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

This week on the show Karen is covering the topic of creating a fragrance product range. When you make a range of products with the same branding there are so many important factors to consider, such as what materials to use, how different products interact to different scents and how to create and maintain consistency across the range. Karen gives you all the information you need to get started in planning and creating your very own fragrance product range.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Karen outlines the critical role of fragrance in product development and why you should have a deep understanding of it.
• Karen details the importance of having a consistent scent across all products in your range and talks about some of the technical steps you need to take to achieve this.
• The most important first step to take when making a product range is creating a fragrance brief. Karen outlines why this is so important and what you should include in your brief.
• Karen talks about the importance of choosing the right fragrance type for your products.

BEST MOMENTS

“Scent is key. It’s not just about how it smells, but the message it conveys to the customer.”

“When you’re building a product range, consistency is key.”

“Each type of product interacts with scent in a new way.”

EPISODE LINKS

Creating Fragrance for Skincare Products Course

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

On this week's show, Karen is delving into the topic of bespoke perfumes, which are individual fragrances that cater to the specific preferences of an individual or company. But, there is so much more to them than that. Karen takes a deep dive into the subject, covering the different types of bespoke perfumes, the challenges you will face when creating them, how to make them and who buys them and the vital skills you can acquire by learning how to make bespoke perfumes.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Karen explains the skills that you can acquire from learning the practice of creating bespoke perfumes, and, even if you don’t plan on making them, how these skills are invaluable to perfume making in general.
• Karen details some of the clients that are in the market for bespoke perfumes and how that market is a lot bigger than you think.
• There are actually three different categories of bespoke fragrances. Karen details the creative process of each three and their real world applications.
• Karen talks about the biggest challenges you will face when creating bespoke perfumes and give you the tools to overcome them.

BEST MOMENTS

“We live in a world where there is so much choice and accessibility that it is only natural for people to look for something that really stands out.”

“The fragrances we wear are a form of self expression, they’re a way to tell the world who we are. Bespoke perfumes offer exclusivity and personalisation in a world that is flooded with options.”

“Clear communication is key to creating bespoke fragrances. What smells one way to one person may smell different to another, so create a common language.”

EPISODE LINKS

Bespoke Perfumery Masterclass

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 talking to Helida Dodd from Marbella Perfumes. Helida is an alumni of Karen’s artisan Perfumery Mastermind course and an industrial engineer turned artisan perfumer. In this talk with Karen, Helida shares why she took the leap into the world of perfumery, how she learned an entirely new profession and the challenges she faced along the way.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Moving from industrial engineering to perfumery isn’t something a lot of people do. Helida shares her story of this incredible transition.
• Helida talks about her first steps into the world of perfumery, how her perception of the process completely changed and some of the incredible discoveries she made.
• Like most people that take a leap into a new career, Helida found herself overwhelmed by the amount of new information she had to learn. She details her process of overcoming this hurdle.
• In another unconventional career move, Helida is now using her understanding of the perfume making process to deliver team building workshops. She details how this works.

BEST MOMENTS

“Before every perfume formula there is a story, and that is the fascinating unknown aspect of perfumery.”

“People say that age gives you wisdom, but launching into entrepreneurship is what really gives you wisdom.”

“A perfumer smells a perfume the same way a musician hears a symphony, not by hearing the whole piece, but by hearing the individual notes.”

EPISODE LINKS

Marbella Perfumes

Marbella Perfumes 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