Inside the lab

Where each Scent Atelier formula is written, tested and re-written.

This page collects working notes from the bench rather than polished bottle stories. It shows how a perfume moves from first sketch to a quiet, finished structure.

Some days are full of discarded strips and stubborn accords. Others are calm, with tiny edits that finally make a scent feel inevitable. All of them live inside the atelier.

Small batches Timed maceration Wear tests first
Glass perfume bottles standing beside an open notebook with handwritten notes
Bench notebook where first working versions are recorded.
Perfume oils in small vials with a dropper above them
Raw materials weighed into small vials before blending.
Numbered scent strips under a warm lamp on the lab table
Numbered strips lined up for the first comparative test.

Bench rhythm

Hours move between scales, glassware and quiet waiting.

The lab runs on repeatable steps rather than luck. Each session follows a simple rhythm: weigh, blend, rest, return.

  1. Weigh Materials measured to a fraction of a gram on the scale.
  2. Blend Accords built in stages, from backbone to fine details.
  3. Wait Mixtures rest before anyone is allowed to judge them.
Precision scale with a small glass beaker in the lab
Scales are recalibrated regularly before new blends begin.
Perfume blends resting in labelled glass bottles on a tray
Fresh blends rest before the first strip is dipped.

Material library

Shelves of naturals and aroma molecules, arranged by role.

Every bottle in the library is tagged by how it behaves in a formula, not just by name.

Anchor notes

Materials that hold a formula steady: woods, resins and certain musks.

  • Long trail
  • Base structure
  • Slow fade

Shape makers

Materials that set the silhouette: green lines, smoke, mineral tones.

  • Atmosphere
  • Distance
  • Contrast

Detail notes

Small doses that add texture: metallic hints, petals, ink, skin.

  • Texture
  • Edge
  • Afterimage
Wide view of perfume raw material shelves in the atelier
Library shelves organised by role rather than alphabet.
Close view of a labelled raw material bottle and a scent strip
Each bottle carries both a name and a short behaviour note.

Formula evolution

A perfume moves through quiet versions before it feels finished.

The first idea is rarely the one that ends in a bottle. Most Scent Atelier formulas pass through several versions that only change by a few drops.

  • Sketch

    Fast blend to test the overall shape on paper strips.

  • Working

    Adjusted for balance, worn by the same few people for days.

  • Quiet final

    Small edits only when the formula feels calm and obvious.

Scent strips laid out in a grid, each marked with a different formula number
Grids of strips show how a formula changes between versions.
Notebook page with a hand-drawn graph of formula adjustments
Simple graphs track edits instead of long paragraphs of notes.

Error pile

Most blends end up in the notebook, not in a bottle.

The atelier keeps a visible pile of formulas that did not work, so the bench remembers that discarding is part of the craft.

Too loud

Projection that cannot be turned down with dilution.

Too flat

Accords that feel the same from first spray to final fade.

Too similar

Blends that repeat a feeling already in the catalogue.

Crumpled scent strips gathered in a glass beaker
Stack of crossed-out perfume formula pages clipped together
Perfume being sprayed onto the inside of a wrist for testing
Wrist tests show the first hour of projection and texture.
Perfume bottle held near a hanging coat for a fabric test
Coat and scarf tests check how the formula lives on fabric.

Skin & fabric

Every formula is worn on real days, not just on paper.

Scent Atelier blends leave the bench quickly. Before a formula is approved, it has to survive commutes, meetings, kitchens, corridors and late returns.

Skin path

Checked across wrist, neck and inner arm at different hours.

Fabric path

Sprayed lightly on coats, scarves and collars for trails.

Accord sketches

Early tests draw the rough shape before details appear.

Before a full perfume exists, the atelier builds small accord sketches. Each one tests a single idea: a mineral air, a paper note, a soft kind of smoke.

Cork board covered with taped scent strips and small handwritten labels
Accord boards keep early ideas visible at the edge of the bench.
Shape only

First blends ignore detail and focus on silhouette and distance.

Two-note tests

Pairs of materials are checked for tension and balance.

Discard & keep

Only a few sketches move forward into full formulas.

Scent strips laid in a circle on a dark table around a single bottle
Circular strip layouts show how an accord feels from all sides.

Maceration calendar

Time on the shelf is part of every formula.

Fresh blends are never judged in the same hour they are made. Each one gets a quiet place on the maceration shelf and its own small calendar line.

Day 1

Only technical checks, no full wearing yet.

Week 2

First full-day wears on skin and fabric.

Month 1

Formula is considered stable enough for real evaluation.

Perfume bottles standing in a row with a small calendar pinned above
Each test bottle carries a date so time on the shelf stays clear.
Perfume test bottles stored on a dark shelf away from light
Shelves are kept dark and cool so blends can settle quietly.
Small group of people smelling scent strips at a long table
Panel sessions focus on quiet, slow testing rather than rapid reactions.
Single chair by a window with a small table and perfume bottle
Final checks are often done alone in simple, familiar rooms.

