Perfumery courses reviews
There are seven detailed posts on the blog of Kafkaesque, who followed our course.
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 0
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 1
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 2
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 3
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 4
Kafkaesque on perfumery classes 5
Marie Aoun, South Africa
Founder of Saint d’Ici Parfumerie
Aoun, who is born in Belgium, didn’t start her career in perfumery. She studied fashion, and worked in the retail fast-fashion industry for years, trying to feed and grow a capitalist model of consumption she in fact, disliked profoundly. And so she quit, started to study for a Masters in Commerce while spending most of her spare time in her garden. There, she found her “antidote to everything”, spending her day gardening until it was dark – surrounded by the scent of jasmine, fennel and rose geranium. It is after she read a 2010 New York Times article about “Dominique Dubrana (known as AbdesSalaam Attar) a 54-year-old Frenchman (now 64) living in Italy, a Sufi convert, a grand eccentric and a genius of sorts”, and also a botanical perfumer, that she discovered the, at the time, still niche world of natural fragrances.
A few months later, she was on a plane to Italy, to meet – and learn from – Attar. “He’s been doing this for (around) 35 years… He’s a Sufi. He’s done his time in the deserts. And this is the thing that guides his perfumes. So he comes from a very spiritual place… He calls the perfumes he creates, ‘perfumes of the soul’, and he believes in the ingredients as being healing to the soul. I’m very lucky that I learned from him because I think he really has such a deep love for natural ingredients. He doesn’t cut corners, he only works with the best natural ingredients; being able to smell and work with his library of ingredients was… amazing”, she says.
Aoun trained with him for ten days, immersed in his world and practice; there, she learned how to use her nose – “It is exhausting! You are so physically drained at the end of the day. Because it’s like something you have to learn to exercise…” – as well as how to distill, using “a hundred litres of distiller”.
“We did laurel leaves, (collected) on the property; that, to me, was the epitome of the course. I love that process, you’re taking something that is a plant and distilling it to its essence. And then when you see the little droplets of highly concentrated fragrance oil that floats on top, it’s just magical. It feels like we’ve been able to tap into something that’s so special”, she says adding, “He took me on the ride of distillations, and he let me smell some of the other distillations he did. And then we compared it to the perfume ingredients that he buys from some very reputable sellers of natural ingredients. And half the time his were just as good if not better. And I (wondered) ‘Do you really need to go to these highly reputable big fragrance houses?’”
Ameera al Lawati
Muscat, Oman
I attended the workshop with a persistent thought in my head that making perfumes would be a challenging thing to do, no matter how many times we have been informed in the pre-course that it is as easy as swimming because it’s innate and comes from within. I only truly grasped this notion once I actually started making perfumes myself with your guidance in the workshop that yes it is in fact simple and we are complicating the matter. That really captivated me and gave me the confidence to explore and express myself freely with a simple formula that you have demonstrated.
I loved how every single day was unique. We discussed many interesting topics that helped us understand how perfumery is not only about making perfumes and selling them to people. That’s the literal translation of being a perfumer but it’s bigger than that. It’s a way of life, it’s spiritual, mental and physical healing, it’s something that brings joy and happiness, it’s as you have beautifully explained “the therapy of positive emotions”.
Another element from the workshop that I found important was how we evaluated the quality of the essences by comparing the scents of the same essence from different suppliers, taking into account the aspect of longevity and how the scent of the essence changes over time. There is also a certain way to hold the blotters and smell them which was very eye-opening to me. Again, you made it very simple and straightforward for us when we assessed because all we actually needed was a “functional nose” to judge the quality. I was also very fascinated by the concept of making perfumes with our brains and not the nose, and that the nose is only an instrument to help us control our results and validate them.
The other topics discussed were truly mesmerizing too because we got to understand the essences more and familiarize ourselves with them and with their healing properties. We also got to see how the olfactory system works and what happens exactly when we smell and also how important it is as a perfumer to understand the olfactory emotions which are simply a reflection of our memories and how we link certain scents to them.
I never knew that we can compose perfumes by getting inspiration from a place or music. When you asked us to compose a perfume based on our visit to San Marino; to me, that was the most difficult perfume I made in the workshop. It required me to really put myself in the “pretend” mayor’s shoes to really make something that portrays San Marino’s history, shops, coffee shops, trees and nature. It was an interesting exercise because I realized it’s not about my personal liking of the perfume, its about really conveying the beauty of San Marino to the mayor through the ingredients that we carefully chose which made me appreciate perfumery even more and realized that it is in fact a story and a message in a bottle.
Also, listening to music as a source of inspiration in composing a perfume was so much fun. It made me acknowledge the gems of nature even more. Our “Flamenco” perfume was a clear indication that even a simple 3 ingredient perfume is all that it takes to truly capture the essence of the song and bring it to life, because as you have also clearly mentioned that the quality of our products depends on the quality of our ingredients.
It was truly a lifetime experience. I never imagined that I would ever get the opportunity to come across animal scents and smell them. Let alone smell but taste! That was quite an unforgettable experience. To me, that was very educational and I was really eager to take countless photos to show them to my family and friends. It was very intriguing to see how animal scents really added depth and structure to a perfume with just a drop. The perfume felt balanced and equilibrated and now I understand what you meant when you mentioned that animal scents provide a tridimensional effect in a perfume. It was nice to see that we all agreed that animal scents made our perfumes smell richer than without adding any thus leading to unanimity.
Getting to witness the process of distillation for the first time was also a one of a kind experience for me and especially distilling hops. I was not familiar with hops and their uses and where it is commonly found. I am sure it was a new experience for everyone too. We were all captivated firstly by the scent of hops which we did not expect to be as good as soon as it was being extracted. I hope you get to inform us on your future plans with your experiments on the oil and what you will be doing with it as we are eager to learn.
Furthermore, I also benefited from the advice and tips you have shared in starting to sell our perfumes, that was very helpful and I will make sure to follow them once I start my business. I can go on and on with my review and keep on sharing how magnificent it was. It honestly felt surreal. I still think about my experience every day and how I was lucky to have had the chance to learn from you. The team was amazing too and we connected very well which I did not expect at all. This even made the whole experience richer and just amazing. I will miss our tea breaks, spraying and adding your essential oils on my food, laughing and making jokes in the class. What I loved about our classes is that we did a bit of both. We learned but we also enjoyed it because it was light and fun yet fully educational and inspiring. To me, this is the perfect, simplest and easiest way one can learn anything new in life.
Thank you Salaam for this wonderful experience. You instilled in me the confidence I needed to push myself to continue following my dreams in becoming a perfumer. I am excited for what is awaiting my sister and me and I am sure that we will be able to reach our goals and create something unique for our market in Oman. Finally, thank you for sharing such valuable learnings to us; 25 years of experience narrowed down to 6 days worth of learning is quite mesmerizing. I will continue to read, learn and study and will also focus my attention on aromatherapy in order to understand the healing properties of the essences in order to become a real perfumer.
