Nosy job for rare breed of perfumers
According to Liu, he works with nearly 1,400 fragrance ingredients in the course of his job. But while his trainers once provided official descriptions of each ingredient, he notes that perfumers must also form their own understanding of each as this would form the foundation for their own uniqueness and style.
While having a keen sense of smell is a prerequisite of the job, Liu says a perfumer must also be aware that this ability could prove to be a stumbling block. As such, a balance must be struck.
"A perfumer needs a good sense of smell. His nose needs to be able to tell the difference between a strong scent and a light scent," Liu says.
"However, one also cannot be too sensitive to different scents. He needs to realize that the average person doesn't have such an elevated sense of smell."
And though his job involves handling aroma chemicals, Liu says he is more an artist than scientist.
"I love creating scents because it's like composing a piece of music or making an oil painting using different kinds of colors. It's an art."
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