STINKERS: THE BEAUTY OF THE BEASTLY IN PERFUMERY

Behind every beautiful flower lies something unexpected: the ugly. Hidden within every perfumer's organ is the foul, sulfurous and animalic molecules that give creations their beauty and depth. In this class, we’ll explore those so-called “bad” smells—the umami of fragrance—that transform a composition from flat to unforgettable. You’ll descend into the underworld of the grotesque and the rotten, only to return with new confidence in how to wield these beastly ingredients. From the pungent sulfurous bite of Buchu and the wet-dog earthiness of Valerian, to the raw extracts of Castoreum, the feet-cheese of butyrates and the oceanic mystery of Ambergris, you’ll learn how to harness the animalic nature of reality itself. “Stinkers” will challenge your senses, expand your palette, and reveal why the darkest notes often make the brightest perfumes shine.