Jonathan Wahl
Cultural management – Germany
The Philosophy of AbdesSalaam Attar – A Declaration of Love for Perfume
I was introduced to AbdesSalaam Attar through his perfumes. They have accompanied me in my everyday life for a long time, whether it’s the soliflore of Linden Blossom or his multifaceted Oud Beyond. Salaam not only composes scents that are unparalleled, particularly since they consist exclusively of natural ingredients, but he also regularly imparts his knowledge and philosophy through week-long courses.
The course program is titled “Perfume Making Course”, but it is so much more than that. It is a week of indulgence for the nose, body, and soul.
Generally, the course is aimed at a professional audience. Although no specific knowledge is required and Salaam’s methods are intuitive to learn, some prior knowledge of basic ingredients and perfume-making techniques is helpful. The theoretical imparting of knowledge and its practical application are well balanced. Not a day goes by without formulating and composing a new fragrance, initially under the close guidance of Salaam. With increasing experience comes greater independence and the utmost creative freedom.
Important components of the course include training one’s olfactory senses to independently assess the quality of ingredients and acquiring knowledge about the substances, some of which are extremely rare. In particular, the animal scents such as Ambergris, Civet, or the scarcely available Musk deer expand the range of botanical ingredients into a dimension that is not lost in the ethereal, but rather becomes palpable when two personal fragrance compositions are bottled, one with and one without animal ingredients.
Olfactory marketing, sourcing ingredients, customer acquisition – all the essential topics for building a perfume brand are covered along the way. Of course, one cannot expect to exhaustively address all these aspects within a week. The course encourages independent research and exploration at many points to align the learning with one’s personal course goal and adapt to one’s own environment. After all, participants from five continents with different backgrounds and goals have come together in Italy.
Speaking of the course group: Whether it’s Salaam’s careful selection of participants or the common thread of his perfumes and natural ingredients, the group dynamics have greatly supported the course. The various professions and cultural backgrounds have mutually enriched each other during the collaborative creation of fragrance compositions, as well as during the shared evening activities, exploring the culinary richness of Emilia-Romagna.
A heartfelt thanks goes to Salaam’s daughter, Fatima, whom he affectionately calls his “spare nose”. She provided organizational support for the course and was approachable with serenity and prudence for all the small questions and wishes.
Filled with deep gratitude, I embarked on my journey home, carrying over a dozen self-formulated perfumes that can serve as the foundation for my own collection.
The perfume course by AbdesSalaam Attar is a declaration of love for perfume, for nature, and its creator.
Jonathan, Germany
Daniela Rivera
Journalist / Photographer / Artist – Peru
The whole week with Salaam exceeded my expectations and came as a surprise. It was incredible to watch how the understanding of perfume making developed and to come out with several scents that were so different and unique. I don’t think I could have asked for a better group of people and setting to dive deeply into the making of perfumes.
There were many lessons, which changed the way I approached scents and which got me to understand myself a bit better. I would love to do this course again and would highly recommend it to anyone looking for training that nourishes your mind and also the soul.
Raica – New York, USA
For a couple of years I was trying to make my way to the course but due to the world situation we’ve had to postpone it. When the day finally came I couldn’t believe that it was actually happening, arriving at the Germano Reale meeting our wonderful teacher and classmates was a dream.
Every word that Salaam said during our 6 days course was not only feeding my brain but also my soul, so much knowledge that we all have gained, I finally could understand that making perfumes is actually easy.
Somehow I had in my mind that it was very complicated but the way Salaam explained it to us it made me understand the core base how to make wonderful perfumes, we ended up making about 12-14 perfumes and now I feel much more secure to continue on the path of natural perfumery as it has always been my dream.
The time spent in Germano Reale meeting all the wonderful people who share the same passion in life was the highlight of the year. I will never forget this time and my starting point in the perfumery world.
Vania – Germany
Administrative clerk in an international organization
Thank you dear Salaam, for welcoming me to your sweet and rigorous school by the jujube tree. A tree that traditionally means home, protection and family in the land of my ancestors. And it is my second family that I unexpectedly found at your course, at a time that could not possibly be more complicated for me, and yet so needed.
Your teachings have been a medicine that continues to transform me daily and to lead my way in and beyond perfume making.
The week in Coriano was so intense as it was healing and I felt nurtured by the beautiful people who so lovingly took care of us with delicious food and their heart-warming hospitality.
Each day brought a new bounty, a new wisdom, the joy of blending heavily and the immense privilege of experiencing an incredibly high number of exquisite, rare aromatics. As their special message and stories were growing on us students, you taught us how to overcome our doubts and vulnerabilities, to start living and understanding life as scent, to develop a brain for scent. With integrity and pragmatism.
Your sense of humour, your devotion and your uncompromising approach to quality will always be my instant reminders to persevere and of the precious reward of truth and spirituality that scent holds.
Thank you also for the compelling exchanges before the course start and for the long, thought provoking weeks of study when your metaphors and your poetic use of language started to work on me.
Lastly, may your future students relish, as I did, the invaluable conversations with their course mates, about life and projects, the craft and the calling. May they be fortunate enough, as I’ve been, to be able to count on their support, their honest opinion and their comforting words when they were most needed and to call them friends for life.
Blessing Ogeleka – UK
Putting this course into words has been a struggle for me. Most of us students have realized that this it was not easy making it to the course this year. Without disregard to the students from previous years, this year required a lot of determination, money and willingness to attend. Soon after meeting my new friends I began to realise that it was beyond making perfumes. Each of us was looking for some sort of answer within himself, or elsewhere.
Prior to the course, I spent 5 days self-isolating which gave me a-lot of time to think, reflect and try and predict what the course would be like. Truthfully, I don’t think imagination can give you an idea of the people you’re going to meet, and the noble man that’s going to teach you everything you need to know. I remember the first day I was going to meet a member of the course and I was so nervous! Not knowing that we would all eventually get on like a house on fire. It truly felt like we had known each other for much longer than we actually did.
Then we meet Salam, a very influential man who takes no public credit for the work he has done in the world. A man with humour and intrigue. I must admit, I was very apprehensive when I saw that the course was only 6 days, and somehow I would become what Salaam would call a “ninja perfumer”. None the less, I still managed to pull it off.. all thanks to him.
His eagerness and desire to teach his students is what gave me the capability to sit in a class room and listen. I remember one of the first things he said was “Making perfumes is easy, it’s just like swimming” and all I kept thinking in my head is I can’t swim! But I still had hope that somehow I would learn how to make perfumes.
One thing I would say to whoever is reading this is keep the reason why you’re there at the forefront. These 6 days are intense, and require your full attention. You may not understand the first day… or the second, but you will surely get there.
These testimonials would not prepare you for the support you will receive from the staff at the Germano Reale hotel, Marco, Salaam’s daughter Fatima, and all the people I met in between. I’m so thankful for the people that helped my trip run smoothly in Italy. With all the Covid restrictions that took place, I must say it had the tendency of taking the joy away from the trip.
