Online Perfumery Course

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?"

"That's depends a good deal on where you want to get to."...
(Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll, 1865)

We present a year-long excursion into the magical world of the creation of Natural Botanical Perfumes, with tutor/instructor, Justine Crane.

Your tuition cost provides you with year-long instruction in Natural Botanical Perfumery, with tutor/instructor and student mentor support ~

* A 55+ essence evaluation kit~
* Comprehensive study guide/work book with additional evaluation work sheets, and trial work sheets ~
* A formulation kit of 20 primary perfume essences (to complete course assignments)~
* An online academy with 24-hour access~

The Admissions Committee reviews all submitted applications. Information supplied is treated with utmost confidentially.

A refundable application fee of €30 Euro ($40 USD) is required to begin the application process (the application fee will be included with the entire course cost if your application is accepted).

Course cost: €680 Euro ($950 USD). A non-refundable deposit of €160 Euro ($225 USD) is required after your application is accepted, and the remainder due April 20th, 2010. Course begins May 24th, 2010.


Space is limited to 20 students
Course Description ~

Antiquarian Perfumery/Natural Botanical Perfumery is a non-accredited course, and no prerequisites are required except a passion and desire to learn Natural Botanical Perfumery from the ground up. This course is recommended for those who desire to begin a career in NBP, or those who wish to broaden their educational horizons.

Includes information and instruction in:

A Brief History of Perfume, Spirit & Filth
Popular Historic Perfumery Ingredients
Evolution of Perfume Culture
Safety
Endangered Species Used in Perfumery
Storage & Shelf-Life of Raw Materials
Chemical Constituents of Essential Oils
Glossary of Terminology
Perfumers Studio ~ Beginning Perfumers Tools
The Perfumers Palette
Notes, Accords & Chords
Evaluating Raw Materials
Supplemental Scent Vocabulary
Continued Olfactory Training (tests)
Advanced Perfumers Tools & Techniques
Tinctures, Evulsions, Dilutions, Scales,
Labware
Oil-Based & Solid Perfume Making Techniques
Soap, Balms, Butters, Massage & Bath
Oils
Creating Perfume
Vertical/Horizontal Trial Studies
Intuitive Perfumery Formulation
Base Compound Formulation
Building a Floral Base, Amber Base,
Chypre Base, etc.
Creating Perfume on Paper
Advanced Composition Techniques
Trials
Sacrificial Perfume Materials
EdT’s, EdC’s, EdF’s, Aftershaves
“Fining” or Clarifying Finished Compositions
Coffee Filters vs. Laboratory/Winemaking Filters
Finishing the Composition
Creating Custom Perfumes
Following a Brief
Other Methods of Composition
Suggested Raw Materials

With full Sources, Bibliography, Website Links, Recommended Reading Lists, Sourcing Raw Materials & Suppliers Links, Worldwide Suppliers, Online Educational Sites, Groups, Research & References, Biopiracy Links, Brick & Mortar Shops, Quizzes and Answer Keys, Essence Evaluation Worksheets, Perfume Trial Worksheets, Assignments, Tutor/Instructor Support, Mentor Support and more.

FAQ's ~
How will the class be meeting online during the course of a given week?

The course is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and students are free to enter and read the current open unit(s), and post on the forums at any time. The instructor and mentors will be in and out of the academy during the week as well, but there will be a set day during the week in which the instructor will be in the academy and available for instruction and questions.

What is the meaning of the words “spirit and filth” in regard to perfume history?

Spirit refers to perfumes spiritual aspects, its connection with honoring gods. Filth is in reference to short periods of time during history when perfume, bathing and bathing rituals were avoided or were unavailable.

What physical items do I receive for my tuition?

