How do you become a nose for a fragrance company?

Answer 1

There are many ways of becoming a perfumer. (We don't really use the term "Nose" inside the industry) The best way to get started is to join a fragrance company as a lab technician. It is an entry level job that consists of blending the fragrance materials as indicated by the perfumer's formula. This job familiarizes the hopefull trainee with the thousands of natural oils and chemicals that are used in making fragrances. Perfumery is one of the last trades that is taught via apprenticeship. Once empoyed by a Fragrance House as a lab tech, it is then a matter of proving to someone, usually a senior perfumer, that you have the talent, interest, drive, and knack to complete the long training process. At this point, you could be trained by a experienced perfumer, or be sent to Europe, where many of the fragrance houses have their 'perfumery schools'. There is no perfumery college or school that is not affiliated with one of the large fragrance companies. Usually upon graduation, you will be expected to work for the company for a certain number of years. The best course of action is to join a fragrance house in any entry level position and work you way up from there. the major perfume companies are IFF, Givaudan, Firmenich, Symrise, Mane, Fragrance Resources, Drom, Ungerer, and Tagasako. 99.9% of all fragrances are created by these companies. Many fragrance industry jobs are also filled by people who have attended FIT, although these people tend to end up in sales, evaluation, or marketing. Good luck! - a Senior Perfumer at a major fragrance house.