The Perfume Bee

Please join me as I continue my interview with Liz Zorn, founder of Liz Zorn Perfume. (To read Part I of this interview, please click here).

The Perfume Bee: Liz, have you considered teaching perfumery classes at your farm or boutique?

Liz Zorn: No.

Bee: You use the terrific term “Aroma Artist” to describe yourself. Can you tell us what that means to you?

Liz: That changes. Aroma Artist is merely an extension of the other arts in my life: painting, music and writing. To me art is art. It doesn’t really need a lot of description. You know it when you see it, or smell it, for that matter.

Bee: I imagine your graphic design background plays a large role in the aesthetic of your bottles and packaging. Do you do all the design work yourself?

Liz: All of the labeling, web site, etc. are from my own creations. But as far as my professional design work goes, I am not a commercial artist, but a visual / graphic artist. Working in areas such as printmaking and photography. I started out as a composition artist, but spent the next thirty years as a painter. My designs for the packaging etc. are more about personal taste. I like modern, clean designs. Solids instead of patterns, etc.

Bee: Liz, you are also a mixed media artist. Where can we see examples of your work?

Liz: Most of my work (aside from what I have in storage) is in private collections. I am not exhibiting now. When I decided to go full time with the perfumery, I ended many long term relationships with galleries and art dealers who carried my work. I still take appointments here at my studio, and have a revolving exhibit of artwork in the boutique. Occasionally I will accept an invitation to exhibit. With perfumery being such an influence right now. My next visual artistic venture is likely to be a photographic series inspired by scent.

Bee: I get the sense that you are a person who is always experimenting, exploring, and pushing the boundaries. All good attributes of a perfumer! To what or whom do you attribute these qualities?

Liz: I am inspired by positive action. Goodness, and a healthy dose of curiosity. I love my work. When you have a healthy attitude the possibilities are endless. I also admire people of great diversity and vision.

I am a total science junkie, and have been in love with Richard Feynman for many years. He was a brilliant man, and his interests were all over the place. My grandfather was an inventor, and had a Willy Wonkaish, workshop that I spent a lot of time in when I was a young girl.

Bee: What do you do to help keep you grounded, when you have so many projects going at once?

Liz: I hang out with my cats and Mr. Z. Read. Dance. Go for a swim (summertime). Take a bubble bath. Have dinner with a friend, Write a new song, or just play guitar. It can be anything really. I am pretty flexible.

Bee: What describes you best: High energy or Super-high energy?!?

Liz: Super High Energy and No Energy.

It’s a mix. I believe that the energy of inspiration is a gift. If it is flowing like a river, ride it out. It’s like waking up everyday with “Beginners Mind.” If you are open and clear headed, with a healthy sense of adventure, anything is possible. Whatever you need will come to you. If you need to be in high gear, you will be in high gear. If you need to be mellow, you will be mellow. It is all about what we set for ourselves, our intention. Being aware of how we think and how we act. The flow of energy can change many times throughout a day.

Bee: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Liz: Be Peace, Pass It On…….

Bee: Thank you, Liz. It has been a delight talking to you. We wish you and Liz Zorn Perfume all the very best!

To learn more about Liz Zorn Perfume, you may visit the website.

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Liz Zorn of Liz Zorn Perfume is a natural perfumer extraordinaire. Part artist, part musician and part visionary, Liz creates her beautiful perfumes in Morrow, Ohio. She has been making natural perfumes for several years and opened her boutique, Zz’s Petals Parfume Moderne, in 2006.

Liz and I spoke by phone and email. She is very articulate, refreshingly candid, and quite passionate about perfumery. Join me as we get to know more about Liz and her views on making perfume.

The Perfume Bee: Hi, Liz. How long have you been creating perfumes?

Liz Zorn: I became interested in essential oils and using them to create personal fragrances in my teens. I continued to read and study over the years. Creating scented gifts for friends and occasionally a custom perfume.

As with a lot of folks, I did some soul searching after 9/11. I decided to focus more seriously on my music (another love of mine) and to see where perfumery would take me. By then I had a pretty good working knowledge of the craft. I have been traveling down that road ever since.

Bee: What is the process of making perfume like for you? Do you get hit with sudden inspirations at odd times, or do you work more methodically?

