Perfumers are chosen in various ways, each company having a different procedure. One of the major factors obviously is a good nose, and this is determined by a series of tests and odor evaluations on the perfumer. Prospective perfumers are given a series of identified chemicals, numbering from 20-30 and is asked to study them for a short time. They are then given the same chemicals coded and asked to identify them. There are differences of opinion regarding how many a potential perfumer must identify, but 75-80%, would be considered appropriate.
In order to be a perfumer and be considered for the job, one must be an apprentice for atleast 6 years and might not ever make the cut at all. If they do however, they can move on with their life and career to become full perfumers and move up the ranks to the major houses.
Perfumers, creators of fragrance including perfume and cologne, who are known as "Noses," are held in the highest esteem in the perfume industry and theirs is the final say as to whether or not a fragrance is acceptable. Its the olfactory sense in your nose thats the primary requisite for becoming a perfumer. It is not enough for the perfumer to be able to distinguish blindfolded between the fragrance of a rose and a tulip, but his or her sense of smell must be so acute that heor she can detect in a mixture of 100 or more ingredients the precise amount of the various substances that have contributed to the formula. He or she must not only be able to recognize various raw materials but must have the capacity and artistry to blend them harmoniously. The perfumer must be able to tell, for instance, whether a certain lot of labdanum is from Greece or Corsica; whether the oil of ylang-ylang comes from Madagascar or Manila; tell the difference between oils of the same species of plant cultivated in different countries, and which type will achieve a particular result. Lavender oil, for example, can have a top note that is floral, balsamic, sharp, sweet, green or nut-like. The Nose has his counterpart in the wine industry where the skilled expert can tell in an instant the region, type of grape, and vintage of the wine they're sampling.
A truly great perfume is not created in a hurry. Mass-produced fragrances may be blended from a standard formula in a short time, however, it might have been years of trial and error to get that formula where the specific perfumer and designer house have wanted it to be. If the artist has a picture in mind that he wishes to translate into the scent he will spend many weeks and months over it. Surrounded by a myriad of bottles like an artist in a park or a writer when they are hunting for ideas, vials & jars each filled with precious essential oils and other materials help the perfumer goes to work. During the blending he is constantly testing his formula. As he works, he dips long slender blotters, called mouilettes (pronounced moo-yetts), into the solution and puts them aside to dry. At intervals these strips are sniffed, to determine what should be added to perfect the composition and to round out the fragrance.
Just as a painter spreads paint over his canvas and then steps back to view it critically checking upon whether more light is needed in an area, or a bit more blue needs to be added to the purple, so does the perfume artist make their tests. Perhaps a minute quantity of jasmine to give smoothness, or a slightly heavier note to add more character to an otherwise too light scent.
During the building of the perfume, it is tested frequently, and under varying conditions. Is it the same in the early morning as it is in the dusk of the evening? Is the scent altered by weather conditions? These and many other checks are made before the discount perfume is considered a finished product.
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* For your information … The perfume apprentice learns to compose fragrances at an "organ", small laboratory that contains the majority of aromachemicals and natural oils used in the day-to-day work of a creative perfumer.
* For your information … Perfumers use sophisticated instrumental methods to analyze the components of perfumery materials in discount fragrances. A Gas Chromatographer (GC) breaks down a perfume and cologne into its individual components which allows the perfumer to identify individual ingredients. Occasionally there are materials in a fragrance which are especially difficult to identify. When this occurs the GC is linked to a Mass Spectrometer (MS) which helps the perfumer further identify even the most minute quantity of perfumery material. To become a perfumer one must absoulutely have a love for fragrance and all the different smells that are out in the world. Having to apprentice for the first 6 years, a perfumer has to be serious about what they are doing and study and memorize thousands of smells. The designer houses are counting on them as are we all.