 By Pinar Lacroix Fragrance Branding Expert and Teacher Brand Designer, Creative Director Packaging | Artist Pratt Institute Alumna | Advocate for Art & Craftsmanship in Natural Perfumery Empowering Fragrance Creators to Build Timeless Legacies Through Art and Craftsmanship with an Exciting New Course Collaboration. I am excited to collaborate with the International Perfume Foundation making fragrance packaging design accessible, timeless, and emotionally compelling. In this collaboration, we are developing a course that combines craftsmanship, art, and branding to help you create a visual story for your fragrance. Together, we’ll empower you to transform your ideas into a brand legacy that aligns with natural perfumery values—all without breaking the bank. The Challenge of Costly Branding The world of fragrance branding often demands significant financial investments, with design service packages ranging from $50,000 to $150,000 and even more with production costs. However, we believe in democratizing this process, equipping you with knowledge and materials to create a brand experience for your fragrance—one that can evolve for decades and build your legacy. Through this course, we will show you how to incorporate craftsmanship and art into every aspect of your fragrance branding, from naming and storytelling to visual design systems and packaging. The materials and techniques you’ll learn will provide you with a foundation to build upon, refine, and expand over time, ensuring your fragrance brand is timeless and resonates with your audience.  My Journey: Crafting Design that Stands Out My fragrance packaging journey began at Pratt Institute, where I studied fragrance packaging design under the legendary Marc Rosen, a pioneer in fragrance design. I found my passion for creating innovative and emotional branding during the Great Recession, a time when businesses cut budgets and designers needed to innovate with limited resources. During that time, I developed branding solutions for products using stock components while working with manufacturers in the beauty industry, creating luxurious designs that stood out on shelves without the need for custom manufacturing. This was during the rise of the Masstige movement, which brought accessible luxury to consumers. I discovered the power of graphic design to elevate product design, making them feel not only premium but also deeply personal. Today, I’m channeling that experience into empowering fragrance creators. Our vision is to make perfume precious again, where each packaging design stands like a model on a runway, capturing attention and connecting emotionally with memories, heritage, and people.  What This Course Offers
This course will help you bring craftsmanship and artistry into your fragrance branding while honoring the principles of Natural Perfumery. You’ll learn to create a visual identity that reflects the essence of your fragrance and resonates deeply with your audience. By the end of this course, you will have a complete visual package for your fragrance (no graphic design tools or skills needed), including the knowledge and materials to evolve and grow your brand. You will learn to build your fragrance as a collectible masterpiece, aligned with the artistry of natural perfumery to connect emotionally with your audience. This isn’t just about branding now—it’s about creating a legacy. The materials and techniques you learn in this course will be tools you can use for decades to refine and build your brand. Why This Matters Fragrance is more than just scent—it’s a story, a memory, and an experience. Your branding, story and packaging design elements should reflect that emotional depth while honoring your craftsmanship and your individuality. This course will show you how to make your fragrance feel precious and personal, creating packaging that serves as a work of art on a podium. We are here to help you connect with your audience through design and storytelling, leaving you with tools to build a brand that resonates today and stands the test of time. Let us help you craft something timeless together. More info about the course
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 By Andrej Babicky, Natural Perfume Expert and Teacher A Beautiful Way to Capture the Scent of Flowers Have you ever wished you could bottle the scent of fresh flowers straight from your garden? Some flowers, like roses or lavender, can be distilled into essential oils, but others, like lilacs, gardenias, and jasmine, are too delicate for traditional extraction methods. That’s where enfleurage comes in—a centuries-old technique that allows us to capture the pure, natural fragrance of flowers in a way that no other method can. The Enchanting Scent of Lilac One of the most magical flowers to experience in spring is lilac.. As soon as its blossoms appear, the air fills with a fresh, powdery sweetness that feels both nostalgic and uplifting. Lilac has a complex fragrance—a mix of honeyed florals, soft vanilla undertones, and a slightly green freshness that makes it truly unique. Walking past a blooming lilac bush on a warm day is like stepping into a cloud of pure springtime bliss. But as beautiful as lilacs smell, their scent is heartbreakingly fleeting. Once picked, their delicate fragrance fades quickly, and unlike roses or lavender, lilacs do not yield an essential oil through steam distillation. This makes enfleurage one of the only ways to capture their true scent and preserve their beauty beyond the blooming season. Imagine being able to enjoy the fragrance of lilacs long after their short-lived bloom is over—whether in a perfume, a solid balm, or a scented oil. With enfleurage, you can do just that. This method gently absorbs lilac’s aromatic molecules into a creamy fat base, preserving its scent exactly as it exists in nature.  How Enfleurage Works
