Maestro of the nose

The job becomes even more complicated when the selected essence turns out to be a mixture of several raw materials. He then has to identify each element and the percentage that is present.

For this task, he works with chemical analysts to test different raw materials for their components and possible toxic effects on the human body. “If it turns out to be safe, we purchase either the essence products or herbs from India and bring them back to the Beijing lab for more serious work,” he said.

Back in the office, Zhao spends two months creating at least five fragrences with slight distinctions. A senior perfume evaluator selects the final samples according to their popularity and acceptability in target markets.

The final decision-maker is the division director. When a design is approved, the production crew begins work on the perfume’s color, its bottle and its packaging.

It is often said that olfactory memories formed duing childhood are among the strongest. Zhao grew up in a poor family, and the flowers, grass and trees of the surrounding fields substituted for toys. His sense of smell was always very accurate, and he had a gift for remembering scents.

And as a child, he often went to the market with his mother to shop for food.

“We didn’t have refrigeration, so my mom would ask me to taste sauces, flavors, salted vegetables, nuts and fruits to determine their freshness. If I made a face, she knew that the food would spoil within a day and she would pass it up,” he said.

When he began to work in the lab, he had no experience in perfume creation. “My impression was that you collected flowers and leaves, put them in alcohol and then you mixed them. I learned all the steps only while experimenting and studying,” he said.

Modern perfumes are increasingly complicated, and many designs overlap, he said. A successful and timeless perfume design should be comparatively simple.