If you’re thinking of doing this course, this is your sign to do it. Yes planning the trip may come with its ups and downs, but after you have lived the experience, nothing seems to matter.
Now, I can truly say I can find the beauty in all smells… even Civet! All thanks to you Salam. Thank you for your wisdom, it will never be forgotten and neither will you
Dominik
Switzerland
Lead by my nose through the kingdom of scents I stranded on Salaams shore, which lays by the Mediterranean Sea (well, nearby) and it was like another world.
The pre-course was very intense and brought you in the right vibe to understand Salaams basic approach.
Then, from the beginning Salaam created an ideal learning environment. His openness, his gentle humour, the enormous knowledge and his will to share it and last but not least the choice of the place created the perfect space to dive into this topic.
I actually can’t tell how he did it, but there was progression from day to day. More and more facets, from the idea, to the creation, to the sale of your perfume were taught in an illustrative way. The creation of our scents took of course the main spot, but his teachings accompanied us with every step into this field. Very valuable: the evaluation of the raw goods and the schooling of our noses.
Another peak point is the distillation on the last day.
It still amazes me when I think about how much more and more you could expand the topics around scent.
Along the way, it was fascinating to watch the group melt together. Some strangers with a rare profession or hobby met, but passionate scent aficionados staying in a deep exchange of their experiences left.
Get involved and doors might open, within and outside of you…. and you even might make some friends and enjoy a lot of good food.
Thank you deeply Salaam & Fatima
Brad Warren – Australia
Despite the glowing references of previous participants in Salaam Sahibs perfumery course I came because I had previously purchased his fragrances and found them magical. I wanted to understand their secret.
Salaam says the secret is the quality of the natural essences but I feel it is something to do with the quality of this remarkable man. It is even more than his genius with combining fragrances. It has more to do with the spiritual life he has chosen and the development of a sensitivity that rises beyond worldly matters.
He is a very fine teacher and all of us were fulfilled by the course even though we had very different needs and expectations. From the first to the last hours we were creating perfumes from our own imagination and inspiration. There was something conveyed more by his presence than what he said.
I can say this because I came to the course just four days after a serious car accident that left me with less than 50% of my hearing and in deep shock. Still I feel I have gained all I needed or wanted. Salaam Sahib said, “I have taught you all I know.” That is a very great deal and all our lives are richer, more profound and much more fragrant because of it.
Benthe Forrer – Holland
Film and perfume maker
The lessons of Salaam were a game-changer for me. I like telling stories and I have done so all my life. I write, draw, design and film. But there are of course many other ways to tell a story.
I have always been intrigued by scents and the great effect they can have on my mood and therefore on my whole well-being and especially because of the memories they evoke and the stories they tell you. I wanted to be able to also make those stories and memories in scent.
I am Dutch and thus a person that is standing with two feet on the ground. A practical person one could say. But it is very clear to me that somehow we lost contact with the force of nature and everything in it and that we need to learn how to use it to feel better.
At first, it all seemed maybe a bit magical, certainly when I finally met Salaam, who has the wonderful appearance of a mystical friendly wizard lost in time. The first thing he taught us was how to help your loved ones by using essential oils to relieve aches and discomforts. No rocket science and certainly not to be used instead of medical treatment, but he simply empowered us with many tools that can be found in natural essential oils.
The things I learned I still use on a daily basis and I’m still discovering more. I’m ever so grateful for that. Another vital thing and I dare to speak for all members of our lovely group, is that we learned to work in quite an intuitive way. ‘Guerilla perfuming’ he called it. Just do it! Make something. Quickly! He made it look really easy. And we went for it. We were fanatical. We made so many perfumes in such a short time.
We learned from each other, compared and competed. So another valuable thing to me was the group itself, we are living spread out all over the world and still keeping in contact, sharing experiences and giving each other advice when needed. Also whenever we have a question or a problem we can’t solve we can still ask Salaam.
I also need to mention the incredible amount of materials that we got to work with. Some of them, I sure, will never again cross my path for they are very rare and exquisite.
This was the group of 2018. We are now in 2021. Looking back I can say that it has left me with a lot of courage to find my own way within making perfumes. It gave me the guts to combine knowledge and intuition. It gave me the eagerness to learn more, to study, to experiment.
And of course, it isn’t easy at all. But I only noticed that much later. When it all got more realistic. At the point where the technical stuff and all the rules of the industry, the legislation and allergens became important. When you seriously start thinking of actually producing and selling.
I’m almost certain Salaam doesn’t agree with me on this, but there is probably only one person in the world that has the true guerilla flair that he has. Maybe it’s a good thing to think it is easy in the beginning, otherwise one would never start learning.
It’s been an interesting and challenging journey and I realize, it’s still only just the beginning.
Benthe Amsterdam, Feb 2021
Merilyn – Singapore
I came to Italy to learn to make natural perfume and left more enriched beyond natural perfumery.
I started my natural perfume journey inspired by the healing power of plants and nature.
With Salaam, beyond the technicality of composing perfumes, I learned a deeper meaning to this art, much to my joy and delight.
When you are young, you go to school because you have to. As an adult you seek the best teachers because you want to learn from the best and Salaam is one of them in natural perfumery.
Gail Davidson
South Africa
It is difficult to put in words just how much Salam and his teachings from the bottom of his soul has impacted my life.
I am 65 years old and this has been a life changing experience taking me on a new life journey into the beautiful and meaningful world of natural perfumery using one of our most incredible assets from the botanical world focusing on fragrance and wellbeing.
Salam has a depth of knowledge, experience and understanding which he shares so passionately with his students.
I would not hesitate to recommend this course to anyone who would like a practical hands on course it a beautiful country setting, that builds your confidence and your olfactory sense in being able to go home and become a natural perfumer.
Thank you Salam from the bottom of my heart
Nicole Manuel
United States
Study an impressionist painting up close and you will find small simple brush strokes. Salaam’s instruction is like this.
You need only to enjoy fragrance and attend faithfully to simple instructions presented with stories and laughter. This method is like a haiku. It is both simple and profound, and you come away with a wealth of knowledge.
When you depart you find the small strokes, the lessons, have blended into a beautiful understanding. You have experienced joy in full bloom.
You are armed with the means of sharing this joy, and oriented towards success.
Jamie & Jon M.
It is hard to find a place to begin. I really cannot thank Salaam enough for putting on this course.
I had always been attracted to natural perfumes and in the search of the best have found nothing more moving than Salaams line of fragrances. When I discovered that he offered a course I dreamed one day I could attend.
With the support and growing interest of my husband we saved for nearly two years to be able to attend. It was not only worth all the cost and effort to travel to the other side of the world, but the whole experience has been more rewarding than words could ever express, more than we could ever imagine.
Knowing ahead of time that Salaam’s style is different we opted to come with as little experience in making perfume as possible. Even up to the night before the course I was tossing and turning in bed wondering if I had made the right choice.