Liz: For the most part I start with an idea, and try to build a scent around it. It can be anything, from trying to capture my grandmother’s laugh, to the scent patterns of a color.

Bee: How do you source your ingredients? What are the criteria you use?

Liz: I have no stone written formula for that. I buy materials from people who have the best of what I am looking for. It can be a small supplier, or a large distiller. My primary guide is my nose. Whatever the material, it has to meet my brain’s expectations of what a particular thing should smell like. Quality is always my first rule. Get that right and everything else will fall in line.

Bee: Have you ever made what you thought was a real clunker, and it turned out to be a winner? Or vice-versa?

Liz: Yes, this can happen more often that one might think. Particularly when working with natural materials, because they can take their own sweet time revealing their secrets. Not all perfumes age at the same rate, either. I have created perfumes that smelled quite raw after a couple months of aging, and just divine after a year or two.

Bee: What is your philosophy regarding the use of synthetics in fragrances?

Liz: I am a firm believer in balance. I believe that there is room at the table for all. I am very excited that there are so many independent perfumers working today. Creating beautiful perfumes that people love. This crosses all philosophies: from mainstream to niche, natural or synthetic and to a mix of both. Every time something good happens for a small perfumer like myself I take it as a personal success. I love to see others doing well, and enjoying their work. It makes my work so much more meaningful.

Bee: You and your husband own an organic farm called Peace Angel Farm. How does this impact your perfumery?

Liz: Actually, Mr. Z owns the farm, and is the grower. I take none of the credit for his hard work. As far as impacting my perfumery, this is my home, and I feel blessed to be living here.

Bee: Do you distill and tincture some or most of your perfumery ingredients yourself?

Liz: I have distilled some things in the past. But, I am doing less and less of that now. I purchased a new distiller last year and have yet to establish an area to set it up. I do tincture quite a bit. I use a lot of dried organic fruits, and herbs, most of which I purchase elsewhere. I use exotic and tropical things that are not grown in this area, or available as a natural aroma note.

Bee: What is the most unusual item you have ever tinctured?

Liz: I have tinctured a lot of things. But nothing really strikes me as unusual. Dirt maybe. Cat hair, all sorts of dried sea veggies, whatever peaks my curiosity, I will plop a bit of it into a jar of alcohol just to see what happens…….

Bee: Your boutique, Zz’s Petals Parfume Moderne, is located just north of Cincinnati. If we can’t make it to Ohio, are there other stores where we can find your perfumes?

Liz: We are working on that now. We had initially begun to accept inquiries from other retailers, but realized that we needed more preparation. I have a long list of folks both in the US and Europe who have been waiting for us to set up a wholesale plan. We are also looking into other areas where we would like to be represented. A lot is set to happen in the next few months, but I can’t really get into it all now.

In the meantime. The perfumes are available on our web site: lizzorn.com, and we do offer samples.

Bee: Which is your personal favorite fragrance in your collection?

Liz: The next one. I am always in love with whatever I am working on at the time. I wear it, test it and get personally involved with its energy and vitality. Then I let it go and move on to the next adventure. I am a process artist all the way. I have no problems letting my babies go.

But to be more accurate: When I want to wear perfume, I usually mix together a few drops from a couple of my pre-made diluted bases, and dab it on. I could wear something different everyday. Today I am wearing a blend of six different mosses, with a mixed wood/amber base. I smell like I’ve been rolling in the dirt.

Bee: (LOL at the image!)

Do you make bespoke fragrances?

Liz: The short answer is yes. But for the most part in a less involved way than you might think. Someone will come in to the boutique and ask for a Sandalwood and Vanilla, or something simple like a three or four note scent that contains common ingredients, like patchouli or lavender. If I don’t have that as a fragrance I will make it for them. This happens a lot. People like familiar things. Particularly scents that evoke memories.

Occasionally I will design a complex fragrance. But am doing less and less of that, due to the demands of the business as a whole.

…coming tomorrow, Part II: Liz discusses her art, the source of her inspiration, and the importance of being in the flow…

photo source: Liz Zorn

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After my recent review of Strange Invisible Perfumes, I wanted to know more about the perfumer behind these delightful creations. To do so, I had a nice email exchange of Q & A with Alexandra Balahoutis, the 32-year old founder and creator of Strange Invisible Perfumes.

