In this latest video, master perfumer, Christophe Laudamiel, takes us on a journey on how to compose a brand fragrance.
Step by step, we get a unique insight into how Laudamiel approaches the composition of a brand fragrance by fusing art and science, helping to create many of the scent collection fragrances offered by Premium Scenting.
Step 1: Understanding the brand
When Laudamiel receives a brief from a brand, he needs to understand what the purpose of the scent needs to be. More importantly, though, he wants to know what feeling the scent should convey about the brand or about the brand’s space.
Adjectives and other descriptors help to guide Laudamiel through the creation process. He likes to create what he calls “pull factors” in the scent. These are elements which trigger emotions, like happiness. To do the brand justice, he needs to be certain of the feeling that needs to transpire within a certain space.
Step 2: Connecting emotions and experiences
The feelings or memories (scent memory) created by a scent are critical to enhancing customer experiences and distinguishing the brand from competitors.
However, different smells will trigger different moods and emotions, which all have an impact on the overall customer experience.
Laudamiel’s unique scents, which can evoke different experiences, transport people in time and space.
What does your brand scent need to convey? Does it need to evoke memories of summer holidays, through cocktail (pina colada) type scents or does it need to create the warmth and comforting smell of a roaring fireplace?
Understanding the emotions that scent needs to trigger will help to deliver effective scent marketing.
“There is a strong neurological relationship between the olfactory and limbic systems. These results clearly demonstrate that scent has a proven powerful initial impact before the visual role is fully established.”
(The Ultimate Retail Experience Report 2017, Rentokil Initial)
Step 3: Perfumery – a fusion of art and science
Creating a scent is a fusion of art and science. A written formula and a set of scales are crucial to begin the process of composition.
Laudamiel likens the process of actually creating a scent to creating a painting. Much like a painting, every scent needs to have a structure. Some scents are used purely to provide the elements needed for this structure and do not participate in the overall scent.
Laudamiel explains that some scents are chosen to provide elements of brightness in a scent, or for diffusion or for robustness. A single scent may contain anywhere from 20 to 80 different ingredients.
Step 4: Scentscaping brand spaces
For fragrances and scents to make maximum impact, scent marketers rely on diffusers to effectively scent a brand’s space.
Premium Scenting uses high-end scent diffusers that respect “the beauty and fragility of the ingredients”, explains Laudamiel.
Laudamiel firmly believes that his background in fine fragrances helps to create very special scents, which can really elevate a brand.
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