I can honestly say that anyone from any background can, with salaams experienced hand, learn how to make “ninja” perfume.
With participation in the pre-course it was easy to get the momentum. On day one of the classroom course, we could jump right into the curriculum. Both of us made perfumes the very first day we were satisfied with! The pre-course on WhatsApp not only allowed us to get basic framework for the curriculum beforehand but also allowed us to become friends with our classmates before we even arrived. This made the classroom feel so at home for someone like me who is typically shy. I now have many new lifelong friends I hope to see again soon!
Each day we would build on the knowledge of the previous day and challenge ourselves with new tasks. We would learn about every aspect of the olfactory world and how to apply the concepts to perfume. I personally found the psycho-aromatherapy and animal pheromone topics quite fascinating! Salaam was kind enough to pass around the raw animal products from which the tinctures derive. We got to see and feel real muskdeer, ambergris, castoreum etc. but one of my favorites was smelling the 100 million year old amber tincture, the scent of an ancient forest. So many of these things no one could only experience anywhere else.
The final day we distilled our own cypress. It was very humbling to see how much time and effort goes into just a few drops essential oil. Despite the effort what you produce is worth is, better quality than anything one can buy commercially. I can’t wait to try distilling my own essential oils!
Salaam gave so much of himself to this course and to every student attending. His patience and attentiveness was a blessing, I would have not been so patient with our sometimes rowdy class. It was hard not to get overly excited about everything!
He was even so generous to take time out of his busy schedule to come back to the Germano the day after the course ended to assist with two very different but important projects. First, he assembled everything needed to build a perfumers organ which was a much larger task than I had original anticipated! After six days of the course and helping us assemble the organ he still made time for an acupuncture session. It’s now three weeks later I still feel great!
My husband and I agree this was one of the most incredible things we have ever done in our entire lives. Anyone who is considering this course shouldn’t have any doubts about attending. No matter the line of profession, anyone from any background can learn how to make “ninja” perfume.
There is so much I am leaving out but, there were six days of fantastic, unbelievable, once in a lifetime experiences how could I possibly include them all in one review?
Kate
Cyprus
Life is like a ball of thread! It unwinds along many different paths.
As a child growing up in Cyprus many decades ago, I used to pick wild flowers and make ‘perfume ‘ from them. There were iris, cyclamen, daisies, geranium and more. My love of flora grew from this, along with an attraction to natural remedies including olfactory.
The opportunity to attend Salaam’s natural perfumery course arose. I decided to pull the thread to see where it took me, initially a stunning hilltop location in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy! Such an authentic setting with scents reminiscent of Troodos, Kantara and the Kyrenia Mountains in Cyprus.
Gorgeous people, food and accommodation provided a creatively inspiring place to learn.
Here Salaam has instilled his deep, almost innate knowledge of perfumery (essences), including its healing qualities.
His practical course focuses on learning to recognise quality essences and how to use them in designing custom perfumes.
The focus is on creating from the heart and soul rather than being prescriptive.
Designing natural fragrances to music was a major turning point for me. It was an “ah ha” moment which unshackled me, giving me freedom and a new, deeper understanding of what I was learning.
Thank you so much Salaam!
I shall see where the thread takes me next!!!
Mary Jo Howell
Aromatherapist
Abdes Salaam is a true master. I can not express enough the gratitude I have for the time I spent in Italy with him and our whole class. His ability to logically explain the mysteries of scent is a gift. The simplicity of his technique that he shared with us, has forever changed the way I go about creating perfumes. “Don’t over complicate things” was a lesson I needed to learn, not just in perfume making, but also in life. Only a person who pays attention can intuit the subtleties of another, and Mr. Dubrana pays attention.
His fearlessness in using the raw materials, is matched only by his reverence for them. He is a perfumer with a seekers heart and a warriors soul. I came away from the class with my heart and soul filled with fragrant musings, and a new family of ninja perfumers that I am eternally grateful for.
Caitlin Waldrop
Holistic beauty therapist
Thank you for providing the world with the course you created. From the moment I reached your website it has been a flawless flow of knowledge, love and inspiration.
The way you’ve crafted and designed this experience has by far exceeded my expectations. The gifts, the materials, the flow of knowledge with the ability to stay on track to make the most out of each moment… I am thankful for your journey and intuition-as I can now share and heal the world with confidence and get to reminisce on such complete sensory explosive experience.
Gina Lanier
IATSE Local 39
The course has changed my life in a most enlightening way. Thank you for being! Gaining a humble teacher and 10 sisters is unbelievable take away from the class of September 2018. This group of women are sincerely inspiring, genuine and loving! My heart tells me that all of us were meant to be together in THAT class, at that time. My earlier booking for the September class of 2017 would not have affected me in such a spiritual way, as being with this group of women has.
Of course, nothing would be at all without you at the helm. Your gentle guidance throughout the illumination of how real essences have life force and man made synthetic fragrances can only be reminiscent of of the experience the crocodile brain connects with on a subatomic level. Just like hearing music on a mono speaker radio playing Beethoven’s fifth Symphony or hearing it live by the Vienna Philharmonic is so utterly different! Yes you recognize it when you hear it on the little radio. But you feel the vibrations in the concert hall in Vienna! There is no comparison in either case to what is real and what is emulated.
This revelation of why synthetics do not achieve the connection with the Soul was a turning point for me in understanding many things. Then, to learn that the first perfumers were doctors made total sense because they had the ingredients! Needless to say, I am still high and not coming down from the Ninja Perfume Class with the Amazing Scent Sisters of September 2018!
Thank you again for everything. I’ll post pictures on WhatsApp of my organ construction. I just received the bottles yesterday. Did not want to get started without them.
Eva Verhoeven
Artist
It took me some time to decide to take AbdesSalaam’s perfume workshop. Frankly, the course is not cheap and it is quite an investment. Especially if you, like me, have a family and a very average income. But I felt so drawn to the course and I have been wanting to do it ever since I heard of it two years ago. And after some discussion with my husband and a lot of financial calculations I decided to take the leap.
The weeks before the workshop I started getting really nervous. Would it be worth the money? Would I be able to make anything that smells even remotely nice? What if this was really a crazy idea?
But all my worries proved totally unnecessary. Even after the second day of the course, I felt that it would have been worth it even if the workshop would end right at that moment. And then I had four more days to go!
The most important thing the course and Abdessalaam have given me is faith. Faith in my sense of smell. Faith in my intuition. Faith in trusting my gut feeling. There were an enormous freedom and joy in being able to experiment completely freely with even the most expensive and exquisite materials, something I would have never been able to do at home. Salaam was always encouraging and guiding but he also let us play and discover. Back at home now, with the 14 perfumes I made during the course, I feel like I have a base I can work from, something other workshops or books have never given me.
Something else I loved is Salaam’s wisdom and the way he puts perfumery in a spiritual, almost religious perspective. His Sufi background intermingles with his perfume teaching and that spoke to my heart. Being very interested in and touched by the Christian mystics myself, I was also touched by the Sufi wisdom.
