Discover the foundations of natural perfumery through this beautifully designed 80-page handbook created by perfumer and scent educator Delphine McPhilimey, founder of Olfactora.
Originally developed as part of Olfactora’s two-day Foundations of Natural Perfumery course in Perth, this first edition is now available as a standalone guide for anyone wishing to begin exploring perfume creation at their own pace.
Designed to be approachable for complete beginners, the handbook introduces both the creative and technical foundations of perfumery. You’ll learn how to develop your sense of smell, understand fragrance structure and families, explore natural aromatic materials, evaluate ingredients, build accords and begin translating creative ideas into fragrance formulas.
The guide also explores Olfactora’s more atmospheric approach to perfume creation, encouraging you to think beyond individual notes and use scent to evoke places, textures, memories, moods and experiences. The handbook itself describes this as approaching scent as “atmosphere”, alongside the technical foundations of composition.
You’ll explore:
How to train your nose and develop an olfactory vocabulary
Fragrance families and how they interact
The role of synthetic and naturally derived materials in contemporary perfumery
How to build a beginner perfumer’s organ
Evaluating and diluting fragrance materials
Atmospheric and scene-based perfumery
Introduction to the Jean Carles method
Building simple accords and fragrance structures
Working with percentages and scaling formulas
Perfume concentrations, maturation and maceration
Setting up your own perfumery workspace
Material evaluation exercises and practical references
The handbook includes practical dilution examples, formulation guidance and accord-building exercises, making it much more than an introduction to fragrance theory.
The Olfactora Perfumery Sourcing Guide
Recommended suppliers, books and resources for aspiring perfumers.
Discover the foundations of natural perfumery through this beautifully designed 80-page handbook created by perfumer and scent educator Delphine McPhilimey, founder of Olfactora.
Originally developed as part of Olfactora’s two-day Foundations of Natural Perfumery course in Perth, this first edition is now available as a standalone guide for anyone wishing to begin exploring perfume creation at their own pace.
Designed to be approachable for complete beginners, the handbook introduces both the creative and technical foundations of perfumery. You’ll learn how to develop your sense of smell, understand fragrance structure and families, explore natural aromatic materials, evaluate ingredients, build accords and begin translating creative ideas into fragrance formulas.
The guide also explores Olfactora’s more atmospheric approach to perfume creation, encouraging you to think beyond individual notes and use scent to evoke places, textures, memories, moods and experiences. The handbook itself describes this as approaching scent as “atmosphere”, alongside the technical foundations of composition.
You’ll explore:
How to train your nose and develop an olfactory vocabulary
Fragrance families and how they interact
The role of synthetic and naturally derived materials in contemporary perfumery
How to build a beginner perfumer’s organ
Evaluating and diluting fragrance materials
Atmospheric and scene-based perfumery
Introduction to the Jean Carles method
Building simple accords and fragrance structures
Working with percentages and scaling formulas
Perfume concentrations, maturation and maceration
Setting up your own perfumery workspace
Material evaluation exercises and practical references
The handbook includes practical dilution examples, formulation guidance and accord-building exercises, making it much more than an introduction to fragrance theory.
The Olfactora Perfumery Sourcing Guide
Recommended suppliers, books and resources for aspiring perfumers.