The Perfume Making Podcast27 Huhti 2025

From Day Job to Dream Job - Why it’s Never Too Late to Follow Your Dreams

This week Karen is joined by Artisan Perfumery Mastermind alumni Gabrielle Durand, the founder of natural fragrance brand ‘On the Nose’ perfumes. After a long career in the corporate world of HR, Gabrielle decided to take a leap of faith and follow her lifelong dream of being a perfumer. Changing your career late in life can be a very daunting prospect, but Gabrielle was determined to succeed. In this inspirational interview with Karen, Gabrielle takes us, step by step, on her journey from day job to dream job.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Gabrielle had a long and successful career in HR, however the bug to be a perfumer was one that hadn’t left her since childhood. She recounts to Karen how a chance encounter with online learning led her into her dream career at the tender age of 50.
Gabrielle started making perfumes as a test. Confident that she could make it into a business, it wasn’t until her friend and family started asking for refills that she realised other people were taking it seriously too. She explains to Karen how this spurred her on to take the leap into full time perfumery.
The lessons Gabrielle learned in the corporate world served her well when she launched her new perfume business. She details how she used her learnings to make sure her brand was ready to launch and how it allowed her to communicate her style and vision effectively.
A lot of people carry around the misconception that it’s too late to try something new. Gabrielle, who came to perfumery in her 50’s, explains to listeners why it’s never too late to make a change.

BEST MOMENTS

“It's not just about getting your product to a customer, it’s about making that experience valuable and memorable.”

“In a year, you’re going to be a year older and you’re still going to be questioning if you should make a change. So do it now.”

“It’s not just about getting the perfume right, it’s also about getting the packaging and design right.

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Perfume Business Launch Plan

Bespoke Perfumery Masterclass

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

Getting Started Guide

EPISODE LINKS

On The Nose Perfumes

On The Nose Perfumes Instagram

Sniffing Out The Details blog

ABOUT THE GUEST

Gabrielle Durand is the founder of On The Nose Perfumes, a natural luxury brand for those who believe natural shouldn’t mean simple. A self-professed maximalist at heart, she creates complex, high-impact fragrances using only pure, natural materials - no shortcuts, no synthetics.
Her work blends craftsmanship, creativity, and a deep respect for nature to offer a new vision of what luxury perfumery can be.

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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