Finally, it was so wonderful to be in a group of people from all over the world, connecting and talking and eating the so very lovely Italian food together. The group will stay in touch through Whatsapp on all kind of perfume things.
I will not describe the components of the course, you can find that elsewhere online, on the blog of Kafkaesque for instance. Suffice it to say that there was so much information and learning in one week that it will take some time to digest it all.
Taking this workshop has been one of the best decisions I made in my life. It left me feeling fulfilled, grateful, in love with live and with perfume.
Madleine
For most of my life, I avoided perfume, eau de toilet and scented personal care products, because of my sensitivity to synthetic molecules. Many scientific sources will argue that synthetics are safe, but the body cannot be fooled.
Few weeks ago I stumbled upon an old NYT article about AbdesSalaam Attar and his approach to making exquisite, all natural perfume. I did a quick Google search and was delighted to find out that after a very long break AbdesSalaam Attar was going to give a perfume-making workshop in the summer. I immediately signed up and could not wait to get started. The course opened up a whole new world for me.
The first things that we learned about were the incredible healing properties of high quality essential oils.
Then we learned to smell and distinguish a myriad of the highest quality essential oils, resins and animal pheromones; we touched, smelled and tasted animalic ingredients, such as real musk, castoreum, civet paste, ambergris, hyraceum, and others.
AbdesSalaam Attar taught us about olfactory psychology, distillation, sourcing and of course making perfumes based on the highest principles of ethics. His approach to life is the same as his approach to making perfume: purity, honesty, quality and passion.
I joined the course as a complete novice and after only 6 days I left not only with deep knowledge of key ingredients, processes and the industry, but also the confidence to make perfume and the passion to keep learning, keep experimenting and keep exercising my creativity.
Silvia Yonkova
Bulgarian Rose producer
Mastering naturals can be a lifelong affair but with Salaam’s course you get a shortcut.
In one week, you learn so much about natural perfumery that at the end you will be making your very own perfumes.
From raw materials evaluation and the importance of having a main accord to production and sales tips – it’s all covered in his course.
Don’t forget that it takes a Ninja Perfumer to become one and know that Salaam is a true Master of his domain.
Not only you learn how to make perfume compositions but you also learn about the philosophy of perfumery and many other curious facts that will definitely expand your olfactory culture and will open the doors to new worlds and to new friendships.
Very grateful to have had the opportunity to take part in his natural perfumery workshop.
Jess Tang
Hong Kong
Salaam welcomed us all with an incredibly open mind & heart, whose wisdom and humour trickle off his tongue effortlessly. His purposeful philosophy in Life, that Pure is Superior, and Natural aromas are precious and most primitive to our Souls, resonate deeply with my beliefs.
Among the eight of us who had the pleasure of his teachings and guidance for the brief seven days, we were all able to bounce off each other’s energies and pure passion for fragrance, while honing our individual creative voices. This immersive collaboration of souls is a key to the love which Salaam speaks of; being able to share and learn from my peers made the experience truly enduring.
The ability to smell raw animal materials such as Musk Rat and Ambergris, or rare woods such as Mysore Sandalwood from 1993, and genuine Agarwood, has opened another world to me, as nowadays these are unknown smells to the majority of humans. It cannot be explained, you must smell it for yourself to understand the depths of their language.
I could go on, but words cannot do justice to that which we have all lived and learned together, a perfumed love that will continue to evolve throughout the years. Thank you for putting your faith in us Salaam, I will never forget you and the kindness of your family.
Divrina
Much like everyone else who attended this perfume making course I came to it with a real sense of curiosity and an eagerness, in my case, to see how it was possible to make perfumes that are entirely natural.
What I discovered was that not only is it possible, it is also beautiful, and necessary. I learnt how important it is to remove oneself from the jaded and mundane, if only for a week and to really reconnect with fragrance and all the memory and meaning it holds.
None of my happy discoveries would have been possible without the energy of the place we were in, my classmates who quickly became friends and Salaam whose patience and philosophical approach to life and perfume are exceptional.
Rachael White
Spiritual Apothecary and Healing Spa
It is amazing how life presents opportunities that resonate so deeply and then rises up to make opportunity possible.
I live on the opposite side of the world. My vision to open my first store and healing center had materialized and I had been open for only eight months. Anyone who opens a business knows that stepping away for even a day can be impossible.
But, I have angels in heaven watching over me that made it all possible. Car, three flights, two trains, another car ride and I arrived. 24 hours of travel to the other side of the world for an aromatic submersion with a wise soul.
The perfumery course with Salaam was for me a gift. Even though I have studied aromatherapy, and have a private practice for over a decade I still always feel I have so much to learn.
In this course, I was taught by a leader in the field of natural ingredient and perfumery. He imparted wisdom that will not be found with anyone and access to top quality ingredients with a deep respect for the process.
His deep spiritual connection and passion for aromatics allowed me be submerged in the company of a true alchemist.
I loved every moment. I learnt so much. I made friends for life and I am so grateful to have had access to this passionate wisdom that cannot be found in any book. Thank Salaam for your passion and for enlightening me. I feel very blessed to have had this experience.
Eternal Blessings, Rachael
Jacqueline Rosen
Bard College
Day 1
Our day and course began with a dramatic lesson in free form archery. We are each like an artist archer. Moving in space, we fire our arrow with any spontaneous action to simply hit the target. We explored how to smell and how our mind works in the moment of experiencing a fragrance. We then worked with several methods to control for protection and assumption. As we became clearer in our contact with the essences, we moved on to the principles of the perfumer’s art and then to building our first blend. It was exciting to experience how one drop of Cinnamon brought a vibrancy, warmth and three-dimensionality to a Jasmine-Rose accord. I can’t wait to smell how the fragrances have married overnight.
Day 2
Today we spent a great deal of time blending both as a composer for our own fragrance and in the role of facilitator perfumer for another person in the role of a client. It was deeply engaging. The lectures included an in-depth discussion of the types & archetypes of essences. We were introduced to the fascinating arena of natural pheromones. During the sessions, we are opening and exploring many medical grade essences and I feel they have a profound healing and provoking effect. For me, my passion for play, exploration and friendship is ignited to a new level of joy & spontaneity, as myriad new adventures blossom before my eyes and I am forging friendships with great people that I hope will be life long.
Day 3
We continued our practice of composing a custom blend for a client according to a brief. It opened new areas of scent discovery. Mine was a very sober fragrance with some nuance and darkness. More in-depth studies of Olfactory Psychology followed, where we learned to discern the territory of joy in opposition to trauma; healing in contrast to aggravation. We concluded the afternoon session with an interview to develop a signature fragrance that could scent or be included with our Carte de Visite. This is an extremely exciting idea & I’m alight with desire to begin this blend.
Day 4
Animalics. A new math. Sandalwood + Ambergris = Divine. Civet paste is butter on the tongue. The Honey Bee smells like Cognac and makes flowers sing. A new world. A new life.
