Learning perfumes
Few years into my exploration of perfumes, I have realized that blogs and youtube have been my greatest source of learning. If I didn’t find some of the profilic reviewers and educators as I did, I wouldn’t have learnt a % of what I have learnt. Having said that, there is a curve associated with honing in on the right people to listen to. So, please read on, if you need tips on what to look for and what to stay away from. My assumption about you is that you are into more than buying couple of perfumes — that you want to learn about htem.
Who should you listen to?
You should listen to someone that is deeply knowledgeable with perfumery, its history, nuances of the structure of a perfume, notes in a perfume, what came before, and what better alternatives exist. Their views on a subject should be well-considered, and should not read/ sound/ look like a fly-by-night operation. They should gradually get you deeper and deeper into the subject, piquing your curiosity, so end up wanting to learn more.
What should you watch out for?
Watch out for biases: Reviewers are humans too, with their own likes and dislikes. Good reviewers will make it easily known what they are. Stay away from list-makers: It is okay to make lists (top 10, 20, 100 and so on), but if someone is making lists day-after-day like shoes in a shoe factory, you should be skeptical. Stay away from reviewers who review a ton of sponsored videos or don’t disclose sponsors at all. Stay away from YouTube shorts [This could well be life advice] YouTube encourages reviewers to act in a certain way — if you can find your favorite content in written form, nothing like it.
Who do I read/ listen to/ watch?
Persolaise — His “masterclasses” (with Remi Pulverail) are the best learning content I have seen anywhere. He is not overly focused on listmaking. He is classy, elegant, humble, and funny. One of the most respected noses out there. Kafkaesque — I have special respect for this reviewer, because she took the written form. Reviews seem complex and non-linear. Ramsey — Ramsey’s reviews are super deep, super well-considered. Joy Amin — This guy has nothing but love for perfumes. His setup is very basic, his articulation is very basic, but his content is gold. He is super knowledgeable. TPG — I used to watch him during my early days of the journey. He helped anchor me to some of the basics of commercial perfumery. I don’t follow him now, but he provides a good “whats new” perspective when you are neck-deep in the world of yesteryear frags.
Special mention to Russian Adam, who is not a reviewer, but whose YouTube videos have been extremely insightful and educative.