The Perfume Making Podcast16 Feb 2025

Back to Basics Part 3 - The Importance of Having an Efficient Workspace

Karen is back for part three of her ‘Back to Basics’ mini series and this week she is taking a look at how to set up your workspace so you can create perfume safely and efficiently. When we start something new, diving in and trying everything at once is exciting and refreshing, but without proper preparation and organisation this way of working can lead to headaches down the road. In this episode Karen is here to explain not only how to organise your workspace, but why it is essential to do it in a safe and organised manner so that you can start your perfume making journey 100% prepared.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

When you first start making perfume it can be exciting and you can easily find yourself trying a hundred things at once. But, as Karen explains, there can be some drastic consequences to not handling your materials correctly.
From ventilation to goggles and surface cleaner to storage, Karen goes into detail on the basics you need to have a safe workspace.
Once you’ve got your workspace all set it is a good time to revisit dilution. Karen discusses how correct dilution practices can assist you in having efficient working practices.
When you’re in ‘flow’ it can be easy to make simple mistakes. Karen talks about the importance of labelling, not just your materials, but also your blends. And, what you should put on those labels.

BEST MOMENTS

“Getting into good safety habits from the get go is going to make your perfume making journey so much easier.”

“If you are selling your fragrances, or even just thinking about giving them to your friends and family, it is so important to understand basic safety rules.”

“Storage isn’t just about keeping your materials fresh, it’s about avoiding spillages and making sure your materials don’t oxidise.”

EPISODE LINKS

Master your materials

Set Up your Workspace

Make A Perfume Oil

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

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(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 Jan 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 Des 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 Des 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 Nov 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 Nov 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 Nov 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 Nov 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 Nov 202517min