“You’ve made soup!” is a phrase French perfume teachers often say to their students. In the world of fragrance, soup refers to a perfume that smells muddy, flat, or undefined. But what causes a scent to turn into “soup,” and how can you prevent it?

In this week’s episode, Karen breaks down the many ways a perfume can lose its clarity and character, often through well-intentioned choices that seem right at first. Tune in to learn the common pitfalls.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

One easy way to achieve a muddy scent is by constantly adding materials on top of each other, just because you like them. Karen explains why this is a bad idea.
Copying a notes list from a perfume you admire is another fast track to achieving a muddy scent. So why do people do it, and why should you avoid it?
Understanding scent structure is crucial to creating a well-balanced perfume. Karen breaks down why this is and why it should be the first thing you master.
Nose fatigue is a very real thing, and it can lead you to make crucial mistakes when creating a scent. Karen shares her top tips to avoid this trap.

BEST MOMENTS

“Adding more materials won’t fix anything; it will just make your fragrance more dense and confusing.”

“Sometimes a space in a formulation is what gives it its strength.”

“Every time you make a formulation, make notes, and you will be moving forward.”

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Studio classes

Materials Mastery

Getting Started Guide

Artisan Perfumery Mastermind

ABOUT THE HOST

Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way.

Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances.

With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques.

Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing.

CONTACT DETAILS

This Podcast has been brought to you by Disruptive Media. https://disruptivemedia.co.uk/

You’ve Made Soup! - How to Avoid a Muddy Fragrance