Alexandra is passionate about natural perfume and has been creating fragrances professionally for the last seven years. She uses only organic, wild-crafted and/or biodynamic ingredients in her products. Strange Invisible Perfumes are available at the Strange Invisible Perfumes boutique in Venice, California, and online at SIPerfumes.com.

Join me as we chat with the talented and thoughtful perfumer, Alexandra Balahoutis.

Perfume Bee: Hi, Alexandra. At what age did you know you would become a professional perfumer?

Alexandra Balahoutis: At 21, I began to study. I started professionally at 25.

Bee: What led you to this decision?

Alexandra: I cared so much about advancing my knowledge and skill. I could see a very clear future as a perfumer from the very first day I started my education. There was an unstoppable drive to master the art and business of perfumery. I hadn’t experienced that level of clarity or drive with any of my other interests.

Bee: Can you describe your background and training in perfumery?

Alexandra: I am self-taught for the most part. However, botanical perfumer John Steele is my mentor. He studied mainly in India. He is also an anthropologist and archaeologist. His guidance and teachings have been invaluable to me. He is a true aromatic visionary.

Bee: What are your guiding principles in making perfume?

Alexandra: Sincere inspiration, precious botanical ingredients, and diligence in formulating are what lead me to what I call ‘authentic perfumery.’ No synthetics. Only premium ingredients.

Bee: What is the process like for you when creating a new fragrance?

Alexandra: I listen to my intuition and embrace whim and romance, but I work hard and I question my work intensely. I am not easily satisfied with myself. There is a standard and people have expectations, myself included.

It isn’t simply about worshiping essential oils and throwing them together. Botanical perfumery is hard work. Discovering new ways to achieve much loved notes without using synthetics is a lot of work.

Bee: If you had to describe your perfume-creating process, would you consider yourself to be a) a mad scientist! b) a dreamy dreamer or c) none of the above.

Alexandra: A mad dreamer. My vision is delicate but my process is intense. I pull very elusive energies and impressions from the ether into the physical world and then into a very new market place.

Bee: You use 100% natural and botanical ingredients in your perfumes. Was this an easy or difficult choice for you?

Alexandra: The choice was easy. My convictions had become so strong without even my own consent. I knew that I couldn’t leave violet, gardenia, leather, lily of the valley, et cetera out of my compositions but I couldn’t use their synthetic representatives.

I worked day and night to crack these codes by combining essences and aromas, not by manipulating them. Reaching the standard with such criteria has been a challenging route but a very rewarding one.

Bee: Do you find any limitations when using botanicals?

Alexandra: There are some but I don’t accept them and it has always worked out for me. I hit a wall and then at some point, I make an incredible discovery. Achieving notes this way is so much more exciting.

A perfumer should interpret aromas and their impressions, not merely deliver their industrial profiles yet again to the public. A perfumer must have a point of view.

Bee: You favor the hydrodistillation of essential oils. Please tell us about that.

Alexandra: I love this method because it captures many of the delicate, energetic top notes that often escape the distillation process. Hydro-distillations also have a very distinctive, crystalline quality that I love. But I also use essences that result from different methods of extraction with the exception of Co2 extractions.

…coming next, Part II: Alexandra shares advice for new perfumers, discusses what is on the horizon for Strange Invisible Perfumes, and describes what it takes to be a green company…

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Please join me in part II of my interview with classically-trained perfumer, Ineke Rühland. For part I of this interview, please click here.

Perfume Bee: What advice do you have for avid would-be perfumers just starting out?

Ineke Rühland: I am a big believer in a formal education. I do think it’s possible to be self-taught because there are more and more perfumery books and other material available to the lay person, but if a proven formal curriculum taught by seasoned professionals is available, I think that is always a more thorough and efficient way to learn.

Apart from ISIPCA, some fragrance suppliers like Givaudan have in-house training programs. I also think it is essential to apprentice for a few years at a fragrance supply house. I think it would even be a good start to intern as a lab technician. For people who want to work with just natural materials, I think the path would be quite different, but I don’t feel qualified to address that.

Bee: Do you see any trends in the world of perfumery in general, or artisanal perfumery in particular? What is the role of the niche perfumer in perfumery today?

