Perfume Literacy Workshop | April 26

Saturday April 26th, 2025 
1 pm - 4 pm 
3075 N Swan Road, Tucson Arizona 85712 

Our Perfume Literacy workshop aims to equip you with fundamental olfactory skills and vocabulary. From fragrant resins and flowers used since ancient times to the super ambers that dominate the market today, we will be traveling through the timeline of perfumery while learning about ingredients and essential how-to's that will help us navigate the scents we encounter in our daily lives. This comprehensive class is equally suitable for both beginners and seasoned enthusiasts. 

In this workshop you will learn about: 

- the history of perfumes and important developments that led us to modern perfumery, 
- the most commonly used natural ingredients in perfumery, 
- the most commonly used synthetic ingredients in perfumery, 
- top, middle and base notes and how to identify them, 
- specific olfactory vocabulary used to describe scents, 
- fragrance families and subfamilies with real examples and how to distinguish them, 
- milestone perfumes that changed the course of perfumery, 
- standard methods used to evaluate a perfume's performance, 
- reformulations and why perfumes go through it. 

This class is taught by Merve Colpan, a graduate of the French perfumery school ISIPCA (Institut supérieur international du parfum, de la cosmétique et de l'aromatique alimentaire) originally founded by Jean-Jacques Guerlain in 1970. After obtaining her Master’s degree in European Fragrance and Cosmetics from ISIPCA she worked alongside skilled perfumers in the industry and is now happy to share her knowledge and experience with curious minds. 

Participants will take home a smell & study kit consisting of 24 key perfume ingredients and a perfume field guide that will allow them to improve their olfactory skills at their own pace after the workshop. 

Please note that this is a 3-hour lecture with a 15-minute break at the halfway mark. 

Please refrain from wearing fragrance or scented products on the day of the workshop to allow all participants to experience the scents without interference. 

Our workshop is enjoyable for ages 12 and up. 

Our building is wheelchair accessible. 

Please note that workshop seats are non-refundable.