Best Perfume Making Classes Near Me: Find In-Person & Virtual Training

Learn More About Perfume Making Courses

What is Perfume Making?

Perfume making is a complex process that involves gathering ingredients, extracting oils, blending, aging, and quality control. The word perfume is derived from the Latin ‘perfumare,’ ”meaning "to smoke through". The art of making perfumes, also known as perfumery, began in ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley civilization, and possibly Ancient China. Archaeologists in Cyprus have discovered some of the oldest perfumes known to exist, thought to be over 4000 years old.

Eau de Cologne was invented in the 18th century, changing the world of perfumery. Referring to a family of fresh fragrances distilled using extracts from citrus, floral, and woody ingredients supposedly first developed in Cologne, Germany, the perfume industry continued to flourish, slowly becoming accessible to a wider market. Similar to fashion, fragrance provides an opportunity to showcase your individuality and social status, as well as capturing and establishing feelings of well-being.

The process for making perfumes has remained widely the same for decades. Diverse botanicals are picked and collected by hand, and then distillation is used to draw the essential oils from the plants. Today, the perfume industry uses laboratories and computer technology to ascertain and maintain quality and consistency, and provide new ways to communicate and develop original formulas with greater precision.

Why Learn Perfume Making?

Perfume making has both professional and personal benefits. If you become skilled enough at your craft, you could launch it into a career. Vendor markets can be a great place to sell your fragrances, and highly sought-after perfumers can even set up their own shops or studios. But, even if you don’t turn your craft into a career, it can still benefit you professionally. A few of the professional benefits are outlined below:

Focus and attention: Perfume making requires a lot of focus and attention, which can help improve concentration.
Self-expression: It can help boost self-esteem and self-confidence by allowing you to create beauty through fragrance. This newfound confidence can help you nail those work presentations or motivate you to find creative solutions to problems.
Problem solving: Crafting a new fragrance is a bit like solving a puzzle while simultaneously working to find all the pieces. It can require a fair amount of trial and error to learn which scents pair well together and which ones don’t, and this level of problem solving translates well into a variety of career fields.

As a hobby, there are seemingly endless reasons to learn perfume making. Some benefits of crafting as a hobby include:

Personal growth: Perfume making is a cool way to challenge yourself to learn something new in a warm, friendly and inspiring environment. Being surrounded by like-minded folks who have chosen to be present can also provide motivation on your journey. Even if you begin perfumery as a social outlet, you’ll likely be surprised how quickly your skills develop simply by being around others who are also developing their ability to craft.
Mindfulness and mental health: Perfume making requires you to be present with your mind and body as you learn new techniques and use new tools and machinery that can help create strong feelings of calm and comfort. Your olfactory senses can be used to help manage stress, create a sense of peace, or energize you, all depending on the fragrances you smell. By learning to make perfume, you can create your own fragrances designed to manage stress and create calm.
Connecting with others: Learning perfume making can lead to new friendships and an expansion of your community. Joining a perfume making class can help you connect with people who have similar interests. Not only can you form new relationships, but you can use those relationships to improve your skills.

As you can see, there are many reasons to study perfume making. Whether you pursue it as a hobby or a new profession, you’re bound to find the process rewarding in more ways than one.

What You’ll Learn in a Perfume Making Class?

An introductory perfume class will cover all the basics. You may briefly discuss the history of fragrance before moving onto the nitty gritty of formulation like how oils interact with each other and the skin. You’ll also dive into the structure of top, middle, and base notes to create a fragrance, as these are the building blocks to creating perfumes that delight the senses.

Top notes: These are the first scents you notice after applying perfume. Top notes are light, fleeting, and often associated with freshness (think citrusy, green, or slightly fruity). They tend to be small molecules that evaporate quickly, usually lasting only 5–15 minutes.
Middle notes: Sometimes referred to as heart notes, middle notes are the foundation of the fragrance and develop after the top notes fade. Lasting for a few hours, middle notes are often floral, but can also be spicy or fruity.
Base notes: Also known as drydown notes, base notes are the perfume's lasting aroma that lingers for hours, often referred to as calming. They are the least volatile and evaporate the slowest, providing depth and longevity to the fragrance.

A perfume making course will also cover other subjects, like how to blend fragrances, how to experiment with raw materials, the language of scents, perfume philosophy, how to calculate perfume quantity, the significance of fragrance in history and culture, and how to improve your sense of smell. By the end of an introductory course, you should be armed with enough knowledge to experiment with making your own fragrances.

How Long Will it Take to Learn Perfume Making?