Ineke: It’s been talked about a lot, but I think the most striking difference between now and just ten years ago is the enormous number of launches every year, and the corresponding short shelf life of mainstream fragrances. I hate so-called “flankers” because they’ve cheapened perfumery and cause a lot of confusion. The concepts are lame (light, intense, 2, 3, black, red …) and I can’t think of a single flanker scent that improved on the original in any meaningful way.

I think we are partially seeing a flight back to quality with artisanal brands like Serge Lutens, Frederic Malle and The Different Company leading the way. More recently, bigger manufacturers have been putting out limited distribution lines like Hermès Hermessences, Chanel’s Les Exclusifs and Tom Ford’s Private Blend, in which you can clearly see the influence of the artisan brands that came before them.

There is definitely an increasing interest in products that are artisanal (or seem that way), and that has opened up distribution possibilities for new lines like mine. There are more consumers out there who are looking for quality and exclusivity.

Bee: In addition to Colette (Paris) and your on-line boutique, where else are your perfumes currently available?

Ineke: Since launching in August 2006, we’ve managed to get into some great stores including Bergdorf Goodman, Studio at Fred Segal, Louis Boston, Holt Renfrew in Vancouver, Liberty in London, Cara & Co in Moscow, and Sündhaft in Munich. A complete list of our 25+ stores is available on our website, www.ineke.com.

Bee: Wow! You are really expanding! Do you have plans for a brick-and-mortar Ineke store?

Ineke: I see myself as a product creator rather than a retailer, but I would still love to have a single flagship store in San Francisco. The ideal would be something like this: a small store in a lovely Victorian or Edwardian building on a neighborhood shopping street, with my lab and office upstairs and a scented garden out back.

Bee: Do you have a favorite Ineke fragrance? Or is that like asking a mother to choose her favorite child?!?

Ineke: You’re right that it is a bit like that. If I had to choose, Derring-Do is the one that I’m the most satisfied with. Although it’s not as daring in an olfactive sense as the name might imply, it’s elegant and well-balanced, and has a high “yum” factor.

Bee: What are your favorite perfumes other than your own?

Ineke: I like a lot of things that Jean-Claude Ellena does, particularly Bulgari Eau Parfumée au Thé Vert and Terre d’Hermès. I always admire Chris Sheldrake’s fragrances for Serge Lutens, although they’re not always easy for me to wear. I’m constantly impressed by Jacques Cavallier’s prodigious talent and range, of which I would cite Acqua di Gio pour homme and Stella (a perfect rose/peony).

Bee: Please share any other thoughts you would like to …

Ineke: We offer a Deluxe Sample Collection on our website (www.ineke.com) in case any of your readers want to sample the complete line. It costs $12, which is fully redeemable against any future purchase.

Thanks for your interest in my perfumes, Christine, and for asking such good questions!

Bee: Thank you, Ineke. It has been such a pleasure talking to you! I wish you and Ineke Perfume every continued success!!

(To ready my earlier review of Ineke perfumes, please click here.

photo source: Ineke

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Today in my salon we have the pleasure of talking to hip niche perfumer Ineke Rühland. Ineke lives in San Francisco, California, which is also world headquarters for her company, Ineke. She launched her line in August 2006 with four beautiful eaux de parfums: After My Own Heart; Balmy Days & Sundays; Chemical Bonding; and Derring-Do. Ineke creates inventive fragrances inspired in part by the rare scented botanicals she grows in her garden. As a professional nose and classically-trained perfumer, Ineke creates joyful fragrances which are a delight for the senses.

When I spoke to Ineke by phone and email, I felt I had met a kindred spirit. She, too, practices yoga, has been a vegetarian for 20+ years, and is 45 years old. We had a terrific time discussing the fascinating world of niche perfumery. Join me as we get to know the friendly, talented and extremely knowledgeable perfumer and business-woman, Ineke Rühland.

Perfume Bee: Hi, Ineke! First of all, how do you pronounce your name?!?

Ineke Rühland: It is pronounced “In-a-kuh,” and is a Dutch name.

Bee: Thank you! I understand you were born in Canada and now live in San Francisco. At the risk of over-generalizing, do you perceive a difference in attitude towards perfume in Canada compared to the US?