The process is simple but requires patience. Fresh lilac flowers are placed onto a layer of fat (such as refined coconut oil or a blend of vegetable waxes) spread across a glass or ceramic surface. The flowers are gently pressed into the fat, where they release their fragrance over time. Then the spent flowers are replaced with fresh ones until the fat becomes saturated with their beautiful aroma. This fragrant pomade can be used as-is or further refined into a tincture or absolute for perfume-making. Want to Learn More? Join Our Courses & Workshops! If you're passionate about natural perfumery, we invite you to explore the Natural Perfumery Course and the Natural Raw Material Extraction Methods Masterclass where you’ll learn various extraction techniques, including enfleurage, maceration, tincturing, and distillation. These courses are designed for anyone who wants to deepen their understanding of natural fragrance creation. And if you love lilacs, don’t miss our special Lilac Enfleurage Workshop this spring! This hands-on experience will teach you step-by-step how to preserve the enchanting scent of lilacs using traditional enfleurage. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced perfume lover, this workshop will give you the skills to create your own botanical extracts. Stay Connected & Subscribe! Spring is the perfect time to start your journey into natural perfumery. Subscribe to our courses and workshops to learn the art of capturing nature’s most beautiful scents.  Napoléon Bonaparte and Joséphine de Beauharnais By Creezy Courtoy Perfume Historian and Anthropologist I would like to enlighten some of the historical figures who contributed to the world of perfume. Fragrance was not just a luxury but an essential aspect of social and political life, shaping cultures and influencing relationships throughout history. From ancient queens who used scents to assert their power and allure to emperors and kings who embraced fragrance as a symbol of sophistication and prestige, they all contribute to develop art of perfumery. They left an indelible mark on the world of scent, turning it into a powerful tool for expression, allure, and social status. Alexander the Great In 333 B.C., Alexander the Great defeated the Persians at Issos and Egypt moved to the Greek world. His conquests did lead to the blending of cultures, including those related to perfumes. Queen Cleopatra It was told that Cleopatra, the last Queen of Egypt (69-30 B.C.), Egypt experienced the height of perfumes. Of Greek origin and the daughter of Ptolemy, Cleopatra brought to Egypt one of the finest lifestyles. Before boarding her ship, she had the sails perfumed with scented oils composed of rare and precious ingredients. Cleopatra’s life was all about seduction and scents; Caesar fell under her spell and Antony into her arms. Emperor Nero Under the Reign of Emperor Nero, Dioscorides, a physician, pharmacologist and botanist, advocated several remedies to prevent and cure diseases. Like Egyptians and Greeks, however, Romans considered perfumes as a sign of the presence of gods. They attributed a scent to each deity. Queen of Sheba and King Solomon On The Perfume Roads, in the 10th century B.C., Balkis, the Queen of Sheba organized a meeting with Solomon, the Hebrew King. The Kingdom of Sheba (“Sheba” means “Mystery”) was located south of the Fertile Crescent. Its economy relied mainly on the cultivation of myrrh and incense for its main client: Egypt. King Solomon was the absolute Master over this route.  Queen of Sheba and King Solomon Caliph Haroun Al Rachid
Under the reign of Haroun Al Rachid (786- 809), Bagdad became a wealthy trading place, the most affluent and literate in Western Asia and its trade activities developed further. He lead the Abbasid Caliphs to organize a meeting of scholars in Baghdad coming from all over the empire and encouraged production workshops in all science disciplines, from the Greco-Roman world, promoting perfumery. Later, Avicenne (980-1037), invented a “cooling coil” for perfumery while Aricalna (10th century), taught the art of preparing scented waters. They even develop the “alembic” (al–ambiq meaning “vase”). Without any doubt, this rich culture established the basis for medieval perfumery. Emperor Akbar Akbar, who ruled the Mughal Empire from 1556 to 1605, was so passionate about perfumes that the audience room was always perfumed with flowers, amber, agarwood and perfumes composed of old recipes or even invented by his Majesty. Incense burned daily in holders made of gold and silver while scented water fountains exhaled