First, I claim no rare expertise … I am just a fan with a long time interest in fragrances. Nevertheless, recently, I was ‘asked’ by my wife to discuss the sense of ‘smell’ in her “Sensation & Perception” class.
The problem — for me — was not in teaching as I have taught university classes before . The challenge was to take a mountain of information and distill (no pun intended) it all into something that the students would find interesting and — possibly — enjoyable.
Taking a subject you love and creating a spark then a flame of interest is always a challenge…. especially among young American males, of which a few were in attendance.
The world of fragrance is one of analogy… and it was with the use of analogy that I put together a brief — at least to me — presentation within 2 hours.
To do it right, I thought we needed a demonstration. I located aromatherapy jars containing various mysteries and paired them with 4 of Guerlain’s wonders and asked the students to discover which came from which. After all, you can’t shove some perfume under someone’s nose and ask them what’s in it… you must provide a reference point. This is where aromatherapy essentials come in.
Which contained Ylang Yang? Sandalwood? Jasmine? I was surprised how well they did. Top marks all around.
It is important to put perfume in context of societal norms of the times. How did fragrances develop through history culminating in the Designer fragrances of today?
Lastly and most importantly, I was able to acquire samples of a few current products for the students to take home… some Armani for men and some Juicy Couture for women … and for the most adventurous and fortunate some of Frederick Malle’s collection to explore.
I enjoyed myself…
Here are a few links for fun!
Karen Freberg’s Links on Perfume!
the American Society of Perfumers
Fifi Award!
Grasse’s Perfume Museum
House of Guerlain
Luca Turin’s Guide!
Roger Freberg