Day 5
Brief: Your fantasy.
Everyone left with abandon and verve. It was an exciting day of composing and discovery. We have formed the most wonderful friendships and will be sharing our explorations, sources and great good fun. Love to last the decades.
Zenobie Bliss
Humberside Collegiate Institute
As I hoped, this course has truly been a life-altering experience. I learned so much in just one week, smelled so many rare things, and also made so many wonderful friends.
Our teacher showed us that making perfumes is easy if you have the right mindset and quality of natural ingredients.
Everything I learned has changed me, the way I smell and perceive the world. I composed several perfumes and enjoyed every minute of the process. I also learned the philosophy of scent and what it means to be a real perfumer.
I feel so lucky to have had a chance to participate in these classes.
Thank you for making my scented dreams come true.
Andrea Schaffner-Dittler
Works at Kunsthaus Lempertz
Salaam has wonderful raw materials and we were able to examine their smells, compare, taste them in tincture or in oil.
What are the many differences? How do you find quality stuff? How do you sample from your providers? What does real amber ground and solved smell like? What does real top quality ambergris look and smell like? Real deer musk? How does the civet smell concentrated? How diluted? And after several hours? Where does a muskrat live? How do you harvest Hyrax? How long does a tincture need to rest before it is ready to use? Which remains can you top up and use again? How will a scent change when you add animalics? Why are they working so potently on a subliminal basis? Why is this Ylang of better quality than that? And what about the Bergamot? I could have gone on forever.
Salaam, there are no words to describe how much you taught and I learned in these few days. I came to your class with my ’tilted’ nose to see if I have a nose at all, not being able to read scent components properly, not being able to evaluate qualities. I was certain I would never even distantly manage something ‘nice’.
All this has changed. I am even more eager to encounter new scents and their properties than before. I want to make perfume. I walk around, taking it all in, being very aware, enjoying beauty wherever I encounter it. Thank you.
And thank you to our group of students for your dear companionship and for letting our souls sing together
Manuel de Santaren
Works at Axis of EVIL & Company.
We are at the end of day four of this most amazing experience. I came fully open to the adventure of learning about the art of making natural perfumes with few expectations. I am a novice but feel as though this introduction is catapulting me into an exquisitely elegant world that will no doubt impact my life in many levels.
Marie Aoun
University of Pretoria
The distillation brought it all together so perfectly. I felt as if my nose couldn’t possibly create something new so I was happy for the opportunity to explore another aspect of scents.
According to Salaam, this is the point where the soul of the plant, its scent, is captured. I feel as if I shall not forget the smell of laurel and will forever connect it with Germano Reale on a summer’s day with mint tea and tiramisu.
It was humbling to see the effort that goes into the creation of essential oils and their value. I absolutely loved the process and plan to start distilling local plants when I go back home.
Salaam is a wonderful teacher. The art of imparting knowledge is really important to him and he puts a great deal of effort, generosity and love into the classes. It was much appreciated.
Aisha Chai Nawab
Five Branches University
Learning Abdas Salaam’s elegant and enlightened philosophy about perfumery not only enhanced my olfactory creative skills and outlook but impacted my spirit as well.
He generously shared with us his experiences that educated him in life and as a perfumer, which left me knowing more about love and how it eases the soul.
Now i know that this is captured in his perfumes and what he wants us to learn as perfumers. He taught me the importance of high-quality essences and materials and knowing their language and how to use it for a focused message or story. I was intrigued by the importance of a consumer’s olfactory memory and that the olfactory psychology should be taken into consideration when creating a perfume for someone.
His clear, focused and sophisticated “perfume mental attitude” is something I will take with me as I journey in life as a perfumer, healer, lover and a person who wants to live in a better place for all creation.
I had no way of knowing how magical this workshop would have turned out for me. I have no doubt that everyone who was a part of this experience contributed to the blessings and lessons that I received. The people of Rimini, Italy are beautiful and I felt it in their energy. It was eye-opening to see the staff at Germano Reale serve us from their heart and how they made us feel welcome as if in their own homes. I could feel the love in the food we ate, every day.
Something very special I took in about the accommodations was the benefit of the beautiful plants that surrounded us at every corner. Walls and walls of rose, jasmine, lavender, magnolia, broom and other flowers that permeated the premises, and many times throughout the day a naturally perfumed breeze would reach me, sending me to a heavenly place.
This calmed and relaxed me throughout the stay which helped boosted my creativity. It reiterated for me Abdes Salaam’s philosophy towards natural perfumery: “Real perfumes for real people make people happy and heals.”
Comparing commercially derived oils to oils that were distilled by Abdes Salaam really differentiated the different characteristics and notes of the oils.
For the most part, artisan distilled oils seem to have more depth and layers. Now that I know this, I appreciate artisan distilled essences and I am further motivated to practice and eventually teach distillation.
The fact that I learned how to distill for the first time with this special group is an auspicious sign for me to carry on this practice as my role of perfumer and healer.
I am so happy and thankful for this experience and all the work and effort our teacher provided in teaching this important part of perfumery.
I was very excited about the distillation portion of the workshop. I’ve been wanting to learn how to distill material for over a year but the equipment setup and process seemed too overwhelming.
I learned from Abdes Salaam’s that the process can actually be easy to assemble. He designed the apparatus himself, often re-purposing items from his shop and home, making it a green and eco-friendly approach to distillation.
Even the water was recycled rain water obtained from the hotel. Within an hour Bay Laurel oil poured forth and it felt as if we facilitated a birth when we captured the first drops of oil. It was such a beautiful creamy, milky and woody scent.
Andrej
The course has ended, these were beautiful six days under Dominique’s guidance, with great companions.
There are several important points to the story of natural perfume-making, the first certainly that composing perfumes is more than just creating something that smells nice, there is a deeper meaning to it, stories to tell, mysterious alchemical transformation of raw materials into a new whole, something wonderful, perhaps something no one has created before.
First-class ingredients are necessary for venturing into natural perfumery, also a good knowledge of relative potency of each ingredient, but most importantly having a clear idea of what it is one wishes to create and a humble frame of mind.
The animalics exert an unforeseen influence on the quality of scent, making it fall into place and smell just right.
Using essential oils in cooking is a great idea as well, scenting the beverages or dishes during preparation actually makes perfect sense.
The distillation of essential oils is quite fascinating and much easier than imagined, can almost picture myself doing it, and taken together with tincturing, the possibilities are endless.
It was unexpected that each one of us students created distinctly different fragrances, like there’s a personal stamp that each person imprints on the soul of the scent, although using the same materials.
Germano Reale was a great setting, where we enjoyed home-made food with Marco and Manuela as perfect hosts creating a warm and authentic atmosphere.
Nadeem Bhanji
The ability to create and have an actual client critique the scent was a very useful exercise… In some ways, it is like an internship whereby the trainee is allowed to be creative, but the actual ‘judge’ is not the instructor (who may be biased by working with the particular student), but instead, it is final user of the product.
