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How to obtain perfume training aids?

post #1 of 10
5/6/12 at 11:54am
Thread Starter 
Hi,

It's the new boy here again so please excuse mistakes. I posted a request for help a few days ago but can't find any replies so guess I put it in the wrong place.

I'm new to the world of perfume and can't identify the various constituents you all talk about, such as civet, musk, oakmoss, leather etc. So where might I buy these individual items (preferably in the UK) so that I could learn to recognise each one separately please?

Your advise will be much appreciated thank you. Anyone? Please?

Regards
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post #2 of 10
5/6/12 at 12:25pm
I think The Perfumer's Apprentice do kits. The site is based in the US, though.
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post #3 of 10
5/6/12 at 12:26pm
Hello and welcome! I saw your first post but figured someone from the UK might have idea for you.

I do not know of any such training aids. In my experience, the best way to get to know some notes is to go have a sniff at a display of essential oils (often natural foods stores sell such oils and have testers.) This could acquaint you with lavender, sandalwood, neroli, rose, jasmine etc.

As to the notes that do not correspond to essential oils, the best thing is to just sniff a lot of perfumes that have those particular notes listed. eg. Lots of perfumes have leather notes. You can use the advanced feature of the BN Directory to search for fragrances with leather notes. Sniff enough of them and you will be able to pick out the leather note. Repeat with other notes you wish to learn.

However, the amount of oakmoss permitted in formulas is quite restricted now due to regulations, so you may need to sniff older formulations to get a nosefull. And natural civet is no longer in use, but many older perfumes have it.

It's a slow process but it does work.


Edit: gandhajala has a good idea for you there!
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post #4 of 10
5/6/12 at 8:21pm
Osmoz sells what they call "Perfume and flavour kits":
http://shop.osmoz.com/shopdisplaypro...nd+Flavor+kits

I've never tried them, but the kits on spices and woods & resins looks interesting.
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post #5 of 10
5/6/12 at 8:21pm
Double post
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post #6 of 10
5/6/12 at 8:47pm
see the link in my sig about self education... there's probably a section about this
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post #7 of 10
5/6/12 at 10:14pm
My opinion is that it is better to buy a few cheap but decent frags or samples and then study them, because you will learn the notes and how frags are composed at the same time. One example is 273 for Men, which has several important notes but not many of them: lavender, oakmoss, amber, bergamot, and cedar. Musk is also listed but it is not especially musky. If you get perhaps 8 frags that represent the different genres, then you can just study them over time and eventually things will begin to make sense. For example, you should be able to identify lavender fairly quickly because it is in many soaps and related products.
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post #8 of 10
5/13/12 at 3:18pm
Thread Starter 
Hello again,

Many thanks to all of you who have kindly replied. I am working my way through all of your advise and this will obviously take some time. I have priced up the options recommended and am buying some from various places. Thank you all again for your time and help.

Regards, I am Snapper
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post #9 of 10
5/13/12 at 5:24pm
I keep kicking myself for not-yet purchasing this kit. At 40 different note-samples, seems a bit more affordable than the OZ kits : No picture of the thing, but still seems worth checking out.

http://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/...notes-kit.aspx
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post #10 of 10
5/14/12 at 12:50am
Good question. I wonder myself about some scents I see discussed here. What does vetiver smell like? What does a tuberose smell like? It is a bit bewildering. The essential oil tip from 30 Roses is good, that's how I learned a lot of scents. Help to know what you're smelling when you try a complex perfume. Find out what perfumes/colognes you like, then look it up on the fragrance directory and read the reviews. That will help you identify the scents. Luckyscent also has a feature where you can find fragrances based on a particular note so you have better luck finding something you might like. Good luck1
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Basenotes › Basenotes Forums › Fragrance Discussion › Just Starting Out › How to obtain perfume training aids?