Welcome to Nosey
Occasional notes about the dramatic, intriguing world of perfumery, from novice to nose.
Welcome to Nosey, an occasional summary of my adventures into the complex and fascinating world of perfumes. Hold on, you’re writing about perfumes now? Yes, and let me explain.
If I had to guess, most people signing up for this know me as a writer and editor of stories about technology, social media, and journalism. I will write about some of those things for New_Public at some point. This is a different thing. For those of you still intrigued, thank you for trusting me with your time.
Here’s what inspired me to start Nosey, and why I think it’s for anyone feeling a bit… nosey.
Years ago, my sister encouraged me to look into the world of the nose. It’s an industry term that refers to a professional expert who studies, identifies, discovers, and creates scents for a living. A perfumer, by trade, is a nose. A nose can work with a winery to identify notes, which are recognizable and memorable aromas. A nose can also work with an auction house, for example, to validate the authenticity of a material with an original scent. And in the age of technology, some noses are machines and perfumes “made” by artificial intelligence.
In 2021, it’s possible to make your own fragrances thanks to revolutionary disruptions in the supply of aromatic compounds and materials, biochemistry, and biotechnology. Here’s the thing. It’s nearly impossible to become a perfumer because one of the world’s oldest industries, the perfumer's profession, is perhaps also its most exclusive one.
There are only an estimated 500 perfumers in the world. That’s a tiny number for a profession that influences basically every commercial good we come into contact with. For reference, more people have gone to space. You’ve visited a Costco or Target with more people. In theory, anyone could make their own perfume, yet almost no one is professionally recognized as doing so. I’ve already made two perfumes, a rocky beach-inspired one and an English garden-inspired one, thanks to basic training. And millions of people are making great perfumes or fragranced materials right now.
Here we find the story, in the contradiction of an opportunity and access to it. How did this ancient industry manage to keep its trade hidden from the masses? So much of what I need to learn to find the answer is based on learning chemistry, methodology, and there’s no shortcut.
This is a true tech culture story, if there ever was one. It’s what gives me some confidence that I can cover this how I’ve covered all the stories I’ve written as a journalist. The difference between everything else I’ve covered and this is that I intend on becoming my own source as I find the story and, hopefully, a source for you on a world you might come to love, too.
The world of perfume is more dramatic than I ever imagined. There are illegal secrets hidden in mossy woods and millionaire whale vomit hunters. This is my process, from novice to nose, and the things I find along the way. Since this is already a lengthy introduction, we’ll start the newsy stuff in the second newsletter.
I’ll leave you with Colde’s Scent, a lovely song from a designer-turned-musician who loves fragrances, especially Maison Margiela’s Soul of the Forest:
Top notes: Blackcurrant buds, Pimento Berries Essence, Moss Accord
Heart notes: Cistus Concrete, Sap Accord, Fir Balsam
Base notes: Incense Oil, Patchouli Oil Indonesia, Atlas Cedarwood Oil
It’s the top, heart, and base notes structure of perfumes that I’ll use to organize the newsletter.
Scent to your inbox,
Margarita