Excellent training ground for real life practice! So, thank you to the client for sharing her time and insight into the workshop.
Overall, excellent experience obtained in the course!
Amir Hussein
I’ve departed from Tehran and arrived at Germano Reale a little decepted. As I got my kit on last day, and I thought there, I would have some issues because had no practice and experiments with the kit.
But, on the evening before the course starts, we all met Salaam. Quite positive.
What I never could thought was making perfumes on the very first day. As he says making perfume is easy, and after the second day one can see he’s right.
As I could make sixteen within a week. Meanwhile making perfumes, he was noticing and giving practical information in all aspects of making perfumes, knowing how’s, bottling, selling and so on.
But more than telling and writing on the papers, Salaam writes on the soul. He teaches by doing and also makes you learn by doing. Learning by doing with precious essences.
And he’s more generous than what you may think with pricey essential oils.
And also the rare substances and materials that he has and brings and not a lot of people have the chance to see and smell them.
The being of Salaam is appreciable.
There in Germano Reale, you might feel far away from places and cities, but is a good opportunity to learn so many things for once.
He doesn’t give you any certification, you don’t need any either. He gives his knowledge and time before, meanwhile and after the course, two worthy things.
God bless him.
Zita Polus
“Distill yourself” reading this quote from Salam in a perfumery blog, I knew I had to go to Italy. Two words only to understand that I had a unique chance to learn something different. Not only to learn about aroma and scent but also about myself.
From my first telephone call on I feel guided by Salam’s unique way to teach.
Starting the pre-course he gave us already a taste of what it means to experience the quality of essence. Opening little by little the bottles from our kits under Salam’s instructions immediately I could smell and sense the transforming effect of his natural oil and tinctures. But that’s only one aspect of the workshop.
He showed us to target our goal, to come to the point without wasting time to become a real perfumer: blending and creating an accord with the right attitude.
Scent as a language to talk to others, to share. Each day we could bring the examples of his teachings in our own bottles. At the end of the course, each of us had a huge number to take with him. We used the well-prepared scent organs in front of us, ready to blend their content with Salam’s scent of knowledge and wisdom.
And not beside but in a perfect balance we learned a practical way to create a perfume and how to sell it. Distilling rosemary on the last day completed the course.
The essence of perfume making. Thank you, dear Salam.
Shelley Lewis
Australia
It was not so long ago that matters pertaining to mind, body and spirit were addressed holistically. The knowledge and wisdom of thousands of years, utilizing Nature’s pharmacopeia, was harnessed to support any imbalance in a coherent fashion. In modern times, the attempt to cure disease and disquiet has become somewhat fractured.
In the week I spent with new friends under the tutelage of AbdesSalaam Attar, it occurred to me that working with natural materials could be so much more than offering people a natural alternative to synthetic perfume. It could serve as a thread to connect aspects of the self through a reconnection to what is real. I discovered that the olfactory response to essential oils and absolutes is as amazing as it is powerful.
Salaam teaches that we have a responsibility as perfumers to use our knowledge of the inherent qualities of each oil to support wellness in those closest to us at least. Since returning home, it has been wonderful to watch this healing in action.
As for perfume making, I have learnt to recognize quality in my raw materials, a new method of composition and, most importantly, I have gained the confidence to work instinctively as a perfumer. The course taught me not to overthink the process or fear making mistakes (hitherto my biggest road block).
Thank you Salaam for an incredible experience and for sharing your knowledge with us.
Konstantin
Writer/Novelist
What struck me most about the week our little group spent together making perfumes day-in, day-out – besides the revering silence of the hills that to one end reveal the Adriatic sea, to the other the rise and fall of the Emilia-Romagna – was the value of (and Abdesalaam’s instance on) the power of intuition as the essence of perfumery. It is this belief that, as he would say, “the nose knows” that has turned perfumery into such an easy thing for me. This is not to say that I left the course with a feeling of mastery, but rather that I feel encouraged enough to continue on my journey through the world of scent on my own, that I know where to look for information, where to begin, and that, in time, I will come to unravel more and more that secret of perfumery.
For those who look to Salaam to learn the chemistry and mathematics behind perfumery, the perfect ratios and the logic of the whole thing, I would say that that is not what you will get. I myself joined the course in the belief that I would come out with such knowledge, and when I was introduced to an instinctive, perhaps even spiritual approach to perfumery, I was hesitant. I came in expecting order and form that befitted me. But as I came to trust Salaam and gave into his approach, I found something entirely unexpected.
It wouldn’t be right to say that you leave without any structure at all. Throughout the course I have acquired a great feeling for the different groups of scents, the structures of accords, testing for quality of raw materials, sourcing them, bottling them, and even selling them. But this kind of information can be found on hundreds of websites and blogs and books and podcasts. What Salaam’s course instilled in me was the trust that my nose really does know.
The most important thing to say is that I’m happy I took Salaam’s course, because now, back at home, I make perfumes that I enjoy, that others (seem to) enjoy, and for which the act of making excites me even more than the final product (which does so, too). Perfumery has become an easy thing, an effortless process that comes to me much like reading a book or listening to music, that simply demands a little attention and a bit of research that, combined, turns into something so very delightful.
Thank you, Salaam
Jacqueline Rosen
My classmates have written so eloquently about this experience that there is little I can add, except to say that this course not only brought me to a deeper understanding of natural perfume blending and of the role of scent in the human psyche but also opened up for me a new world of possibility, in realms beyond fragrance, that I could not have imagined.
The effect on my life will be profound and lasting. I am so fortunate to have been a part of it, and I am forever grateful to Salaam and all who participated.
Such generosity of spirit is rare and precious. I hope we meet again; but even if we don’t, you are always in my heart.
Guy Henninger
Salaam, my teacher, so happy to see this interview and Maa sha’Allah!!
For Luckyscent fans, I encourage you to explore his perfume line, and explore his website at https://naturalnicheperfume.com/.
Salaam is the most generous teacher I have ever encountered. He gives freely of his knowledge in the hopes that anyone can learn. I first heard of his workshop and teaching method in 2015 in a 6-part blog post on www.kafkaesqueblog.com and was inspired to take the class, not thinking in any way that I wanted to become a perfumer, but only because I loved perfume and had an innate connection between smell and memory. Something about the class drew me.
I was finally able to attend in 2017 and the class changed me and the direction of my life forever. I have now made 28 perfumes, each of them a bespoke creation inspired by the client and informed by both the foundation given to me by Salaam, and the continued learning process he inspired us to undertake.
When you learn to make perfumes in his workshop, you learn about yourself, which has immeasurable benefits beyond revenue and profits.
Rahat Shaikh
Salaam is the best teacher one could ask for. I have been blessed to learn from the best, his classes are not about just making perfumes, it’s years of experience and learning that he imparts to his students, absolutely invaluable. I never knew making perfume was so easy until I met Salaam.
