The Art & Business of Perfumery: What I Learned

As you may recall, I mentioned a couple posts ago that I was about to embark on a perfume class. I was invited by Aurelia Corvinus, proprietor and perfumer of one of my fave perfume brands The Lovely Muse Apothecary, to audit her new “The Art & Business of Perfumery” course. We started in late January, and I just completed my personal consultation with Aurelia last week (more on that later). Aurelia will be adding a couple bonus video lessons in the next week or two, but now that we’re through the bulk of the course, I wanted to share my thoughts and experiences. (Feel free to scroll down to the Summary below if you’re in a rush.)

Class Structure and Format

Each week’s course included multiple video lessons, an accompanying workbook, and a weekly live video call. The video lessons took 45 minutes to an hour each week. The workbook for each lesson was distributed via PDF as each lesson was released. There was occasional “homework” that was optional (or could be done at a later date), which took just a small amount of time and was also fun, at least for me: creating Pinterest boards with ideas for design, color palettes, etc.; registering for Canva and experimenting with labels and logos using templates provided with the course; creative thought exercises to help define your style and flesh out a concept for your brand. The class also included a one-on-one consultation for a custom perfume created by Aurelia, which I just completed and will cover in a separate blog post.

The Instructor

Aurelia Corvinus seems uniquely qualified to teach this course. I knew she was an artist, but I did not realize she was also a professional graphic designer with two degrees and decades in the business. (No wonder Lovely Muse’s packaging is head-and-shoulders above that of its peers!) She has also worked for a major cosmetics and fragrance company, has studied aromatherapy and made and sold thousands of bars of soap before deciding to launch her own perfume brand. The Lovely Muse Apothecary went viral shortly after launch, and the brand just celebrated its third anniversary.

(And the above is just a fraction of what Aurelia has done and is currently doing. She’s got a book in the works, still does graphic design and spiritual coaching on the side, and launched a new wellness brand, Shakti Sacred Wellness, all while teaching this course. Plus, she’s a wife and mother! The woman has so much energy!)

In addition to being deeply knowledgeable about art, design, and the fragrance and wellness industries, Aurelia is above all approachable and down to earth. She’s so warm and friendly as a person and an instructor, but also clear-eyed and honest regarding the challenges associated with launching a small business of this type. Her goal with this course is to help students launch a small business that starts making money immediately. There are many courses that touch on the creative aspects of perfumery, which may be enough for perfume lovers who wish to pursue it as a hobby, but those who want to launch a business also need a solid foundation in the legal, risk management, safety and financial aspects of this industry. Aurelia shared generously from her personal experiences on these issues and this course can help you avoid some of the common pitfalls that small business owners frequently experience, and which can be financially devastating.

My Experience

The course and weekly calls were designed so students could begin developing their brand and products during the course, with opportunities for feedback and troubleshooting during the live calls. There were two other students taking the class with me. All of us are perfume lovers who had purchased perfumes from The Lovely Muse Apothecary, but we were approaching the class from different angles. As I was auditing and am not sure yet if I will go on to launch my own brand (though this course has definitely prepared me to do that and sparked my interest in doing so), I did not have any perfumery materials on hand and didn’t create any products as part of the coursework. One of the other students has been self-studying perfumery for a while, has already created a few prototypes and took the course to get additional insights on product development, marketing and package design. The other student was a busy working professional who loves fragrance and is hoping to develop a perfume brand as her creative outlet. As such, we as a group did not really take full advantage of the course’s opportunity for feedback and product support. On the other hand, all of us found we enjoyed the opportunity for fellowship, as creatives and perfume lovers, that each weekly call facilitated. Aurelia is now considering further opportunities to develop that aspect of the group learning experience.

I found the course materials to be well-researched, informative and thoughtfully designed, from a curriculum standpoint. I am confident that a student could pivot from the class to running their own perfume/body products business in just a few months. Aurelia doesn’t believe in gatekeeping–to the point where class participants received the formula for one of her actual perfumes (which I own and love!), a list of the suppliers she uses and notes on the actual ingredients she buys. At one point she even opened up her shopping cart on Amazon to show us what she was purchasing there and in what quantities. She has done all the legwork so you don’t have to and all of this information is detailed in the course materials. I speak from experience when I say this is a huge time- and money-saver for anyone taking up perfume creation.

She has also done the math for you, with custom spreadsheets that will help you price your product competitively and profitably, track your own inventory and formulas, conduct and analyze market research, create contracts for wholesaling and many other important details. This aspect of the class was so thorough, and the other students and I commented how useful it could be for products other than perfume. Aurelia is now offering this module as a stand-alone “Crafting Success: Pricing, Market Research and Sales Masterclass.” If you’re a creator of handcrafted goods of any kind–jewelry, greeting cards, baby clothes, etc.–this class is for you and will be hugely beneficial.

The design elements were also incredible, and after hearing about her education and experience in this field, it is easy to see why. Design and branding have become increasingly important in the online marketplace, especially if you’ll be marketing through social media. I purchase new solid perfumes all the time, and I have tried so many products that smell great but lack a professional appearance: cheap packaging that breaks; no labels or poorly designed labels printed on cheap stock with a faulty ink jet printer; labels with tiny inscrutable print; labels that smear when they come into contact with the liquid or solid perfume in the container… I know that not all of us are well-versed in Adobe, Canva, color theory, etc., plus it is hard to find quality packaging available in the small quantities an indie perfume can reasonably use, but Aurelia offers all the shortcuts here, including templates for labels that you can personalize for your products, lists of suppliers, and the magical extra steps she uses to get her lockets and tins to look so polished and precious. I would love to see her offer the design-related module as a separate course, similar to what she did with the Pricing and Sales Class. There are so many indie perfumers who could benefit from some additional design knowledge.

Summary

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk, LOL.

TL/DR? Yes, I had a lot to say about the class, but that is because I learned so much! My husband remarked that I was always energetic and in a good mood after each Saturday’s Live call, and it’s true. I finished each call with a thousand new ideas spinning in my head, buoyed by the good will and creativity of Aurelia and my classmates.

I just realized I didn’t touch on the actual perfumery education of the course, so let me take a moment here to confirm the perfumery material presented was solid and consistent with the other educational materials I have perused on this matter (including but not limited to books by Mandy Aftel and Mindy Green, the late great Natural Perfumery group on Yahoo, plus many articles on Fragrantica). You’ll learn enough about constructing perfume formulas to get your product line going while enjoying the creative journey and continuing to explore. Even if you’re already familiar with basic perfumery principles, you’ll likely still learn something from that module, plus you get the benefit of Aurelia’s formulas and ratios for an entire product line–solids, EDPs, perfume oils, lotions, creams, etc.

That knowledge, paired with the exceptional modules on design, marketing, legal matters, setting up shop on Etsy/Shopify/for a craft show, and all the other tidbits I mentioned above, make this class an excellent value. Bang for the buck in abundance! I truly enjoyed the class and learned a great deal in our seven weeks together. I have tremendous respect for Aurelia’s expertise, along with a deeper appreciation for the artistry and elbow grease that she puts into The Lovely Muse Apothecary. If any of you have been dreaming of launching your own indie perfumery or bath and body products business, this class has everything you need to get started and I hope you’ll give it a try.

A special thank you to Aurelia for inviting me to audit the class. I am so grateful for the opportunity, and I look forward to exploring the creations of your students! (And maybe contributing my own someday!)

All images by me. (All cat hair on any products courtesy of Vinny, as usual. The battle never ends.) All links ’cause I love. I was invited by Aurelia Corvinus to audit the inaugural class and give feedback, but all opinions here are my own.