Professional perfumers in the fragrance industry typically study for 2 years at perfumery school after completing a chemistry degree. As a fragrance hobbyist, you can study perfume making in a shorter amount of time and in a more informal environment. The average introductory course is usually only a few hours, but it’s important to keep in mind that becoming skilled enough to create an original fragrance can still take many years, even as a hobbyist. So, if you’re looking to master just the basics and become somewhat adept at identifying various notes and scents, this should only take a few days to weeks. If you’re hoping to become a master perfumer and create your own original concoctions, then be prepared for several years of study.

Most perfume making experts find that their passion drives their desire to work, and can usually commit to several hours a week to hone their skills. The good news is that you can reach mastery at your desired level with the right combination of passion and dedication.

What are the Hardest Parts of Learning Perfume Making?

There are many challenges to learning perfume making, some of which are outlined below. Even when pursuing perfumery as a hobby, there are still a few substantial difficulties you will encounter.

Time

The process of becoming a perfumer can take several years of study and training, depending on how advanced of an expert you’d like to become. It takes time to perfect your sense of smell so you can discern between the many base, middle, and top notes commonly used. It also takes time to learn how to combine them in order to create your desired fragrance.

Cost

Perfumery can be expensive, especially the materials needed to build a perfumer's organ. Essential oils and base fragrances are many; the more complex perfumes you wish to make, the larger the source collection you’ll need.

Practice

It takes time and practice to become a proficient perfumer. At times it may seem tedious or repetitive, but it’s in the trial and error that you’ll learn the most. Focus and dedication to your practice will be key to your success.

Finding a Place to Work

Perfume making requires a lot of specialized equipment that most people don’t have, like measuring equipment, a digital scale, disposable pipette, testing strips, and bottles and vials. In addition, you’ll need a space to work that can remain clean, much like a lab or kitchen prep space. Taking an in-person perfume making class can be a great way to get access to all of this equipment, since all necessary equipment is usually provided.

What are the Advantages of Taking a Perfume Making Class?

There are many advantages to taking a perfume making class as opposed to learning on your own. Firstly, these classes are led by experts in the craft in a safe and controlled environment. The instructors have many years experience, so they’ll be able to guide you through common mistakes and challenges, and provide you with perfume-specific insights.

Attending an in-person crafting class also gives you hands-on access to practicing. In-person classes will be held in a studio or workshop that contains all the equipment, materials, and tools needed for your specific craft. You’ll be able to test out scents, get familiar with the tools and equipment, and master the basic skills all under the supervision of a trained perfume expert.

Attending an in-person perfume making class offers many other benefits, too. You’ll be able to learn with other aspiring fragrance aficionados, and potentially make new friends in the process. Studios and workshop spaces are a great way to find a community with similar interests and hobbies, so you can even get to know people outside your class. Finally, perfume making is a technical art form that involves the senses, so it benefits immensely from in-person learning. Attending a class is often more accessible than hunting down an apprenticeship, and can be the quickest and most cost-effective way to master your chosen craft.

Best Perfume Making Classes

Located in NYC? While there aren’t currently many classes located across the nation, there are several perfume making workshops in the Big Apple. Back Porch Soap Company offers a Perfume Making Class led by renowned perfumer Marla Bosworth. Students will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of natural fragrances to create their own unique customized scent blend. They will learn about the different scent families, the art of fragrance composition, and how to balance and layer different aromas to create a harmonious and long-lasting scent. Guests will experiment with various ingredients, notes, and accords to find a fragrance that truly reflects their personality and preferences and will be able to customize the intensity, complexity, and overall character of their perfume. At the end of the workshop, each attendee will take home their own bespoke perfume, packaged in a beautiful bottle.

Bios Apothecary, also in NYC, hosts DIY Perfume Bar Experience that lets you sample and create your very own bespoke signature scent. You'll explore their scent library at your own pace and make samples of any scent you might consider. After testing combinations, you'll decide on a formula and get step-by-step instructions for the formulation phase. You will have access to their full library of over 130 natural aromatics and will leave with your very own bespoke fragrance.

Bios Apothecary’s Natural Perfume Workshop similarly offers an introduction to natural perfumery, an overview and sampling of their most popular botanical scents (with access to our full library of 130+ aromatics). Their collection boasts plant-based "leathers" and "musks", exquisite and rare woods, exotic flowers, earthy root extractions, juicy tree fruit, ripe berries, invigorating citrus, verdant grasses, balsamic resins, decadent gourmands, enlivening spices and more. Enrollment includes all of the raw materials and supplies needed to create your one-of-a-kind 15ml signature fragrance.

Alchemologie Natural Perfume’s Natural Perfume Blending is a sensory workshop that examines the artisanal art of natural perfumery. This course covers a basic understanding of the sense of smell, the history of perfume, the advent of synthetic ingredients and the return to naturals. Perfume ingredients and formulation will be explored and each participant will leave with two bottles of their own bespoke perfume. No prior knowledge of perfume making is required to attend this class. Students are required to bring a notebook to class, and all other materials will be provided.

