Hello, Fragrant Friend 👋

Did you know? Scently Speaking has achieved the milestone of featuring ten incredible independent perfumers from all around the world (🇵🇱, 🇸🇾, 🇬🇧, 🇩🇪, 🇫🇷, 🇺🇸, 🇮🇩, 🇮🇹, 🇨🇭, 🇵🇹, 🇮🇳), sharing their stories, inspirations, and unique approaches to creating fragrances that express themselves and make sense of the world in an artistic way. We did the math, and with the help of their creators' names and brands, you now have direct access to 72 unique fragrance creations.

10 Weeks, 10 Interviews, 10 Perfumers

Interview with perfumer Bart Puzio 👃

Brand: Jan Barba (Warsaw, 🇵🇱 )
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Bart shared his journey from studying natural cosmetics to launching Jan Barba, emphasizing his passion for craftsmanship and tradition. He revealed that "Jan Barba" is a fictional character inspired by the idea of an old herbalist.

Favorite Scent:
Bart highlighted AIYOKU, inspired by Japanese nature and Alex Kerr’s book ‘Lost Japan’. The fragrance features a fresh and citrusy opening, transitioning to grassy and mossy notes, and finishing with earthy and woody undertones.

Unique Insights:
Bart has a very analytical approach to perfume making and loves to start new creations in January and February when the cold, scent-free air provides the perfect environment for focusing on new fragrances.

Interview with perfumer Wasim Nouh 👃 

Brand: Damascent (London, 🇬🇧)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Wasim reminisced about his childhood in Damascus, filled with the scents of jasmine, bakeries, and spice markets. He shared the inspiration behind Damascent, aiming to bridge the cultural gap between Damascus and the British countryside.

Favorite Scent:
Wasim's notable creation, Barada, captures the lush greenery of London and the sensory richness of Damascus with notes of orange, peppermint, basil, patchouli, jasmine, warm wood, and sensual musk.

Unique Insights:
A memorable moment was when five ladies in an elevator at Heathrow asked about the fragrance he was wearing, and their excitement when they learned it was his own creation, Barada. This kind of external confirmation is essential for indie perfumers to know they are on the right track.

Interview with perfumer Matt Kaschel 👃

Brand: Postmodern Perfumer (Bonn, 🇩🇪)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Matt shared his journey into perfumery, starting from a childhood fascination with smells to recreating his favorite scent, L'Occitane Pour Homme. His deep dive into fragrance creation led him to amass a library of about 400 ingredients.

Favorite Scent:
Matt's upcoming first commercial fragrance, "Broken Flowers," celebrates fragility and duality with vegetal green notes paired with an opulent floral bouquet and a base of myrrh, vanilla, and sugar.

Unique Insights:
Matt has phantosmia, an olfactory hallucination that allows him to smell things that aren’t physically present, which he describes as a superpower in perfumery. This ability has helped him create unique and innovative scents by dreaming in smells and waking up with complete fragrance ideas.

Interview with perfumer Siann Gobin 👃

Brand: Cygnet Perfumery (Mornington Peninsula, 🇦🇺)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Siann discovered her passion for perfumery during an internship in New Caledonia, where she was inspired by an independent perfumer. Her experience at the Grasse Institute of Perfumery (GIP) further solidified her desire to create fragrances that tell stories and evoke emotions.

Favorite Scent:
Siann's debut fragrance, Avant la Nuit, captures the stunning dusks she witnessed in Australia. The fragrance transitions from warm, sparkling yellow-orange notes to softer, rounder tones, mirroring the evening's calm and introspective mood.

Unique Insights:
Siann particularly enjoyed the group olfaction sessions at Grasse institute of Perfumery, where students described scents using both standardized descriptors and personal ones based on their memories and cultural backgrounds. This collaborative approach enriched her learning experience and broadened her olfactory perception.

Interview with perfumer Shawn Maher 👃

Brand: Chatillon Lux & Maher Olfactive (St. Louis, 🇺🇸)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Shawn shared his journey from growing up surrounded by the scents of nature to becoming a renowned perfumer. His background in music influences his approach to perfumery, creating harmonious and emotionally resonant scents.

Favorite Scent:
Shawn's creation, Weinstrasse, is inspired by the Missouri Weinstrasse and his German heritage. It captures the lush, sweet smell of harvest time with a fougère base and a white wine note, reflecting the essence of the vineyards.

Unique Insights:
Shawn uses scent-notes.com to take readers and viewers behind the scenes of his creative processes. He films and writes about the origins of new scents, from initial inspiration to final formulation, demystifying the art of perfumery and sharing his journey with those who appreciate the craft. This transparency and storytelling aspect adds significant value and connection for perfume enthusiasts.

