This week, Karen is going all the way back to a fundamental topic for those starting their journey in perfumery - “Why alcohol based perfumes are the best starting point for beginners.” Alcohol, as a base material, often gets overlooked and has many false narratives surrounding it. But, it is actually the best place to start your perfume journey. In this episode, Karen is here to explain what makes alcohol so unique and debunk all those myths surrounding it so that you can start your perfume making journey with ease.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Alcohol evaporates very quickly. Most people learn this and instantly assume it to be a negative. However, Karen explains why this property is a game changer for beginners.
How do your materials react to an alcohol base versus an oil base? Karen breaks down in detail the difference between the two.
Alcohol is a very volatile solvent. Karen explains how this property allows you to create scents with more complexity and depth.
There are many myths surrounding the use of alcohol in perfumery, such as “alcohol dries out the skin.” Karen is here to debunk those myths.

BEST MOMENTS

“Alcohol reveals the true nature of your materials clearly and cleanly.”

“If you have built your business around oil based scents, don’t abandon that entirely, you can introduce alcohol slowly.”

“Alcohol based perfumes are so much more versatile than oil based.”

EPISODE LINKS

In Person Classes

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

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

A Strong Base - Why Alcohol is the Best Place to Start

The Perfume Making Podcast

A Strong Base - Why Alcohol is the Best Place to Start