Journal

Notes from the still room

Essays on method, materials, and the trade. Written by the perfumer when the still room is quiet, which is rare.

Every batch rests four weeks before it is filtered. This is why we do not compress that month, and what we hear when we taste it weekly.

Vetiver is muddy, smoky, and difficult to love neat. It is also the spine of half our library, and here is our defense.

A paper strip is a bad instrument for judging a perfume. Skin is better, and time is best. A short guide to testing honestly.