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Susan Sexton, master parfumeur and co-owner of Blend
Job: Master parfumeur and co-owner of Blend, a custom perfume company, Atlanta
What I do: Susan Sexton wants you to smell good. The master "parfumeur" (French for "perfume maker") "guides people in how to create their own customized fragrance."
At Blend, her store-within-a-store at the back of the Bill Hallman boutique on Highland Avenue, customers sit before an "organ" of 145 different scents -- sniffing, choosing and mixing the essences that will become their unique bottles of perfume.
Sexton, 48, guides the customers -- men and women -- through the process, creating themes for the fragrances and suggesting scents that "build from the bottom up."
"Perfume is chemistry," she said. And getting the right mix involves the customer's body chemistry and personal tastes. Sexton's nose, experience and training in knowing which scents mix well also play important roles in the process.
It starts with deciding which of the 14 basic fragrance families are best. These "base notes" (parfumeurs compare fragrance to music) are deeper, stronger scents that last longest on the body. After choosing three or four, one at a time, the customer goes on to "heart notes," usually floral scents, then to the "top notes," often citrus or fruity essences. They range from popular scents, such as lily of the valley, to more unusual ones, such as woody moss or chocolate.
Sexton helps the customer pour a measured amount of each scent into a beaker, then test new scents with what's been created before adding them to the mix. She dips a small paper stick into the mixture and, holding the stick near her nose, raises and lowers a bottle of a scent to be added. She tests how well the mixed aromas work together. At the end of the process, there will be 10 to 15 essences in the bottle.
Besides individual sessions, which can take one to two hours, she also hosts groups, such as bridal parties or conventioneers. Her store is a distributor for French perfume company Parfumerie Galimard, using its proprietary system.
Sexton can incorporate customized fragrances into other products, such as body cream or shower gel. She is working on creating private-label fragrances for spas and hotels, which could use them in lobbies, room sprays or massage oils. She also sells a line of premixed products.
What got me interested in this: Sexton, who has a background in advertising, said she had been studying aromatherapy and was traveling in France about six years ago when she happened upon a perfume-making class. "I fell in love with making perfume."
Her store has been in its current location for a little more than a year.
Best part of my job: "Working with people and having them be happy with what they make," Sexton said. "They get really excited about what they make. It's creative."
Most challenging part: "Working with people [who choose] scents that I like while also working with people whose tastes are different than mine."
Some choices vary by culture, she noted. "The French say American women have a dresser full of fragrances, while the French have only one or two -- more 'classique.' "
What keeps me going: "I have a passion for it," Sexton said. "I love to make perfume." It's also unique. "We never do the same thing twice -- plus, it gets me back to France."
What people don't know about my job: "How complicated it is to make perfume," Sexton said. In addition, the exact formulas for the contents of the various bottles are a trade secret, she said.
Preparation needed for this job: You need "olfactory talent, an ability to recognize scents," Sexton said. She received initial perfume-making training in France from Galimard and also gets ongoing training.
Sexton has a bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Georgia and has worked for corporate advertising departments and ad agencies.
- By Karl Ritzler, for ajcjobs. Got an interesting job that you love? E-mail your story to jobseditor@ajc.com.