Live Online Perfume Making Classes

As previously mentioned, perfume making is an artform that requires hands-on teaching. This makes online learning extremely difficult, as does the space, tools, and equipment required. While there are a few online training programs that focus on the history and various techniques of perfume making, they cannot offer you the physical studio space, equipment, materials, and tools to test out these techniques yourself.

If you’re looking to simply learn the basics of perfume making like terminology, tools, and history, then an online course can be a good fit. But if you want to actually learn to make perfume yourself, then you really need to attend an in-person class.

While there aren’t currently any available online classes for perfume making on Noble Desktop, there are a few online classes related to the business of perfumery. Fragrance Alliance Network offers Content Creation and Brand Storytelling in the Fragrance Industry that will help you gain the expertise to develop captivating brand stories that resonate with your audience and elevate your brand's presence. Participants will explore advanced techniques in crafting compelling narratives, creating engaging content, and leveraging digital platforms to enhance brand presence.

They also offer Trend Identification: How to Spot Emerging Trends, an introductory course that provides insights on how to identify trends and patterns with a focus on fragrance and flavor ingredients. Participants will be introduced to the crossover of ingredients, have a heightened awareness, and be better equipped to be proactive. By the end of this course, you’ll have enhanced your market awareness and be equipped to proactively respond to evolving demands.

Finally, their course Finding Inspiration: How to Get Unstuck in New Product Development is designed for the established perfumist. This course guides you through techniques to engage your five senses, helping you break free from creative blocks and discover new perspectives in product development. You’ll learn to transform ordinary experiences into extraordinary ideas that fuel innovation and problem-solving.

If you’d like to explore other classes that employ the sense of smell, you could try a candle making course. Coastal Design Workshops hosts an online Organic Soy Wax Candle Workshop that’s perfect for crafting newbies. A DIY kit will be shipped to your home that contains the supplies you need to make your scented soy candle, including three fragrance options. You'll have time to ask questions and get plenty of tips in this fun and engaging virtual experience. Your teacher with Coastal Design Workshops will walk you through each step so you can easily make a customized organic soy candle.

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Top Certificate Programs

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Top Certificate Programs

Top Courses

Bios Apothecary DIY Perfume Bar Experience

Fragrance Alliance Network Intro to Perfumery: A Primer

Bios Apothecary Natural Perfume Workshop

Fragrance Alliance Network French Perfume History: From Versailles to the End of the Second Empire Not currently offered

Learn Perfume Making

Remedies Herb Shop Introduction to Perfume Blending Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network Intro to Perfumery: Part II Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network Intro to Fragrance Evaluation Not currently offered

Alchemologie Natural Perfume A Rose is a Rose: Creating Rose Based Natural Perfume Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network French Perfume History: Versailles Not currently offered

Alchemologie Natural Perfume Natural Perfume Blending (Part One) Not currently offered

Learn More About Perfume Making Courses

What is Perfume Making?

Why Learn Perfume Making?

What You’ll Learn in a Perfume Making Class?

How Long Will it Take to Learn Perfume Making?

What are the Hardest Parts of Learning Perfume Making?

Time

Cost

Practice

Finding a Place to Work

What are the Advantages of Taking a Perfume Making Class?

Best Perfume Making Classes

Live Online Perfume Making Classes

Perfume Making Courses by School

Bios Apothecary

DIY Perfume Bar Experience

Natural Perfume Workshop

Fragrance Alliance Network

Intro to Perfumery: A Primer

French Perfume History: From Versailles to the End of the Second Empire Not currently offered

Intro to Perfumery: Part II Not currently offered

Intro to Fragrance Evaluation Not currently offered

Remedies Herb Shop

Introduction to Perfume Blending Not currently offered

Alchemologie Natural Perfume

A Rose is a Rose: Creating Rose Based Natural Perfume Not currently offered

Natural Perfume Blending (Part One) Not currently offered

Perfume Making Corporate & Onsite Training Noble Desktop

Perfume Making Training Map & Top Locations

10 Courses Available in NYC

Fragrance Alliance Network French Perfume History: From Versailles to the End of the Second Empire
Not currently offered

Remedies Herb Shop Introduction to Perfume Blending
Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network Intro to Perfumery: Part II
Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network Intro to Fragrance Evaluation
Not currently offered

Alchemologie Natural Perfume A Rose is a Rose: Creating Rose Based Natural Perfume
Not currently offered

Fragrance Alliance Network French Perfume History: Versailles
Not currently offered

Alchemologie Natural Perfume Natural Perfume Blending (Part One)
Not currently offered

Perfume Making
Corporate & Onsite Training