Ineke: In many respects, Canada lies somewhere between the US and UK in terms of culture and attitudes. Canadians are perhaps more discreet about fragrance usage than Americans, although I would say they are probably quite aligned with West Coast preferences. Before moving to San Francisco, I lived in Europe for 12 years, and that is where I noticed the biggest difference in attitudes to perfume. Europeans, particularly the French, are much more enthusiastic in their fragrance usage. The French consider fragrance to be part of their “patrimoine” (heritage), and the average person is surprisingly knowledgeable about perfume.

Bee: Could you please tell us a bit about your background leading up to your career in perfumery?

Ineke: After studying business in Toronto, Canada, I started my career in marketing at the fragrance supplier Quest (now part of Givaudan) in the Netherlands, and eventually found my way to Quest’s offices in the UK and France. I always thought that perfumers had by far the most interesting job at Quest, and the idea of changing professions came to me when I was working for Quest’s fine fragrance group in Paris. Most perfumers are chemists by training, and the idea of moving from marketing to perfumery had never been done before, so it must have seemed a strange request. My boss and mentor, Yves de Chiris, very graciously agreed and suggested I first attend ISIPCA in Versailles.

Bee: Was there a defining moment that led you to become a professional perfumer? What keeps you coming back (i.e., how do you prevent burnout?)

Ineke: There was no defining moment, but rather a gradual process of listening to my intuition. Like many people, my career path has been somewhat of a process of following the forks in the road that seem most interesting and rewarding. As a perfumer working for a fragrance supplier, I think it’s possible to approach burnout when you are asked to work on dozens of projects at a time, but that’s not likely to happen when you have your own business. Unfortunately, I end up spending less time in my lab than I do on packaging, sales, PR, administration, etc. Since I plan to launch just one new fragrance per year, I can devote a lot of time to its creation. I’m planning to create a home fragrance line so that I can spend more time in the lab.

Bee: You studied at ISIPCA in Versailles. What was the most unexpected element of that experience for you? The most difficult? The most fun?

Ineke: Studying at ISIPCA was a great experience. First of all to get accepted at the school was a great privilege since the classes are very small – my year had just 17 students in perfumery. The most difficult thing for me was the chemistry, since the other students already had undergraduate chemistry degrees. I was allowed to skip the really chemistry-oriented classes, which worked out well for me because I knew I would end up in fine fragrance creation where it’s not as necessary. Secondly, all the classes were in French, which was a bit of a challenge for me. ISIPCA now offers an abbreviated course in English, but it didn’t exist at the time. The most fun was always “travail pratique” in the lab, where we worked on things like natural ingredient reconstitutions, basic structures (eg. eau de colognes, chypres, orientals), countertypes of important fragrances, and original creations. We worked under the tutelage of experienced perfumers like Dominique Ropion, for example.

Bee: There is a lyrical lightness to your fragrances. They are like poetry in scent. How do you come up with the concepts for your fragrances and how difficult is it to capture these concepts in the actual fragrance? Which comes first, the name or the fragrance?

Ineke: Thanks! Sometimes a fragrance idea comes first and other times I start with a more conceptual idea, but I’ve found that the ideal approach is to work on them simultaneously so that there is coherence between them. For me the conceptual side of a fragrance needs to be supported by visuals, colors and words, so I really focused on that for my packaging. I’m quite visually oriented, so I don’t find it difficult to associate imagery with scents. The execution is a bit more difficult because it’s a very hands-on effort. My husband Bill O’Such is an accomplished photographer, and took all of the photos based on my ideas and styling. I collaborated with my sister on the text on the cartons, brochure and website. And I have a brilliant graphic designer named Helena Seo, who makes everything look polished and professional.

Bee: How many trials (mods) does it typically take to make one of your fragrances?

Ineke: As perfumers go, I’m definitely on the slow side. Each of the four fragrances launched so far took about 2-3 months of elapsed time to create (not full-time) and over 100 modifications. Typically each fragrance has between 50 and 75 components. Customized fragrances are not in the cards for me because I can’t work that quickly and be happy with the results.

Bee: How do you know when a fragrance formulation is complete? That “aha” moment?

