, which helps me to better reveal my idea on paper, to put my idea in his hands. In the professional language my business is called "perfume couturier"
Each fragrance has its own story, emotions and experiences.
Of the main difficulties in building her own perfume business, Maria names two main ones: “This is the underdevelopment of the industry in Russia and distrust of the Russian brand among consumers. For example, we had to look for glass bottles abroad and order in Austria, because in Russia they simply do not produce them in the quantities required by a small business."
The Selection Excellence collection now includes 35 selective perfumes and 6 home fragrances. The brand is in the democratic segment (a 30 ml bottle will cost about 3,000 rubles), so the main emphasis is not on exotic ingredients, but on a natural oil base, high durability, individual sound on the skin, which is typical for niche perfumery. In addition, the brand works with individual and corporate orders. “Once we were approached with a classic corporate order from the Abrau Durso champagne house. Both parties liked the cooperation so much that as a result, two perfumes and a fragrance for the house "Air of Abrau" entered our permanent collection. In the same way, our joint work with the State Historical Museum on the Se perfume, released specifically for the exhibition "Handsome Man. Russian Fashionist of the Mid-18th - Early 20th Centuries", happened, and now we are collaborating with the Zaryadye Park."
The plans are to conquer the regions. Maria is constantly looking for partners in the regions who would like to present Selection Excellence products in their cities in the format of a franchise or multi-brand boutiques.
