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You’ve Made Soup! - How to Avoid a Muddy Fragrance
Episode 26
“You’ve made soup!” is a phrase French perfume teachers often say to their students. In the world of fragrance, soup refers to a perfume that smells muddy, flat, or undefined. But what causes a scent…
Published on 9 hours ago
Raw Notes - What I Learned from Bruce Springsteen
Episode 119
Karen recently went to the cinema, something she doesn’t do very often. However, on this one-off trip to see the new Bruce Springsteen film, something resonated with her. We often chase perfection, e…
Published on 1 week ago
The Evolution of Musk - Part 2
Episode 118
Following on from last week's show on the history of Musk, Karen is here to tell you all about the synthetic musks. First developed by accident in the 1930s, synthetic musks have evolved through many…
Published on 2 weeks ago
The Evolution of Musk - Part 1
Episode 117
This week, Karen is introducing the first in a two-part series on musk. Musk started life as one of the most prestigious materials in the world of perfumery and was often associated with nobility and…
Published on 3 weeks ago
Soapy, Sparkling, Strange - A Journey Through Aldehydes
Episode 116
After last week’s episode on Chanel No. 5 and its revolutionary use of aldehydes, Karen is going to delve deeper into this fragrance family and its role in the world of perfume. Whilst most people as…
Published on 4 weeks ago
Decoding Aldehydes - The Chemistry of Chanel No. 5
Episode 115
Over the years, Karen has received countless questions about one fragrance family in particular: aldehydes. They often leave people puzzled about what they are and how they’re used in perfumery. In t…
Published on 1 month ago
Synthetic Scents - The Risks of AI in Perfumery
Episode 114
Last week, in one of Karen’s classes, a student was surprised to learn that some information she had received from ChatGPT was inaccurate. With AI becoming increasingly common in perfume making - fro…
Published on 1 month, 1 week ago
When Chemistry Meets Creativity - A Beginner’s Guide to Synthetic Perfume Materials
Episode 113
Karen often hears from people who work exclusively with natural materials in their fragrances but are beginning to notice the limitations, whether it’s their blends smelling too much like aromatherap…
Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago
Eau de What? - Demystifying Perfume Concentrations
Episode 112
This week, Karen is tackling a question she's asked all the time, especially by those transitioning from aromatherapy to natural perfumery: “What’s the deal with concentration levels for leave-on and…
Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago
The Art of Weaving Time - Crafting Order from Chaos
Episode 111
After a well-deserved break, which was extended by a week, Karen is back. During her time off she took part in ‘Hampshire Open Studios’, a scheme where artists across Hampshire open up their workshop…
Published on 2 months ago