The Air Between Us

What does making kimchi have to do with whales, Ambroxan, and the science of smell?

Quite a lot, actually.

In this episode of The Air Between Us, I start in my kitchen, preparing kimchi, and somehow find myself thinking about ambergris, sperm whales, and Ambroxan, one of my favorite molecules in perfumery.

Recent research by Givaudan into the scent receptors responsible for detecting Ambroxan opens up fascinating questions. Do we all smell the same thing? And why has evolution given us receptors that respond to this particular molecule?

I also share an encounter from a perfume workshop in Romania, where someone simply couldn't smell Ambroxan the way I do.

As a chemist and perfumer, I find these discoveries fascinating. But they also remind me how little we still know about our sense of smell.

And that's where things get a little shaky.

My message to you? Don't worry too much about what experts, reviewers, or other perfume lovers tell you.

Trust your own nose. Because your experience of a perfume is uniquely yours.

Can you smell a perfume just by thinking about it?

A question from a friend takes me back to the beginnings of my journey into perfumery, when I started discovering fragrant raw materials, smelling them, and writing down everything I experienced.

Twenty-one years later, I am still learning. Sometimes the most surprising discoveries come not from new molecules, but from familiar ingredients and perfumes I thought I knew inside out.

In this episode of The Air Between Us, I talk about training our sense of smell, rediscovering old materials, and why curiosity matters just as much today as it did when I started.

And I have a little invitation for you: Forget the latest releases for a moment. Pick up an old favorite, smell it again, and see what you discover.

Because sometimes the greatest discoveries are hiding in bottles we already own.

What does a perfumer actually do all day? I look back at the unexpected beginnings of my perfume house—from a friend’s bookshop to Le Maroc pour Elle and L’Air du Désert Marocain—and share the everyday reality behind the romantic image of the perfumer. Creation, production, sourcing, packaging and countless connected decisions: all are part of my job. A personal reflection on responsibility, following my passion, and what it means to make a dream come true.

Episode 10 — Niche Perfume: Ask the Right Questions

Who owns the brand? Who makes the perfume? And where is it produced? In this second reflection on Pitti Fragranze, I look back at twenty years of change—from lively perfume forums to a crowded world of short clips, shiny bottles, and brand concepts.

Information is not scarce. The challenge is knowing what to ask. I share a few simple questions to help you look beyond the story, understand what you’re buying, and leave the final decision to your nose. Because, niche or not, perfume is there to be enjoyed.

Episode 9 — Pitti Fragranze: Let’s Smell Perfume

What happens at a perfume fair when people ask about margins and concepts before smelling a single perfume? I take you behind the scenes at Pitti Fragranze in Florence, sharing unexpected encounters, Italy’s love of handmade things, and a few uncomfortable questions about what niche perfumery has become.

There is plenty of show, but also warmth, curiosity, and real passion. Meet the people who make me want to return—and discover why my answer is often simply: let’s smell perfume.

What does fashion have to do with perfume? Quite a lot.

In this episode, I look at the strange world of fashion imagery — clothes that are spectacular, artistic and fascinating, but not necessarily made to be worn — and ask whether the same thing is happening in perfumery.

Perfume fairs and stores are full of beautiful bottles, elaborate presentations and carefully constructed worlds. But sometimes the shell becomes more important than what is inside. A perfume may be impressive, artistic and attention-grabbing — and still not be something you actually want to live with.

I also tell the story of a woman I once worked with whose perfume announced her arrival before she even entered the room. The fragrance was beautiful, but there was simply too much of it: instead of her wearing the perfume, the perfume was wearing her.

So the take-home question is very simple:

Will I wear this perfume — or will this perfume wear me?

The Price of Easy

Why do so many modern perfumes feel different, yet somehow strangely similar?

In this episode, I look at how perfumery arrived here. Synthetic molecules such as Ambroxan and Iso E Super transformed perfumery — and I use them myself and love them. They are powerful, stable, reliable and wonderful to work with. But mass production, globalization, cost, availability and regulation have gradually pushed much of the industry toward the same highly efficient solutions.

Naturals are different. Rose, jasmine, cistus, labdanum and other materials can be expensive, variable, difficult and sometimes frustrating. But they also bring friction, complexity and surprise.

I talk about why my own perfumes use both worlds — Ambroxan and cistus, Iso E and jasmine absolute, synthetics and large amounts of naturals — and why that matters.

If modern perfumery sometimes feels too polished or predictable, there are two ways out: look backwards to the treasures of the past, or look sidewards toward independent perfumers who can still afford to make things differently.

DUPE- the echo of a perfume that has been created by somebody and you only smell the echo.

A dupe begins with something that already exists. In this episode I talk about dupes, about ticktokers hoping around and youtubers talking and the race to the bottom and the overall confusion in the perfume world.

With a take home message for the perfume lover.

In this episode, I start with the idea of walking without knowing exactly where I want to go. A video about painting leads me to think about perfume, process, and the freedom that comes when we stop forcing a finished result too early. I talk about why creating perfumes is different from painting, how time and maturation change a fragrance, and why sometimes the best way to visit a perfumery is without the goal of buying anything at all.

In this episode, I explore what differentiation means in perfumery. Is it the bottle, the packaging, the marketing. Or is it something deeper? I talk about creativity, trends, independent thinking, and why finding something truly different often requires looking beyond what algorithms and social media place in front of us.

The conversation also touches on AI and large language models. Not as a threat, but as a fascinating new medium that raises an important question:

If AI becomes one of our main ways of accessing knowledge, what will that mean for originality, creativity, and the messages we create?

Whether you're passionate about perfume, interested in creativity, or simply curious about how we make choices in an increasingly algorithmic world, I hope this episode gives you something to think about the next time you discover a new fragrance.

Enjoy listening.

Andy

Link to NateBJonesClear, Actionable AI Strategy — Frameworks, Workflows & Playbooks

In this episode, Andy reflects on perfume creation, raw materials, and resonance.

A leathery orange blossom idea becomes the starting point for a larger question: what happens when a perfume is created slowly, directly, and personally . And what happens when a so-called niche brand is built from a concept, a brief, a portfolio, and a creative director?

Andy looks at the difference between making perfume as an interaction with raw materials and launching perfume as a market-ready collection. At the heart of the episode is resonance: the bridge between creator, material, brand, and bottle. When that bridge is alive, a perfume can carry something that goes beyond concept. When it is missing, even a polished perfume may feel strangely disconnected.

Have you ever bought a perfume because of a poetic description, and then smelled something completely different?

In this episode of The Air Between Us, Andy Tauer reflects on the words surrounding perfume: notes, allergen lists, marketing texts, reviews, social media language, and brand storytelling. He explores how words can guide us, but also mislead us, shape our expectations, and sometimes put us in a box before we even smell.

From vanillin on an allergen label to the emotional power of a perfume name, this episode is an invitation to read perfume language critically — and to trust your own nose.

The truth is not in the words. It is in your nose.

It begins with a TikTok video and turns into a reflection on perfume, first impressions, and the quiet patience of smelling. Andy Tauer muses about what we smell, how quickly we judge, and why taking more time with a scent can change everything.