Abayomi Olugbemi Lambo studied physiology in school. Now he runs a successful perfumery-.
Perfume Entrepreneur On How He Started
In a recent interview with NAIJ, he shares some secrets on how to run a perfumery using his experience as an example
How He Developed Interest and Got Training
Perfumery is a marriage of science and art. It is a scientific yet also a creative field. I have always had an interest in science yet I have a creative artistic side. I write songs, for instance) Perfumery Satisfies both aspects of my personality, besides I have always been fascinated by scents. At first I was largely self taught and later received considerable help from colleagues in larger international companies. In this field you have to keep learning both from others and also by constant experimenting and self development.
Why he chose Ibadan for His Manufacturing Plant
Ibadan is a lovely place to have a perfume manufacturing outfit or any manufacturing company for that matter. The overheads are lower and because it’s a calmer, more peaceful environment, the creative juices flow much more easily. Lagos is hurried and more stressful however the business climate is much better. My biggest clients are in Lagos though and we intend to set up a sales centre perfumery in Lagos but the creative laboratory, factory etc will still be in Ibadan.
On what It Entails to Create a Scent
While a good sense of smell is important for a perfumer, it alone is not enough to be a creator of scents; like perfect vision cannot turn one into an artist! You need a certain Aesthetic sense, a sensibility. An ability to imagine combinations of essence in your mind. An ability to ‘smell’ in your head. You need also scientific knowledge of various raw materials both synthetic of various raw materials both synthetic and natural and how they might react when put together. A good knowledge of human psychology is important so you can create the night scent for an appropriate audience.
The Basic Tools You Would Need
They would need a functional laboratory distillation equipment and quality control equipment. If they are planning to also manufacture some of their synthetic components, they would need both equipment and skills in biotechnology.
Apart from Flowers- Other Things You Would Need
Apart from essence directly derived from natural flowers, the scent of roots, barks, woods, spices, fruits, leaves, herbs and some essence like Ambergris derived from the sperm whale are used. Synthetic molecules not found in nature and some scent molecules naturally occurring but recreated in the perfumers’ Labs are also used.