There are no complicated procedures, lab methods or complex equipments. You learn that you don’t need to add too many oils, just a few ingredients can yield the most beautiful of fragrances.
Over the course of his classes, you realize that you are able to play with oils to create perfumes in autopilot mode as if you have been doing this for years. Your brain knows already it can create magic with the oils in front of you.
After experiencing his class, his signature perfumes, his ways of perfumery, you realize the true power of a good teacher and natural essences to ever use any other synthetic perfumes.
P.S: He is always just a chat/call away when his students need him or have questions.
Fatimah
Dubai
A journey through the fragrant melodies of perfumes and natural oils!
Attending the ninja perfumery course with AbdesSalam Attar was a beautiful event in my life, which took my life in an entirely unexpected turn.
What happened? It was Ramadan 2017 when I decided to start focusing on something that I am passionate about. Perfumes were, and still continue to be a part of my living memory, right from my childhood and throughout all my life stages, where I used to watch my mother gather with her friends, surrounded with perfume bottles which they mostly had bought during their latest journey to India. I used to hear different oil names and be taken by the names but never could accept or take in some of the fragrances like the musk for instance, but I used to get astonished by the end result of their beautiful perfumes, and actually be happy to see them filled with joy and accomplishment.
So from recalling all the memories, I took a step looking for a course that can be the first step for me in perfumery, so I discovered the Ninja perfumers workshop that AbdesSalam Attar offers in Italy. I felt that briefly I found the course that was designed for me at this stage. There were only two vacant seats available. I registered and had to write to Salam why I wanted to attend the workshop. A couple of days later, I received the reply from him; that I still have the chance to pay the fees and join the course, I felt the rush of starting something new, it was a mixture of joy and excitement and a little bit of worry.
A few days later, AbdesSalam Attar started a new WhatsApp group that all participants in the course were in it. The anxiety has already started for me, as I asked myself how I would interact with people whom I don’t know, but eventually there was a pleasant energy that merged us, hence we started sharing information which we were discussing following Salam’s requests to read some articles that he had placed on his blog. Several days later, he sent us a box, which I looked at as a new treasure. I opened the box and started reading the instructions. He asked us to start using these oils. On my side, I was using these oils in very tiny quantities as I was concerned and had no experience in using natural oils, but this preparatory activity was a basic step to build confidence, that the trainer would try to instill in us during a week’s time of training. Indeed this was absolutely true.
Days have passed and it was the time to start the training. We arrived in Bologna airport where Jennifer, who was the daughter of the owners of the farm where our hotel was located, received us. We greeted her and stepped into the car, heading to the farm. It was a short and light trip. At the hotel, we were accommodated to our rooms, which had no numbers, but rather, names of flowers, my room’s board read: ‘Violet’.
I entered the room, which had a chair, a wall-mounted TV set, and a double bed with a red bedspread that reminded me of my dad’s room in the farm. My room overlooked the backyard of the farm followed by the city scene. I organized my belongings in the drawers, and I found a message from the girls who had arrived before us asking us to join them in the hotel’s restaurant. Hesitantly I changed and joined them, knowing that it was inevitable to get to know the colleagues whom I would work with during the training. We greeted one another and it was very interesting that we come from different countries. It was a group that consisted of eight pupils, namely from the Netherlands, Germany, Hawaii, Singapore, Japan, South Africa, France and myself being from the United Arab Emirates. We were in deep discussions when Salam entered with his thick stick and distinguished costume that denoted his astonishing travels. His daughter Fatima was accompanying him, he came and greeted us in a smooth and friendly manner. Only then we felt that the forthcoming days would bring about a lot of adventures with this exceptional and deep individual.
The first night has passed, and we were to start our first class the next morning at nine. I woke up at seven, as if I was in a race to catch-up with my prayer and have breakfast before we start. We had our breakfast and we were in a hurry to go to the cottage that was located on the farm to attend the first day of perfumery class. We waited Salam who arrived with his daughter, who was introduced to us as his secretary and assistant, and the second ‘nose’ that he trusts!
I will not spoil your eagerness for the details that you will discover for yourselves in many places on his blog, written by him personally or by his students, but the practical experience is definitely different, and every time the content will vary to benefit each and every student in a unique way. Actually, he said that every group would have its own peculiarity. We started right from the first day familiarizing ourselves with perfumes and different scents. We were taken with this small heaven of different aromas.
With Salam we learned to free ourselves, to allow ourselves to believe in what we were doing, to increasingly follow our intuition, to have faith in what was happening to us and around us, and not to give up hope in anything, as everything has its unique way to complement in the best way. We created our first perfume, not totally convinced, and this was followed by our second and third perfumes. We were wholly overwhelmed as if there was no need for him to tell us that everything was possible. As if we were anticipating this day to sail forever. It would not be easy now to return to the chemical perfumes or the composites that we had no idea about their contents.
Right from the first day, I stopped using the only perfume that I brought with me from Dubai, for how I dare wearing it before Salam. This feeling was in the beginning, but on the third day, I discovered that I was no more desirous of smelling or coming close to these perfumes. My nose and mind sent me the message not to opt for perfumes which had no reality or name in nature. So, I apologized to that purple bottle and started thinking for long about my full of perfumes cupboard, and I started developing a sense of fear from returning without a plan. I tried to share my concerns with my mates, and we all tried to come up with possible solutions with many alternatives, but Salam has inspired us once again. He asked us to take risk and to sail in new waters to explore and discover our own peculiar ways in everything and to shun imitation.
I came to know that some of perfumes and scents were deeply rooted in our far history and that we have a tendency towards the smell of forests and their plants, and towards fire smell and burnt wood. We were totally engrossed in that pleasantly scented cloud of thousands of brilliant aromas, and once we finished our class in the morning we headed to have our lunch which was specially cooked for us. The lunch consisted wholly of vegetables. We had salads made with the farm’s harvest of fresh green leaves. The freshness of food and the joyous chats refreshed our souls, and many times we went into laughter while sharing information and questions. The dinner was indeed a gift for us after a long day of activities, and after the meal, we would return for hours to our endless rich and joyful discussions.
What have I learnt? In fact many things, but definitely I cannot put them all on paper, since it was a deep experience, and every day, and from time to time, I recall an incident or a conversation took place in that training, prompting me to take a halt to rethink again about my choices in life. The training was rich in content, and its duration was sufficient, though sometimes we felt it should last for a month, but on the sixth day we felt that we did good to ourselves in terms of learning, or let’s say, now we had the fishing rod, and all we had to do now was to start fishing and to start the adventure by indulging in this huge world, which is discoverable once we have the internal desire to do so.
Salam asked on the first day if we had the desire to be perfumers, perfume composers. We were hesitant, and most of us said that it was a journey that would eventually enable us to discover whether or not we found this desire, but I can tell you confidently now that I have what it takes to be a perfumer; that is, the infinite passion for perfumes and the ability to create new perfumes in no time. The whole thing is simple, possible, doable, and easy.
Fatma S. L