The book (and film),
Perfume: The Story of A Murderer, by Patrick
Suskind, follows the life of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, on
his quest to create the most beautiful perfume of all time.
His skill is in being able to decipher the composition of
any smell he comes across and then recreate it. His talent
is beyond compare, his sense of smell unparalleled, but how
well would you fare in endeavour of aromatic analysis.
Experience what it’s like to be the perfume laboratory chief analyst,
working out how a fragrance is built and how to synthesise
it. It could be a lost formula, one of nature’s treasures or
a competitor’s ground breaking new release.
Working
in small teams (4-5), each team is given 3 sample perfumes
which have been prepared from a combination of 18 ingredient
oils. The first sample is made using three of the oils, the
second with four and the third with five (really quite
tough, >1m possibilities!). Teams need to work
collaboratively and analytically to determine how each
sample was made. The team that gets closest to the formulas
wins. And it is not a simple as it sounds.
Consultants are on hand to offer gentle advice and
(equitably) share some clues. Teams will be provided with a
perfume blending kit with dabbers and game cards.
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