Our Perfume Creation Workshop Experience in Paris With The Alchemist Atelier

Our Perfume Creation Workshop Experience in Paris With The Alchemist Atelier

All photos by author

For most that travel to a new place, the experience is a sensory field day – we taste exotic foods, hear foreign sounds and languages, see new sights, and smell different smells. Most fall in love with Paris for its artistic prowess, glamour, and beauty.

If you are looking for la vie de luxe, haute-cuisine and a pinch of gluttony, Paris is where you come. Perfume has the ability to embody all of this at once. One spritz and it can transport you back to where you first smelt it.

Whether you are looking for a way to complete your impression of this lustrous metropole, you want a scent entirely signature to you, or you are just fascinated by perfume, The Alchemist Atelier is your answer.

Since opening its first boutique at 35 Rue Etienne Marcel in the 2^nd arrondissement of Paris, in June 2019, the Atelier has reached immense popularity.

The experience at The Alchemist Atelier is led by an expert perfumer, who guides you step by step through this olfactory experience.

During the workshop, you will be using the Scent Creator. This is a sleek and compact little device that resembles a classy at-home espresso maker. This device has been cleverly manufactured by BSH Hausgeräte so that one can very easily use it in their home. BSH Hausgeräte is the largest producer of home appliances in Europe, which is obvious when you see the skill of the Scent Creator.

If you choose to participate in the workshop, you use the Scent Creator alongside the advice and expertise of a perfumer who will guide you through the process.

What does The Alchemist “workshop” Atelier consist of?

Upon arrival at the boutique, the faint waft of flowers welcomes you, along with The Alchemist Atelier perfumers. You will be introduced to the workshop and the story of the brand, and offered tea and coffee.

In order to give the perfumers the best idea of what you wish to gain out of the experience, you fill out a short questionnaire with the reason of your visit and details of your favourite perfumes. This is in order to understand our scent preferences, so that they may guide us to create the ultimate personalised perfume.

The following part of the workshop takes place in another room. It is spacious, with a long glossy table set up with small bottles of the bases and accords (the basis for all perfume). You take a seat on one of the stools, and spend a solid half an hour with the perfumer discussing the composition of each scent, smelling as you go.

More specifically, perfumes are generally comprised of Top, Heart, and Base Notes, which are all introduced to you as the corresponding ingredients are displayed on an enormous HD screen. The visuals are essential in helping you to remember what you liked and what inspired you. Also, it is important to take notes as you go on a paper provided by the Atelier, as you will smell some 34 scents.

The smells of Cedar Tree, Jasmine Flower, Fresh Cut Grass, Lime Zest, Vanilla and Frangipani were outstanding, but what is striking are the endless combinations that you can create with these scents.

You will have one of these moments, but for your nose…

Guys, don’t fret, you won’t just be sitting around smelling lavender and roses – there are actually many masculine scents that you will be drawn to.

At the end of the presentation, you will be given time to choose your favourite combination. I personally struggle to choose ice-cream flavours, so when asked to choose 6 of 34 scents I had a moment of panic.

The beautiful thing about this process however, is that you learn to trust your instinct. Perhaps you know you love the smell of cinnamon, yet you keep returning to the Cedar scent. Stop listening to logic and follow your nose!

Now that you have chosen your scents, the intrigue deepens.

The Alchemist Atelier uses technology to enhance your perfume experience

You will collect the cartridges of each scent that you chose. These will go into one of the Scent Creator. At this point, it is time to pull out your phone and download The Alchemist Atelier app, available on both Android and IOS.

Through the app you will connect your phone to the Scent Creator via Bluetooth. You can visualise each scent you have chosen on a collage on your screen, and modify each dosage by changing the percentages.

Once satisfied, you simply follow the prompts on your phone and leave the Scent Creator to take care of the rest!

You leave with one bottle of perfume of 20ml,  detailed with gold trim. Packaging is minimalist and very elegant, as the bottle’s exterior should not distract from what is inside…

What does The Alchemist Atelier do differently?

The beauty industry today is awash with marketing, whose main ally is technology.  The packaging and advertisements used to encourage us to buy new perfumes have a huge influence on the scents we choose.

In order to focus less on the marketing and more on the product, The Alchemist Atelier is avant-garde in the way it allows us to use the app technology to design our own scent. The Scent Creator returns to us our agency and intimacy to perfume.

The Alchemist Atelier and Scent Creator have made perfume, and understanding the complex chemistry behind the magic, totally accessible to people. The process allows us to be creative and develop a real sentimental attachment to the product.

Due to the huge range of variables, between Bases, Accords and the strength of each ingredient, you become the only person in the world to wear your perfume. However, you have the choice to make your recipe public for others to test too.

Why should a visit to The Alchemist Atelier be part of everyone’s trip to Paris?

The product is worth it

As for quality control, I wear my perfume every day and can confirm that even 7 hours after a morning spritz on each pulse point, the scent is still powerful. The perfume adapts to my skin, and like any quality perfume, does not smell the same on anyone else (yes, this has been tested).

The experience is invaluable

This is an amazing experience to share with your mother, daughter, friend, girlfriend or boyfriend. In fact, to complete a workshop with anyone close to you is an excellent idea – you will learn about more than just the composition of a perfume…

We learn about what we associate with smells, about how our different experiences will change our preferences, and you may be surprised to discover that the smells you avoid are the favourites of the person you are with. Each perfume perfectly represents the personality of the visitor, and it is mind-blowing to see how unique each becomes.

It is an ideal experience for a group of friends, or even as a romantic couple’s date. If you trust your boyfriend’s taste enough, perhaps you even can create each other’s perfumes or colognes.

How much does it cost?

Discovery Workshop

Group of 4

Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: 79€ (included 20ml fragrance)
Languages: French & English

Private Workshop

1 to 2 people

Duration: 1.5 hours
Price: 129€ (included 20ml fragrance)
Languages: French, English & Spanish

Paris is truly a city of glamour and sensory excitement. You spend your days walking and admiring the artwork, relaxing in gardens, savouring new flavours and shopping for exotic trends.

This is a workshop that perfectly completes a rich cultural visit to Paris, as you become your own artist in this city of art. You leave with the best souvenir you could possibly have – something that is not only useful, but also unique, which you are able to associate with a fun day and once in a lifetime experience for years to come. It is the first boutique of its kind in the entire world, and it is not to miss!