Understanding the Structure of a Fragrance
A perfume tasting, such as the one led by perfumist Agustín Melazo in Mexico City, is an experience designed to explore and understand the structure of a fragrance through the sense of smell, similar to wine or mezcal tasting. Participants identify components and analyze their evolution over time.
The Fundamentals of Olfactory Evaluation
- Top Notes: These are the first to be perceived and quickly disappear, including scents like pear, lemon, bergamot, white grapefruit, and lemongrass (20%).
- Heart Notes: These form the body of the perfume, with greater duration and aromatic strength. Examples include ylang-ylang, geranium, rose, palmarosa, and rosemary (50%).
- Base Notes: These linger the longest on the skin, providing fixation and depth. Common examples are vanilla, ginger, clove, cedar, frankincense, and cinnamon (30%).
Melazo explained that a perfume is “liquid memory,” allowing translation of who we are, where we’ve been, and what we want to remember.
Who is Agustín Melazo?
Born in Argentina, Melazo studied biotechnology at the National University of the Litoral. From a young age, he showed interest in the senses, particularly olfaction and its influence on memory, emotions, and environmental perception. This curiosity led him to investigate aromatic molecules from both a scientific and narrative perspective.
Melazo’s career combines rigorous scientific approach and artistic exploration. After years of research in biotechnology applied to foods and natural products, he began developing his own methodology to translate sensory information into tangible experiences.
Key Principles
- Perfume as a Collective Experience: Group workshops (for companies, hotels, or institutions) where participants engage in a guided olfactory tasting, learn about fragrance structure, and design their own perfume. Melazo applies his pedagogical skills by simplifying fragrance chemistry without losing depth.
- Perfumes with Identity: Customized developments where Melazo accompanies individuals or brands in creating their unique formula. This process involves interviews, olfactory tests, technical adjustments, and narrative construction, turning each bottle into an emotional signature.
- Purpose-Driven Projects: Collaborations with communities, cultural or scientific institutions, and diplomatic entities. In these cases, perfumes become symbolic representation tools. Some have reached 19 countries, presented at the UN, and one was sent to Antarctica as a regional cooperation symbol.
Creating Your Own Perfume
During Melazo’s tasting, attendees learned theory and composed their own fragrance step-by-step. Using olfactory strips, bottles, and pipettes, they selected their top, heart, and base notes based on preferences and learnings from the sensory evaluation.
Each formula was fine-tuned with Melazo’s direct guidance, adjusting proportions and harmonizing the final result. The climax came when each participant named their creation, establishing a direct connection between scent, experience, and memory. The bottle each person took was the result of a reflective and sensory process.
The Setting
The workshop took place at Mexcalísimo, a mezcaleria in the Privada Roja of San Rafael neighborhood in Mexico City. This space served as both the event venue and a parallel tasting of artisanal mezcals, naturally complementing the created fragrances.
Selected mezcals echoed different stages of the olfactory process. Citrus and fresh perfume aromas resonated with herbal or mineral mezcal profiles, while spicy or resinous notes harmonized with deeper mezcals.
This cross between senses—smell and taste—allowed attendees to experience aroma in a distinct way: not just something worn on the skin, but also experienced through taste.
Key Questions and Answers
- Who is Agustín Melazo? An Argentinian perfumist with a background in biotechnology, Melazo combines scientific rigor and artistic exploration to create unique fragrances.
- What is the structure of a perfume? A perfume consists of top, heart, and base notes that evolve over time, creating a balanced scent.
- What makes Melazo’s approach unique? His methodology translates sensory information into tangible experiences, blending technical precision with narrative sensitivity.
- What are Melazo’s key principles? He focuses on collective perfume experiences, customized creations with personal or brand identities, and purpose-driven projects symbolizing cooperation and representation.