Interview with perfumer Chad Bylsma 👃

Brand: Âge de Querelle (Seattle, 🇺🇸)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Chad transitioned from being a train technician to a perfumer, driven by a deep-seated passion for fragrances that started in his childhood. His journey began with a scent gift from his wife, which introduced him to niche fragrances and eventually led him to create his own brand.

Favorite Scent:
Chad's best-seller, Séverine, is a spicy amber floral that explores new depths of true love. It combines rare materials to create a warm and inviting aura, resonating deeply with many and capturing Chad’s maturing craft.

Unique Insights:
Chad is a part of the Seattle Perfumers Collective, a group of indie perfumers who support each other and elevate their craft. This collective reflects Seattle’s artistic spirit and connection to nature, providing olfactory inspiration and a unique collaborative environment.

Interview with perfumer Riyal Noor 👃

Brand: Riyal Noor (Sulawesi, 🇮🇩)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Riyal shared his insights into the Indonesian fragrance market, highlighting the country's rich diversity and the influence of natural ingredients like patchouli, nutmeg, vetiver, and sandalwood. His passion for perfumery is deeply intertwined with his background in music, where he draws parallels between composing music and creating fragrances.

Favorite Scent:
Riyal's fragrance "Sunset" captures the essence of simple, everyday moments, inspired by a profound conversation with his father. It starts with fresh notes of mandarin and sweet orange, transitions into a subtle rose, and ends with earthy notes of vetiver and patchouli, reflecting the journey from day to night.

Unique Insights:
Riyal particularly enjoys the diverse goals and experiences of his students at Akademi Wangi Nusantara. While many initially aim to launch perfume businesses, they often discover a deeper appreciation for the art of perfumery, shifting their focus to enjoying it as a hobby.

Interview with perfumer Giovanni Sammarco 👃

Brand: Sammarco Perfumes (St. Gallen, 🇨🇭/ 🇮🇹)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Giovanni shared his journey from being a jurist to becoming a perfumer, captivated by the world of fragrances while working on his doctoral thesis. This passion for perfumery led him to create unique and acclaimed scents, blending his love for literature and ancient languages into his creations.

Favorite Scent:
Giovanni's best-seller, Vitrum, was inspired by a journalist's love for vetiver. The fragrance combines exceptional vetiver oil with rose and black pepper, creating a smoky yet gentle scent that captures the raw and untamed essence of nature.

Unique Insights:
Giovanni enjoys the creative process of developing new perfumes, drawing inspiration from diverse sources such as specific raw materials, people, and experiences in different countries. His literary passions and love for ancient languages provide an unconscious backdrop to his work, infusing his fragrances with a unique aesthetic and storytelling quality.

Interview with perfumer Cláudia Camacho 👃

Brand: Cláudia Camacho (Sintra, 🇵🇹)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Cláudia shared her journey from contemporary art to perfumery, inspired by her mother's unique taste in fragrances. Her transition to perfumery was marked by a serendipitous connection with Marina Barcenilla, who became her mentor and helped her develop her own unique scent creations.

Favorite Scent:
Cláudia's debut fragrance, Mystery, is inspired by her hometown of Sintra. It captures the aromatic essence of Sintra's misty mountains with bold top notes of black pepper, a heart of mushrooms, and a base of pink pepper, resins, and woods.

Unique Insights:
Cláudia's approach to perfumery is deeply personal and artistic, reflecting her background in contemporary art. Her fragrances are presented with aesthetics in mind, such as using cork in the packaging to pay homage to Sintra's traditions. She divides Sintra into three moments, creating a trilogy of perfumes that represent different aspects of the region.

Interview with perfumer Anjali Vandemark 👃

Brand: Anjali Perfumes (Seattle, 🇺🇸 / 🇮🇳)
Link to the Interview

Best Moments:
Anjali shared her journey into perfumery, deeply influenced by her cultural heritage and personal experiences. Her passion for scent memories began during a winter in London, where she found solace in fragrances that reminded her of home.

Favorite Scent:
Anjali's bestseller, Himalayan Dawn, captures the serene dawn in the Himalayas with fresh, citrusy, herbal, and woody notes. It features top notes of neroli and bergamot, a heart of black tea and fir needle, and a base of sandalwood and jasmine sambac.

Unique Insights:
Anjali's artistic process involves using around 400 materials to create olfactory stories tied to her cultural background. Her fragrances, such as 'Mantra' and 'Jaya,' are often inspired by paintings and historical references, creating a deep connection between scent and visual art. Her approach emphasises the fundamentals of perfumery, mastering the craft, and expressing her vision through unique materials and storytelling.