How an Olfactory Consultant Works in the Beauty Industry {The 5th Sense in the News}

The Wall Street Journal has written a profile of olfactory consultant Ann Gottlieb. How's a day of work in her life? Check out after the jump to see the kind of scent marathon she undertakes almost each and everyday. Gottlieb is one of the key developers behind fragrances like Calvin Klein Obsession, CKOne, Christian Dior J'Adore, Bang by Marc Jacobs, Renee Fleming La Voce, Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker, Man by Calvin Klein, Estée Lauder Spellbound, Benetton Colors, and many more...

"In the course of a week, Ms. Gottlieb might deploy her nose on as many as 60 body washes in her shower. She can evaluate five different fragrances on each arm, sniffing each quickly as she moves from wrist to shoulder. During a recent session, she tested about 10 possible scents for Unilever's Degree brand.

"I can smell 100 things in a row and still be confident that I can smell accurately," she said."

One of the things to be retained from the article is that the mainstream fragrance market is very much attuned to visual cues. The color of the packaging is the first step in the development of a new perfume. For instance, Lola by Marc Jacobs started its life with the color code red and purple, something that can be very well smelt in the composition.

Read more in The Beauty Industry's Knowing Nose

Thanks to Stanley for the link!