Quiet panel

A small circle of wearers helps decide when a scent is ready.

There is no large focus group. Instead, the same handful of people wear each formula in their real routines and send back careful notes.

Consistent noses

People who know the catalogue and can feel small changes.

Different days

Tests in offices, studios, classrooms and late trains.

Written notes

Feedback stored as short, clear sentences, not scores.

Lighting & silence

Perfumes are judged in the same calm conditions every time.

The same lamp, the same corner of the table and the same quiet background help keep evaluations consistent. The goal is to hear the formula, not the room.

Soft lamp cone

No overhead glare, just a warm circle over strips and notes.

No soundtrack

Silence or low room hum instead of music that colours the mood.

Same distance

Strips lifted to the same place near the nose, every session.

Warm desk lamp shining on perfume strips and a notebook
A single lamp keeps the table consistent from day to day.
Quiet corner by a window with a small table and perfume bottle
Final checks happen in a calm corner away from the main bench.

Formula archive

When a perfume is finished, the work behind it is carefully stored.

Every Scent Atelier release leaves a trail of papers, vials and strips. The archive keeps those traces organised so future batches can stay honest to the first one.

Open drawer filled with neatly arranged perfume bottles and labels
Finished formulas sit in labelled drawers with their batch notes.
Labelled archive boxes stacked on a dark studio shelf
Boxes hold early versions so the path of each scent stays visible.

Bench folders

Weighed formulas printed and filed with dates and tiny comments.

Wear logs

Short sentences from real days, not long essays about notes.

Reference bottle

A single bottle kept sealed for each formula’s first approved batch.

Names & labels

Language is treated as another material in the formula.

The words on a Scent Atelier bottle come late, after the scent feels clear. A name should describe the atmosphere, not explain every note.

Working title

A simple studio nickname used during the long bench phase.

Final name

Chosen once wearers describe the same feeling in their notes.

Label lines

Only a few words, leaving space for personal associations.

Sheet of printed perfume labels with a pen resting on the edge
Label proofs are checked by hand before each small print run.
Close view of a perfume bottle label with minimal text
Finished labels keep only the words that truly belong to the scent.

Sensory wall

A wall of notes keeps textures and moods close at hand.

Not every idea becomes a bottle. Some stay on the wall as loose impressions that guide future work: colours, textures, small scenes from everyday life.

Studio wall covered with taped photos, colour patches and short scent notes
The wall collects fragments that feel like beginnings of perfumes.
Coffee cup beside a single scent strip on a small saucer
Everyday objects become quick references for future blends.
Softly lit corridor seen through a half-open studio door
Light, distance and silence outside the lab also shape formulas.

One quiet day

From first key turned in the lock to the last strip clipped.

A typical Scent Atelier day moves slowly, with long stretches of concentration and short breaks to reset the nose.

08:30

Lights on, scales warmed, yesterday’s strips checked in fresh air.

13:00

Bench cleared for a focused blending window with no calls.

19:00

Notebook updated, new blends labelled and moved to the shelf.

Morning light entering the atelier and falling across the bench
Perfume bench in the afternoon with scales, vials and notes
Night view from the atelier window with blurred city lights
Dropper held above a beaker on a precision scale
Scales and glassware are checked more often than most formulas.
Metal tray carrying small perfume bottles and a jotter
Trays move blends between the bench, shelves and test rooms.

Bench tools

Simple instruments used with disciplined repetition.

The atelier keeps its toolkit deliberately small. Familiar tools reduce noise, so changes in a formula are easier to hear.

Scales

Calibrated for tiny changes that still matter in the bottle.

Glassware

Beakers and flasks in everyday sizes, replaced before they cloud.

Paper

Strips, notebooks and cards tying each test back to its formula.

Future trials

A quiet queue of blends waits for its turn on the bench.

Not every experiment can be run at once. New ideas line up in a small queue so the atelier can give each one enough attention when its time comes.

Queued accords

Short notes and raw-material lists pinned for later sessions.

Season checks

Some blends wait for colder air or warmer evenings before testing.

Open questions

Each trial carries one clear question the formula should answer.

Metal tray with small labelled vials waiting on the edge of the bench
Upcoming trials are kept together on a single marked tray.
Close view of handwritten perfume ideas on a small index card
Index cards hold questions and rough structures for new ideas.
Small table by a window with test bottles ready for a new session
When a slot opens, the next trial moves to the window table.

From lab to routine

The work here is finished only when a scent finds a real life.

Bottles leave the atelier in small waves and begin new routines on desks, shelves and hallways around the world. That is where the formulas finally belong.

Samples first

Small vials invite slow testing before any full bottle choice.

Everyday wear

Scents are designed to support a day, not overpower it.

Quiet signatures

Formulas aim to feel personal, not immediately recognisable.

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Perfume sample vials tucked into a small envelope
Perfume bottle standing on a living room shelf among books
Hand holding a perfume bottle in a hallway filled with soft light