An interview with perfume expert, Roshni
Back in May I went to an introductory perfume workshop at Experimental Perfume Club, in collaboration with London Craft Week. I loved every second of it — you can read more about it here — which was in no small part down to the brilliant staff who guided us through the process. When our workshop leader, Roshni, asked if we had any questions, I did the thing I always do and asked how she got into this line of work. Very graciously, she answered, but I wanted to dive a bit deeper in Pep Talk today. It was a joy learning more about Roshni and her career; you can read it below!
Please could you tell us a bit about you?
Hello! My name's Roshni - I'm a queer, Swiss-born Londoner and the Fragrance Education Manager of Experimental Perfume Club. I'm caring and silly and cherish all the beautiful people in my life. My brain and body can both feel rather wonky, but I'm learning to love them for all the positive qualities they bring. Including synaesthesia, a neurological condition that causes sensory crossover, which helps to remind me how our perceptions and subjective experience of the world are as unique as our fingerprints.
How did you get into fragrance?
I think I've always loved fragrance; it's been with me since I started forming memories. My parents took us to Grasse, to perfume houses and museums in Paris and Versailles...so I credit them with nurturing the curiosity, as well as 9-year-old me's singleminded decision to pursue it professionally!
With time, this love of fragrance grew even stronger by understanding its set and science - those fascinating fundamentals, giving logic to the ephemeral and structure to the art. It got me in deeper and really helped integrate everything with the way my brain works.
What has your “career path” looked like?
I first started my career in perfumery working with fragrance development houses, getting to know creation and applications, sensory testing and evaluation.
I then delved more into the customer-facing side, with retail and education management. Working with teams globally, from North America to South Africa, Sweden to Australia, was a fascinating way of sharing my love and knowledge of perfumery.
It probably looks a little atypical, going from behind-the-scenes work at big development houses to more public-facing roles and niche boutiques. That's enriched me with insights I wouldn't have by climbing the ladder at only one end of our industry spectrum, though. I love working with perfumers, R&D teams, raw materials (the best way to practice your smelling!) about as much as being in retail and education.
Maybe that goes back to the sense of "integration": it's how my career path has built itself on both the knowledge of perfumery and what fragrance means to people. It answers questions and informs my work in ways I wouldn't appreciate otherwise.
Talk to me about your role at EPC. What does it look like day-to-day?
In this environment, every day's a little bit different. We're a small company, just a handful of employees with a wide range of business needs to fulfil. That means not only having to wear many hats, but switching them almost constantly. I might start a morning based in the lab, mixing up recipes old and new, then jump upstairs for some retail sales and customer service, eat a lifesaving Caffè Nero brownie (dairy-free, gluten-free and deeply-satisfying), zip down again for planning around our private and corporate events, slip out for sushi (to sit with, when the sun's shining, in a little courtyard next to our shop), before taking the stage to run our bespoke workshops all the way until closing time. That last part is, really, the most special of all - and it's good to end the day on a high!
What do you love most about your job?
What a tough question... I'm not sure what I love most. Presumably not by virtue of finding it hard to make decisions; more that picking one thing undermines the fact that I'm happy being able to participate in everything. However, the question's tough but fair so I'll try to answer properly - it's the workshops, I think. Working with people to help them learn about the art and science of perfumery, help them fall in love with it too. You can literally see complete novices switch-on their olfactory understanding, then become secure enough in that to get creative with it. The inherent personalisation of those experiences allow such a rare opportunity to know people uniquely, to appreciate their individuality, to unite their mental and sensory skills all in a very exciting manner.
And finally, a question I always used to ask on my podcast: what are you enthusiastic about outside of work?
Another "tough but fair" question! I like to think that enthusiasm infuses all my extracurriculars - reading great fiction, tending my farm in Stardew Valley, sharing family dinners, nurturing deep relationships, exploring London's vast and diverse cultural smörgåsbord. We're afforded such amazing occasions for personal growth, here. I'm seriously passionate about live music too, so the list of gigs booked in seems never-ending!
Oh, and let me cheat the question a little bit: one lifelong interest that's totally outside of work, but was recently reignited by a chance encounter while working the shop floor: poetry. I met a fantastic poet and musician whom shares my passion for niche Perfumery. Our interaction revealed an overlap in certain life experiences, despite the generational and environmental distinctiveness. I've been absorbing his poetry, as well as his recommendations, and started working on some of my own again. We now have, I think, the beginnings of a 'penpal' friendship!
Thank you so much Roshni! Visit Experimental Perfume Club online here or in person in Covent Garden to attend a workshop, buy some delish perfume, or learn more about different scents from people who really love what they do and make it a joy to teach you too.