If the world of fragrances intrigues you and you have a keen sense of smell, a career in perfumery could be the right choice for you. ‘Perfumery’ greatly deals with creating perfumes and selling them. It is a creative field that requires a great sense of smell, a sense of what olfactory compositions might work out and great passion. So, if that is something that interests you then keep reading on.

Let us explore the career of perfumery in this article.

Eligibility Criteria

Skills Required

The first and foremost skill required is a good sense of smell. You shouldn’t just be able to recognize scents instantly but also need to develop the skill for being able to combine just the right fragrances. To create perfumes and to know what works best for the consumers, this is the most important aspect.

You also need to have patience and persistence as the job of a perfumer is greatly based on trial and error. It can take you numerous trials until you make the perfect scent. If you have a look at any attar online, you will realize that it has been crafted using a fine perfuming tradition.

You must also be comfortable working in a laboratory setting as working as a perfumer mostly requires you to work in labs. Having knowledge of human psychological behaviour in terms of what smells trigger emotions, memories or certain moods is always a plus point.

But most importantly, you also need to be passionate about what you’re doing.

Education Required

To pursue a career in perfumery, you need a degree either in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering or in Cosmetic Science. After you complete your degree, you can go on to pursue a specialized course in Perfumery either in India or abroad. A specialized course will equip you with all the nitty-gritty of the perfume world. 

That, or you can also go for a Master’s in a related field. An advanced degree like a Master’s will increase your chances of getting hired.

You can also work as an apprentice or an intern to an established perfumist to get hands-on knowledge of how the field actually works.

Job Prospects and Career Opportunities

With several thousand perfume houses not just in India but also in the world, a career in perfuming holds a promising future.

As a perfumist, you will be responsible for:

  • Researching and experimenting with different types of scents.
  • Come up with new and innovative fragrances.
  • Test various fragrances, suggest changes if any and analyze whether the fragrances will work for the buyers.

There are also many areas within the fragrance industry. You can also work for developing fragrances for bath and body products etc.

Big perfume houses have several departments and you may work in either of them depending upon your specialization. The main departments are:

  • Development: As a perfume developer, you will be responsible for coming up with different fragrances
  • Application: As a person working in this department, your job will be to check fragrance compounds, understand its performance and basically get to know its chemistry.
  • Evaluation: The evaluation department deals with analyzing and evaluating the performance of the fragrance and recommending changes if any.

Additionally, you can also start your own perfume house if you dream of starting a business. Especially, if you live in India, you can start crafting Oudh Perfume, which is a very famous and expensive perfume.

Here, we shared everything you need to know about a career in perfumery. Hope this article helps you make a choice.

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