Learning perfumery sounds nice...

We get many demands from people who are seeking to learn perfumery either as a start to a new professional life or because it is a passionate hobby they never thought they could learn while going through the rat race. Most such demands are genuine and well-intended but when it comes to the nitty-gritty of learning perfumery, some students might give up at the first hurdle and we often hear ''I never thought it was so hard!''

Let's be clear! Perfumery is not for everyone like painting, cooking, playing music or any indulging Art is also not a prerogative to everyone . Yes you might like visiting an Art gallery and appreciate the work of an artist, thinking ''I'd love to learn to paint like this'' or love the sound of piano being tapped by talented fingers but the Passion does not make you become an artist in those fields.

When it comes to perfumery, people are surprised to see how much mathematics and accuracy are needed in this Art.  Perfumery is NOT just about concocting potions during the weekend or simply blending note A with note B and there you have a perfume! Despite the numerous weekend/short courses now available at every street's corner, we regret to tell you that you will not become a perfumer after 2 days. If it was that easy, there would be more perfumers in this world even though we acknowledge that this Art has become more democratic in the last couple of years.

Learning how to smell and to detect the differences between oils is the first principle to making perfumes. If you do not take time to develop this important part, you will hit a wall pretty quickly. However daunting it can appear, it is part of becoming a technician in the Art of perfumery. If you think you are going to open the course module and start making perfumes, you have knocked at the wrong door!

At times, when working alone, you may wonder why you are doing this and ask yourself whether you are going somewhere. Understandably, it would be nice to have an expert perfumer at hand to check that what you are doing is correct but studying online really requires a capacity to work and study on your own.

So you want to join the Perfumery Art School? We are offering you a one-of-a kind opportunity to learn perfumery for career purposes wherever you are in the world. We appreciate that it can be difficult to understand how it is possible to learn such an abstract Art on your own.

Here are a few things you need to know before sending your application:

1. We are an online school and we expect you to be able to work alone and to dedicate at least 15 minutes a day to your learning and 1 hour every weekend. No excuse! Switch off the TV, clear your space, let the kids play video games in another room but your 15 minutes a day are a must.... A routine is needed for you to be able to complete the course. The online perfumery program is not a course you can sit on for months on end and suddenly rush through it before the deadline! It will not work and we only extend deadlines in exceptional circumstances that you have informed us about such as pregnancy, illness, bereavement etc...
   
   
2. ​Tutors are all experts and professional perfumers and have their own businesses. We support you via email, WhatsApp forum and the occasional progress call but we do not spoon-feed you. You still need to be able to accept the lonely times when learning perfumery. If you wish to check how well you are doing, you have the opportunity to join one of our summer courses or workshops. In fact, when attending such courses, you will be able to practice and apply what you have learnt under supervision and you will accelerate your learning. You can choose the Dual online and classroom course option when enrolling.
   
   
3. We expect you to know the basics of using a computer. These are part of the entry requirements. If you have any technical issues related to the course but we are not your IT support to teach you how to clear the cache or restore your computer to a previous point.
   
   
4. Other students have done it and have set up their own companies. They have dedicated hours to learn this Art. If they could make it, you can too! But Patience and motivation are key. We check your level of motivation and we will not accept students who think they can learn Perfumery in an accelerated manner or those who want to reproduce existing perfumes. This is not our vocation. We are, after all, the Perfumery ART school!
   
   

Yes learning perfumery sounds nice... However, it is not an Art you can enter into lightly: Passion is great but Patience and Perseverance are your major assets. If you are not Patient or if you are unable to find self-motivation, then the Perfumery Art School is probably not for you.

Isabelle Gellé, Course leader