Ineke: Since I have a perfectionist side, each fragrance never seems 100% perfect. What I usually do is work on a fragrance until it seems about right and there is nothing obvious left to do. I then put it away for a month or so, and when I return to it with a fresh nose and perspective, I find plenty of things to modify. I find it helpful to have a deadline, otherwise I could probably keep tweaking to infinity.

Bee: I love your notion of the alphabet book (abécédaire) for naming your fragrances. How did you come up with that idea?

Ineke: A girlfriend of mine came up with the idea years ago in a different context, and the idea stuck with me. There are lots of instances where it has been used effectively in publishing (eg. the Sue Grafton murder mysteries), but never in perfumes as far as I’m aware. I like it a lot because it gives the fragrances chronology – people will always know which is the latest fragrance. The alphabetized names also add to the “storytelling” aspect, and allow for some nice graphical flourishes.

Bee: When can we expect to see the launch of the “E” fragrance?

Ineke: I’m currently working on “E”, and it should be available in late fall/early winter. Since the current selection is largely in a fresh and clean register, which comes very naturally to me, I would like the new fragrance to be warmer and richer in contrast. As components, I’m working on replicating a couple of plants we grow in our garden here in San Francisco: Angel’s Trumpet (brugmansia) and Midnight Candy (zaluzianskya capensis), both of which are night bloomers.

Bee: You not only create beautiful fragrances, you also manufacture, bottle, package, ship and market them. How do you balance the creative aspects of perfumery with the business aspects?

Ineke: That’s an ongoing challenge! The most important part of the solution for me is to use a contract manufacturer to take care of most operations. I use a great company in Pennsylvania called Fragrance Manufacturing Inc. (FMI), who take care of everything from storing components, blending, filling, assembling, storage of finished goods, fulfillment and shipping. I’m also fortunate to have a very organized husband who works evenings and weekends for me. He’s an engineer, and by some stroke of luck, he’s exceptionally good at all the things that dreamers like me can’t do easily. Our dog Fritz also pitches in with evaluation support from time to time. Although he has by far the best nose in the family, he’s not always good at communicating his preferences.

…Tomorrow, part II: Ineke shares advice for new perfumers and discusses perfume trends and her favorite fragrances…

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Please join me as I continue my chat with Patty Geissler, founder of Fragrant Fripperies.com. For part I of this interview, please click here.

Perfume Bee: What are your plans for the future of your business?

Patty Geissler: We are merging Fragrant Fripperies into the new combined decanting website [theperfumedcourt.com], which we hope to have open in the next month! This will be a great thing for me and the three other decanters and all of our customers. We will have more things together and can wind up covering more things in the future. It’s just great to be working with three other great women who love perfume as much as I do. Every time I think that I have too many perfumes, I just remember how many Lisa has and know I am a piker.

Bee: Do you have any plans for a brick and mortar store?

P.G.: No, no plans for that at this point, though I seriously like the idea of it.

Bee: What trends have you seen in perfumes requested by your customers in the last 6-12 months, if any?

P.G.: Trends seem to follow the weather. As soon as spring comes, the heavier scents stop selling as much and the lighter scents start flying out.

Bee: Do you see any trends in perfumery in general?

P.G.: I think there are many branches out there right now going in different directions. Some of those I despise, like creating this mass of mass-market fragrances that tend to smell the same. Other trends are to do more reality fragrances, which I love that trend only to a certain point. I don’t really want to smell some of the more hideous scents in the world. Another trend is the mega-release, like the Chanels and Tom Fords, doing several at one time. While it’s a decanter’s dream, I’m not a fan of it at all as a perfume lover.

Bee: Speaking of trends, what is the biggest frenzy you’ve seen over a perfume? i.e., has there been a “must-have” fragrance that everyone wanted?

P.G.: Frenzy, hmmm. I don’t know that I have. There are bumps from articles. I think it was a Chandler Burr article praising Carnal Flower that happened one weekend. Over the next week, Carnal Flower, which generally moves okay, but because of its cost, slowly, was flying out of the shop. It took me three days to discover why. But I don’t think I’ve seen anything that I’d call a frenzy. The one that surprises me, though, is Tom Ford Black Orchid. As much as it gets panned on the fragrance boards, that thing just keeps selling at a really brisk pace.

Bee: You have a wonderful perfume blog, The Perfume Posse. Which came first, the decanting or the blog?

