The Perfume Making Podcast25 Touko 2025

Branding 101 - An Interview with Fiona Humberstone, The Brand Stylist

This week Karen is joined by Fiona Humberstone, also known as ‘The Brand Stylist’. Fiona has worked with clients ranging from tiny artisan brands to large country estates, as well as being a published author and course facilitator. With a lifetime of experience, it’s safe to say that what Fiona doesn’t know about branding isn’t worth knowing. In this interview with Karen, Fiona gives an insightful crash course on everything from what to consider when creating your branding to how to separate your personal tastes from the needs of your brand.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

When creating a branding how do you merge the marketing and the authentic self? Fiona discusses the importance of being true to your values so that your product or company does not just become a soulless product of marketing.
Most people think branding is picking a colour scheme and nice font, but this couldn’t be further from reality. From mood boards to understating your why, Fiona breaks down what really goes into creating a brand.
What are the key considerations you must account for whilst creating branding specifically for a perfume business? Using the example of a recent client, Fiona talks you through them step by step.
The perfume industry has seen a huge shift post Covid with the phenomenal rise in the number of indie and artisan brands. However, these brands often don’t have the money to spend on fancy branding and marketing campaigns. Karen and Fiona discuss how to make the most of your budget, but also why you need to be realistic.

BEST MOMENTS

“Understanding what you do that is unique is really going to help you to create branding that holds your space.”

“It’s your business, but you are not your brand. So don’t think about choosing a brand you like, think about choosing a brand that works.”

“Do it once, do it properly and it will last you for a decade.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

EPISODE LINKS

Free Branding course

Free Branding Tools

Branding Agency

The Brand Stylist Instagram

Branding Agency 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

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

Tämä jakso on lisätty Podme-palveluun avoimen RSS-syötteen kautta eikä se ole Podmen omaa tuotantoa. Siksi jakso saattaa sisältää mainontaa.

Jaksot(126)

Done with Hustle? - Building a Stronger Perfume Business That Won’t Burn You Out in 2026

This isn’t the usual New Year’s episode about planning, vision boards, and big 2026 goals. Instead, Karen looks at what happens when you actually need to do less, and how that can be the key to buildi...

4 Tammi 40min

Layering Like a Pro (or a Rebel): From TikTok Hacks to Indie Perfume

Ever wondered why everyone’s suddenly talking about layering their favourite scents? In this special year-end episode, Karen dives into the layered world of fragrance - examining the trend that’s gone...

14 Joulu 202546min

Don’t Sell Yourself Short! Building a Perfume Business Without the Discount Spiral

It’s easy to think that the best way to stay ahead in business is by watching your competitors and lowering your prices when they do. But as Karen explains in this episode, that common fear-driven rea...

7 Joulu 202530min

Making a Mod: Embracing Iteration in Perfume Making and Doing It Right

This week Karen follows on from the conversation she had about learning to evaluate your perfumes. She covers something that is done as a matter of course in the industry. It's something a lot of peop...

30 Marras 202526min

Evaluating Your Fragrances: How to Judge Your Scent Like a Professional

Do you really know if your fragrance works? Or are you just hoping for compliments? In this episode, Karen reveals why friends and family are not likely to be giving you the feedback you really need. ...

23 Marras 202530min

Why Buying More “Magic” Materials Won’t Make You a Better Perfumer

It’s easy to believe that the secret to creating great fragrances lies in having more materials - more naturals, more synthetics, more obscure aroma chemicals. But as Karen explains in this episode, t...

16 Marras 202534min

You’ve Made Soup! - How to Avoid a Muddy Fragrance

“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 ...

10 Marras 202533min

Raw Notes - What I Learned from Bruce Springsteen

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, ei...

2 Marras 202517min