perfumes around the palace gardens. This royal support encouraged the production and the trade of floral essences that were trendy at the Emperor’s Court. King François I To secure the import of raw materials from the East (including some used in perfumery) François I signed an alliance with Sultan Suleiman in 1536, on the model of the trade agreements previously signed by the Ottomans with Venice. This alliance gave the French a privileged position on the trade roads. Queen Catherine de Medici and King Henri II. A little Florentine Princess, Catherine de Medici, arrived in France in 1553. She brought in her luggage creams, pomades and beauty secrets, fashion for bottles worn in a pocket or placed onto a dressing-table as well as the fashion of perfumed gloves, the ultimate symbol of Italian aristocracy. She took with her private perfumer, René the Florentine who opened his first perfumery in Paris, at the Pont au Change. Henri II, under the influence of Catherine de Medici, created the first perfume bottle factory in France, in Saint-Germain en Laye. King Louis XIII and Queen Anne d’Autriche Perfumes had favor at the Court of Louis XIII, under the influence of the beautiful Anne d’Autriche. Of Spanish origin, she brought along with her the tradition of scented gloves, all the science of the culture of flowers and distillation, which Spain had inherited from the Arabs during the Caliphate of Cordoba. To scent the castle rooms, she introduced to France small cages containing little birds made of scented pastes called “Oiselets de Chypre” (Little Birds of Cyprus). Louis XIII recommended them to purify the atmosphere and as protection from epidemics. Louis XIII, introduced the title of “Master Glovemaker-Perfumer” in 1614 for a true corporation and statutes approved by the Provence Parliament in 1729, this new corporation gradually detached from tannery and finally stopped in 1759. King Louis XIV, the “Roy Soleil” (or “Sun King”) Appointed “the most perfumed King of the world”, Louis XIV dedication for personal grooming and fragrance is legendary. The Roy Soleil considered adornment as a strategy to promote the prestige of Versailles. Louis XIV even tried to create perfumes with his perfumer Martial. His influence not only revolutionized the world of fragrance but also established it as a key element of royal identity and status. King Louis XV and Marquise de Pompadour It was not for nothing that the Court of the King Louis XV was baptized the “Scented Court”. Men and women were competing for perfumes, aristocrats, bourgeois, people of law, of finances, men of letters and of the sword: everyone was perfumed. The King ordered that his apartments were impregnated each day with a new perfume. In Vincennes and Sevres, bronze perfume fountains were erected, decorated with statues and bouquets of flowers, to scent the city. Medical practitioners strongly recommended perfume for disinfecting and cleaning. The Toilet of a King consisted in rubbing hands and face with sweet almond oil before sprinkling perfume generously. The Marquise de Pompadour was at the same time lover and advisor of the King Louis XV. Pompadour’s influence on fashion and fragrance, alongside with her extravagant spending on perfumes showcases how intertwined scent and status were during her time. She was the incarnation of the sensual and refined culture of Versailles. Pompadour and du Barry (another Louis XV’s lover) launched the modes at Court. Perfumes were in vogue in all women’s circles in the city and are quickly adopted by any gallant knight, who, as for the powder, adopted the colors and the fragrances of his beloved one. Napoleon Bonaparte, Emperor of France and King of Italy and Josephine de Beauharnais Napoleon’s meticulous grooming habits and preference for Cologne Water reflect his understanding of the power of scent. He always had a specific bottle of Cologne water placed in his boots. As for Josephine de Beauharnais, Creole, accustomed to the strong scents of Martinique, she received the nickname “la Folle au Musc” (Mad Woman with Musk) while spreading the heady emanations in Napoleon’s entourage. Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie Under the Second Empire, a brilliant court led by Empress Eugenie was far too much for parties and balls not to love the refinements of the adornment and perfumes. Napoleon III defended the arts, music and made perfume the prerogative of his court. In conclusion, the world of perfume is deeply intertwined with history, shaped by influential figures who recognized the power of scent in personal expression and societal status. From regal queens to visionary leaders, these individuals set trends that defined their eras. Their passion for scent transformed the landscape of perfumery and their legacies remind us that perfume is more than just a luxury; it is a reflection of culture, identity, and ambition. Stay tuned to discover which contemporary leaders might shape the future of perfumery in the coming years and become a part of its history for generations to come. If you want to learn more about the history of perfume, enroll for Creezy Courtoy's intensive World Perfume History Course. |
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