P.G.: I had had the blog for a long time, though it wasn’t always focused on perfume. It used to be a more general navel-gazing kind of blog. I started that in 2001, I believe. It converted to a fragrance blog in 2005, when I really got back into perfume, before I started decanting.

Bee: What advice do you have for people who are just starting to build their perfume wardrobe?

P.G.: Go slow. Most of the perfumes you see out there, if they are good, will still be there in a year. Well, except for the Gobin-Daudes, which is a tragedy. Start a spreadsheet or some other note-taking of what you have tried and loved. This does two things — helps prevent you from re-buying the same samples because you forgot you’ve already tried them, and helps identify the things you hate, which is very useful! Once you get a few loved scents under your belt, use MUA and Basenotes and POL to do some swapping for other scents. You can swap samples you tried and didn’t love for other things you haven’t tried, and you can make up samples/decants of some of the fragrances you’ve bought and swap for things you’d like to try, as well. This helps stretch your perfume dollars farther. It’s not always possible to arrange a swap, or some people just find swapping frustrating, and that includes me, and that’s where decanters come in.

Take your time. Sample first. If you hate the sample, move on. Don’t be surprised if in a year or so you wind up trying that same sample again and love it, though! If you love the sample, swap for or buy a small decant. If you wind up using the decant quickly and still loving it or if you are hording it so you don’t run out, it may be time to think about a bottle or a larger decant. If it’s too pricey, you may be able to organize a bottle split on one of the perfume boards, which has its own problems, but is a great way to get a larger amount of a fragrance without going in for the whole bottle.

Bee: Do perfumers from whom you buy care that you sell decants?

P.G.: I honestly don’t know. I know some who don’t care. I’ve never heard from one who does care and objects to it. I’d think in the area of niche perfumes, most perfumers get that viral marketing is the best thing they can do for their fragrance. If I were a niche perfumer with a limited distribution chain? I’d want to get my fragrance into the hands of the decanters as soon as possible. It’s when it shows up there and people can get ahold of a sample that you start getting the buzz and word of mouth. It’s tough to get that until people can fairly easily try it.

Bee: Would you care to comment about the recent eBay shut-down of decanters?

P.G.: B*st*rds! (laughs) No, really, I’m over it. I think they made a bad decision based on pressure from some large companies. One thing I’ve noticed in my own buying habits, I just don’t shop on eBay like I did. Now if I’m looking for a full bottle of perfume, I just go to one of the reliable internet companies, like parfum1, scentiments, imaginationperfumery, etc., and grab it there. By not being on eBay all the time, I’ve really stopped buying on there, except for vintage, and even that I’m doubly suspicious of. I suspect a lot of decant buyers have noted the same thing. If you’re not on eBay looking for a decant or sample of something, you start forming new shopping patterns that don’t include eBay at all. It used to be if someone shows up on MUA asking where to get something, the answer was always eBay. Now, you don’t see people even mentioning eBay as the place to get perfume.

In the long run, I think it will wind up being a good thing as new websites show up with decants/samples. They’ll have more flexibility in offering sizes and specials, etc.

Bee: And finally, do you have a “day job” outside of Fragrant Fripperies?

P.G.: Yes, I do! They know a little about my perfume obsession and give me a hard time about it. I’m Vice-President of a captioning company that provides closed captioning services to broadcasters, financial firms and relay services. How do I have time to do all of that? I don’t need a lot of sleep, and I’m one of those people that always needs to be doing something — it’s that being raised on a farm in the Midwest work ethic.

Bee: Any closing thoughts?

P.G.: Thank you for doing this interview! And thanks to all the people that have read our blog these past two years and patronized my little decanting business. I’ve met some of the finest, most generous people in the world through those two things.

Bee: Thank you, Patty. It was a pleasure talking to you. I wish you and Fragrant Fripperies all the best!

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“Welcome to my Salon” is a new feature of The Perfume Bee in which I will be interviewing some of the hippest movers and shakers in perfumery and in the perfume blogosphere. For my first interview, I wanted to know more about perfume decants. So I went right to the source: Patty Geissler, decanter extraordinaire.

Patty is the owner of Fragrant Fripperies, one of the premier online perfume decanting businesses. This warm-hearted, fast-talking perfume decanter shared her insights with the Perfume Bee by email and by telephone. Following is part I of our interview (part II will appear tomorrow).