The 55+ evaluation kit includes 2 ml vials of 10% dilutions and a packet of 100 scent strips. The eval kit contains essences of jasmine sambac absolute, jasmine grandiflorum absolute, tuberose, cassie, rose otto, rose centifolia, rose damascena, palmarosa, rose geranium, bergamot, bitter orange, lemon, lime, santalum album, Himalayan cedar, Virginia cedar, vetiver, patchouli, oak moss, red cedar heartwood, neroli bigarade, petit grain sur fleur neroli, petit grain bigarade, orange blossom absolute, cassia, clove, nutmeg, black pepper, lavandin grosso, mailette lavender, lavender fine pop., rosemary, eucalyptus, badiane, sweet basil, sweet fennel, balsam Peru, balsam tolu, tonka, styrax, labdanum (incense variety), frankincense, myrrh, galbanum, peppermint, spearmint, pennyroyal, hyracium, choya loban, ambrette, nagarmotha, ylang-ylang extra, cananga, ho wood, vanilla, choya nakh and choya ral, plus any additional essences the instructor deems necessary or interesting to round out the evaluation unit.

Also included in tuition is a comprehensive work book/primer which closely follows the course curriculum, with slight variations. The work book includes history, safety, IFRA regulations, glossary, scent vocabulary, formulation methods, links to suppliers, recommended reading lists and much, much more. The work book serves a dual purpose as an instructional, similar to a text book, with work sheets to conduct study trials, essence evaluations and creation of perfume for independent home study.

A formulation kit is included in the course tuition as well, and includes 20 specially chosen essences which will be used by the student to complete course assignments. The kit includes undiluted oils of bergamot 5ml, coriander 5 ml, frankincense 5 ml, geranium 5 ml, ginger 5 ml, ho wood 5 ml, jasmine sambac absolute 5 ml, cistus 5 ml, lavender 5 ml, lemongrass 5 ml, neroli 2 ml, patchouli 5 ml, petit grain 5 ml, grapefruit 5 ml, rose de mai 2 ml, vetiver 5 ml, ylang-ylang 5 ml, Bulgarian rose concrete 5 ml, and oak moss 2 ml.

How are the classes given?

The classes are given on the Moodle academy format with 24 hour access. Each unit will be opened as we complete the previous unit. There will be assignments which can be completed on the Moodle format (copy and pasted from your computer). Forums for each unit are available for student/teacher, student/student and student/mentor interaction. Previous students have signed on as mentors to help motivate and inspire new students.
The learning platform we use provides the facilities to upload assignments, advanced uploading of files, off line activities and assignments, live chat sessions, pod casts, online video, quizzes and questions in a variety of formats, a glossary, a student journal, forums, online lessons in a secure environment, surveys and workshops.
We also provide training in how to use the site well in advance of the class beginning in order to build confidence and have site administrators and professional technical assistance on hand at all time should the need arise.

What is the benefit of taking this online course as opposed to researching and studying on my own?

This online course, and any other online course, serves to shorten the length of time, and ultimately the money spent, on learning this art form on your own. Instead of scouring the internet or jumping down rabbit holes in search of the holy grail of Natural Botanical Perfume information, you will be conducting evaluations and trial studies, the true “holy grail” of Natural Botanical Perfume information -- you will be doing the work that it takes to become a Natural Botanical Perfumer.


What special tools or supplies not included in the tuition do I need to be able to complete the course.

We’ve structured the course to give each student time in which to gather the required tools and supplies necessary to finish the course. To complete evaluations of your own materials, and to formulate perfumes, you will need to have on hand several dozen 5 to10 ml dropper bottles, 10- ½ oz cobalt or amber bottles with caps; 5- 1 oz cobalt or amber bottles with caps; 5- 2 oz cobalt or amber bottles with caps; 2- 4 oz cobalt or amber bottles with caps; droppers, funnels, filter paper, paper towels, isopropyl alcohol, skewers, self-adhesive labels or strips of paper, transparent tape, scent strips or squares of acid-free water color paper, small metal or glass cups, pipe cleaners, small bottle brush, pens, notebooks and a file folder. All these items are readily available and can be purchased inexpensively. During the advanced portion of the course, you will need to have on hand a digital scale capable of weighing at least as low as 1/100th of a gram (1/1000th of a gram is optimal), graduated cylinders in 2ml, 5ml, 10ml, 25ml and 50ml increments, and an ultrasonic cleaner (optional). A Neti pot is also recommended but not necessary.


