A Journey into Perfumery
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I became fascinated with perfume storytelling—how something invisible could feel so vivid and transportive. But in 2018, I set out to learn perfumery. Without formal training, I immersed myself in classic techniques while forging my own approach. It wasn’t glamorous—I made endless mistakes, misjudging proportions, and reworking notes obsessively. Yet, my drive to articulate ideas through fragrance kept me going. Each formula feels like a journal entry, an attempt to capture an image, a memory, a fleeting moment in a single spray.
The Discipline of Harmony
Much like learning an instrument, training my nose requires daily practice. Every morning, I start by studying a new material—learning its nuances, longevity, and interactions within blends. As a violist, I internalized musical structure, listening for transitions and harmonies. Creating music-inspired perfumes is no different. I analyze compositions, from the transparency of a fougére to the depth of a chypre. Creating perfumes for every mood involves understanding how accords shape a fragrance, much like harmonic progressions in music.
A Fusion of Art and Science
I compose each formula with precision, curiosity, and patience. Like music, fragrance requires balance, contrast, and harmony. Some of my gender-neutral fragrances fall into place effortlessly, while others require methodical refinement. My background in engineering taught me to break problems down, test, and iterate until everything aligns. Perfumery fuses both disciplines—part structured chemistry, part instinctive improvisation. Every misstep is a lesson, every revision a step closer to bringing a story to life.
The Conversation of Fragrance
The more I create, the more I see fragrance as a conversation—between materials, past and present, myself, and those who wear my scents. Like music, it’s never just about technical mastery; it’s also about what feels right. My goal is to bottle not just music and art-inspired fragrances, but experiences—fragments of memory, emotion, and imagination, waiting to unfold on skin. Through this process, I never planned to make perfume. What makes indie perfumes stand out is the artistry, depth, and storytelling inherent in the creation of Buchart Colbert fragrances. I embrace the endless possibilities of creating artistic perfumes, where every composition is an intimate expression, and every bottle is a story waiting to be told.
—Sean Colbert