Perfume Bee: How long have you been interested in perfume?

Patty Geissler: I’ve been playing perfume since I was in high school. I’ve always loved smell, from the first time I can remember burying my nose in the sheets my mom just brought in off the line, to the many lazy rainy days I spent in the loft of our barn with bales of hay and little kittens and a good book. I’ve had spikes of perfume activity in the past, but the last one before this most recent interest was during the time CSPs [Comptoir Sud Pacifique] were really popular. I tried to like them, I did, but I’m not a fan of vanilla, and after I bought my third bottle of CSP at about $100 a bottle that I hated, I just gave up for a few years. When I started investigating perfume again in 2005, it was a whole new world in perfume and one I loved!

Bee: For my readers who might be new to the world of fragrance decants, can you please describe the nature of decants and your business, Fragrant Fripperies?

P.G.: I buy the large bottles of a fragrance, sometimes mainstream, sometimes obscure or niche or very newly released or only available in Europe or vintage, then I offer smaller samples of it or decants. This allows the consumer to try a fragrance to make sure it is love before they purchase it, though many people like decants because they can then afford to have lots of expensive scents instead of just one or two that they weary of too quickly.

bee: How long have you been in this business? And how did you choose the catchy name?

P.G.: I started this business in late 2005. The name was an inside joke between my husband and me. Before I started selling decants and samples, my husband and I budget X amount per month for each of us to spend on fripperies — stuff we don’t really need at all but just want, free from each other’s judgment of whether it is frivolous or not. When I got back into perfume again, I was sampling and getting bottles like crazy, having a wonderful time, and I found myself already ahead of my frippery budget by about three months or more. My husband told me I needed to either get back within my budget or figure out how to pay for the excess, so… Fragrant Fripperies was born.

Bee: What should fragrance customers look for when choosing a business from which to buy decants?

P.G.: It used to be easier when eBay allowed us to sell because you could look at a person’s feedback and see what others thought of their service and reliability. Now that decanters are moving to the web, I think it’s becoming more difficult. I think most people can get a recommendation on some of the perfume boards, like Basenotes, POL, MUA on whether a decanter is reliable and honest. As far as what to look for, reputation is the key thing when buying decants. It is best to go to a perfume board and do a search for that business name. Most likely someone has dealt with them or has asked and gotten an answer, so you can make sure they are legit.

Bee: Approximately how many fragrances do you currently carry at Fragrant Fripperies?

P.G.: This is sort of embarrassing. I had to download my catalog this week for readying to upload to the new combined website with three other decanters, and I thought I was right around 300 perfumes, but it turns out it is almost 400. Now, some of those are two strengths of the same perfume, the EDT or EDP and the parfum.

Bee: How do you go about choosing the fragrances you will carry?

P.G.: It’s a mix of sources. Sometimes I get requests for things, and I try to honor those as much as possible. I also like to look around and find things that aren’t being represented in decanting. Sometimes that’s an older perfume that I love or discover, like Niki de St. Phalle or Fendi Theorema, and sometimes it is the latest things that’s just shown up in Europe. When I started out, I carried more of what I personally liked. In the last 6-8 months, I carry more of a variety of things, some that aren’t things I love or wear, but that I respect the craftsmanship.

Bee: Have you discontinued any items? If so, what is the most common reason? I do discontinue things.

P.G.: Usually it’s just because it doesn’t sell at all. When we go to the combined website, Theperfumedcourt.com, I have other things I’ll stop carrying because one of the other decanters already carries it. Then I can go find some new things to add.

Bee: What is the most touching experience you’ve had as a decanter in helping connect a customer with a fragrance?

P.G.: I think the times when someone is able to get their hands on something they used to wear or their mom wore, they’re so happy to just smell it again. But the times that make me so happy is when a person has their falling in love with a perfume moment. They may have hesitated to spend that much for a sample or decant because the perfume was so darn expensive, but they tried it, and it captivated them. Those moments, when you see someone find their scent by methodical trial are wonderful because it’s not an impulse, they’ve truly fallen for it….

Tomorrow, part II: Patty talks about perfume trends; building a fragrance wardrobe; and her feelings about eBay…

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