What is the average amount of time necessary to review assignments and materials and conduct lab work per month?

When we reach the sections of the course which require lab work, it is estimated that 10-20 hours per month of study and evaluation is sufficient to complete the assignments.


Could you give me information on the application process?

The application process starts with the payment of a refundable application fee of 40.00 USD. After which we will send you the application forms which must be completed. Return the completed forms which are then reviewed by the applications committee. If you have been accepted you will be notified. The application fee will be deducted from the total cost of the course. In cases where applications are not accepted the application fee is refunded in full.

Course cost: $950 USD. A non-refundable deposit of $225 USD is required after your application is accepted, and the remainder due April 20th, 2010. Course begins May 24th, 2010. When the course fee is paid in full induction can begin. You will be allowed plenty of time to become familiar with the educational platform we use. You will receive tuition and training on the use of the site before the class date.

About the Instructor ~ Justine Crane has been actively studying and formulating specifically for perfume since 2003 (Actively making and selling scented natural handmade soaps, balms, butters, etc, since 1996), just before she opened her shop in the Tower District in Fresno, CA. Justine had nine months of intensive study time, evaluating essences daily, formulating for soaps, butters, balms, bombs, melts, and, yes, even little bottles of oil-based perfumes. The shop closed in 2005 because Justine lost her major investor (who decided to open a mall in Mexico!), but she carried on in the web-o-sphere. In October 2007, Justine started a little group called Black Nails, just herself, and two delightful women who were as interested in honing their perfumery skills as she was herself, and they spent a year studying Jean Carles, Edward Sagarin, Poucher, Verrill, Arctander, and obscure catalogs such as the Buyer's Guide & Cyclopedia for Soaps, Perfumery and Cosmetics, circa 1938. They conducted trials, shared formulas, evaluated essences and shared insights -- it was a marvelous education they created together. When it was done, Justine reopened her shop and began peddling her wares again. The previous year, in 2006, Justine started Le Parfumeur Rebelle, an online education and resource site to help novice Natural Botanical Perfumers access information and educational tools to help them along in their endeavors. And then along came the Natural Perfume Academy, and she has been teaching, and learning even more, since October 2008. Justine is currently re-writing the original primer for the year-long course into a work book, gathering information and more "insights" to perfumery from her notes and journals for this upcoming course, and, as if that weren't enough work, she in the process of publishing a paper version of Le Parfumeur Rebelle that will be packed with articles written by Natural Botanical Perfumers.

So, to break it all down:

1996 ~ began working with aromatics for the soap and body care trade
2003 ~ began study and work in perfumery formulations
2004 ~ opened a "live" shop in a trendy part of town
2006 ~ started Le Parfumeur Rebelle
2007 ~ took a year-long sabbatical to study with Black Nails
2008 ~ opened an online shop & began teaching at the Academy

Online references to Justine Crane
http://littleflowersnaturalbody.blogspot.com/2007/08/justine-crane-o-so-much-more-than-le.html
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art31249.asp
http://www.leparfumeurrebelle.com/about.html
http://thescenteddjinn.blogspot.com
http://www.etsy.com/shop/sapobubbles
http://journal.illuminatedperfume.com/2008/04/andy-tauer-in-lalaland.html
http://www.scenthive.com/2009/08/16/the-scented-djinn-reviews-and-giveaway/
http://www.purrfumery.com/new/news.php
http://www.opusoils.com/page1.html
http://www.naturesgift.com/NewsHalloween06.htm
http://www.leparfumeurrebelle.com/perfuming_with_candor1.html