The Perfume Making Podcast23 Helmi 2025

Back to Basics Part 4 - Why The Fragrance Journal is the Best Tool You’re Not Using

This week marks the final episode in Karen’s back to basics mini series, and as a special treat, she is focusing on something that often gets overlooked - fragrance journaling. Although many people don’t have one, a fragrance journal is a key tool to helping you progress as a perfumer. Whether its notes on your formulation or mood boards for inspiration, your journal should be your personal bible for your perfume making journey. In this episode, Karen breaks down why you should have one, what to put in it and how you can then use that information to take your perfume making skills to the next level.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

A fragrance journal is an underused tool in perfume making, but Karen aims to change that as she explains the many invaluable reasons for having one.
What exactly do you write in a fragrance journal? Karen details the many wonderful and important pieces of information that should go into your journal to help you progress.
It’s not just notes that go into your journal. Karen explains how you can utilise digital technology to take your journal to the next level.
Once you’ve added information to your journal, then what? As Karen reveals, this is only half of the process, and, where the real learning starts.

BEST MOMENTS

“A journal helps you sharpen your skills and create perfumes with more confidence.”

“A journal means you're not relying on your own memory. It gives you a record of what works and what doesn’t.”

“If you regularly review your entries and apply what you have learnt, it will help you to become a better perfumer.

EPISODE LINKS

Master your materials

Fast Track Your perfume making with an in person class

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

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