Webchat with perfumer Sarah McCartney: Thursday 24 May, 9pm

[RachelMumsnet]

In response to this thread, we’ve organised a webchat on Thursday 24 May at 9pm with perfumer Sarah McCartney.

Writer turned perfumer Sarah McCartney composes fragrances for her micro-perfumery, 4160Tuesdays, and for clients including Google, Tinder and Hyundai. Using early 20th century methods, with a 21st century online business strategy, she has built a worldwide reputation and fanbase, with stockists in Europe and the US, as well as the UK.

Sarah’s perfumes, described by perfume archivist James Craven, are “a wardrobe of highly sophisticated scents which one can also play with”. They all have their own stories, which she enjoys telling with wit and enthusiasm, sharing some of perfumery’s secrets along the way.
4160Tuesdays operates from a small studio in West London, where all the creation, bottling and despatch happens in a friendly space with its own swing, a world away from the image led, celeb driven, multinational fragrance industry.

Join Sarah on Thursday at 9pm to find out more about perfumery and put your questions to her. if you’re unable to join us on the night, post your question for her on this thread in advance.

What is the best perfume shop to visit? One that is really worth the journey?

@mrsreynolds

I'm obsessed with sexiest scent on the planet ever 😃💙 I have the edp and extrait Any chance of body products? I'd sell a kidney for sexiest scent bath oil 💙💙💙💙

While we're on, body products are a whole new level of regulations and as I like to make everything myself it would be tricky. They need toxicology testing that perfume doesn't because of the alcohol content (natural preservative). I don't plan to make them yet.

@ChoccyJules

This thread intrigued me so much I visited Sarah's shop website on Tuesday and today am the excited recipient of a clutch of 9ml testers My question is very simple and I suspect has something to do with top and base notes etc, about which I understand very little, anyway - if someone thinks they like musk/vanilla (for example) but dislike citrus, are they being too simplistic and missing out on a wealth of possible perfumes? Because that's basically me.

Choccy, that is a difficult one. However, yes. I find that lots of people think that they don't like rose or lavender or some such note, but I can hand them a fragrance with a bucket load of it in, blended well, and they don't necessarily spot it. Finding fragrances that you love is really quite hard; it's like partners. There are many out there that ought to fit the bill, but somehow don't tick all the boxes.

Thank you sarah

A follow up for if you do find a week for the Midlands... do you ever find yourself accidentally recreating something you've already smelt? Is creativity/originality "easy" or do you have to be disciplined?

@Motoko

Hello Sarah, are there any plans for branching out into home fragrance, with candles and/or reed diffusers?

Hello Motoko, yes absolutely. I'm just testing a new French diffuser that's recharchable, preferably with a solar recharger. Not candles as it's a huge faff, different regulations, someone else would have to make them for me, and I don't like setting fire to things. Bad for my carbon footprint.

@PestymcPestFace

What is the best perfume shop to visit? One that is really worth the journey?

The best one? The Scent Bar in Los Angeles. Perfumology in Philadelphia or Roullier White in Dulwich.

@Ollivander84

Edamame beans or crispy kale? (Sarah and I consumed a large amount of kale tonight!)

Edamame, but plain salted ones. Crispy kale is too oily.

Finding fragrances that you love is really quite hard; it's like partners.

Yes, I've often found that a perfume on paper, (reading what the individual scents are used) sounds like something I'd love, but when I smell it, I really don't like it at all.

Ta Sarah suspected as much, did get a glorious bunch of samples from Roullier White.

How do you choose the names?

@OCSock

Do you always love Tokyo Spring Blossom best of all your confections? What guides your perfume moods? I may still be online for the live webchat, or not, but be assured, I shall be reading it in the morning. This device is playing up a bit and Ds is on the reliable machine.

Hello Socky,
I love it best, but I also always love a recent one too. Right now I'm obsessed with Scenthusiasm, a limited edition - at the moment - that I made for Hendrick's gin, and I'm wearing a lot of Truth Beauty Freedom Love. Rosa Ribes is a big favourite and for nights out Goddess of Love & Beauty. My citrus fresh favourite is Invisible Ben.
I suddenly found myself in total love with orris, made from iris roots - at about 13,000 Euros a kilo - and have been putting it in everything because I got a 50g sample at a trade fair. This will soon run out, and I'll have to make something different, so I'm stockpiling. I do actually stockpile my own fragrances so that when I retire I can release them one a week on Ebay and have a pension.

Ah yes, regulations! I used to make soaps and bath/body products, so I know how tricky it can be! They take up a lot of time (and money) when all you want is to be able to create, but completely necessary to keep the end user safe.

@contracting

How do you choose the names?

Hello contracting,
They choose me.
It varies. I was a writer, and I can generate words at speed. Like now. I have some that I really want to make because the name has been hanging around in my head for ages. Some I make then a name turns up. I've renamed three, because they just weren't quite right.
Maxed Out popped into my brain and it suited the fragrance because it was for a man called Max who used to have some wild times in New York in the noughties.
There is a godawful phrase in the US that men use for a fragrance they think will - kill me now - make women throw themselves in their direction: ready?
Panty dropper. As if.
So I was thinking of making a British version called Knicker-Dropper Glory. But I won't, because someone would take it seriously.

How long do fragrances keep maturing. I made one at a workshop last year, after 6 weeks in the knicker drawer - it was quite wearable. After 9 months it is rather good, will it stay put now?

I quite fancy that. DH is ageing and anything that got such a reaction would be a show stopper for old people.....
What would yoy put in it?

Any chance of a subscription service??

Lots of questions - sorry!

1. so I've worn the same perfume for 20 yrs. How would you suggest I choose one from yours if I'm buying online??
2. Why are you called 4160Tuesdays?
3. Why do some perfumes not seem to last?
4. Can you nose detect milk that's about to turn without resorting to tasting it?

@CheapTarnishedGlitter

A follow up for if you do find a week for the Midlands... do you ever find yourself accidentally recreating something you've already smelt? Is creativity/originality "easy" or do you have to be disciplined?

Hi Cheapy, ;-)

Thing is that it's really really hard to recreate something that already exists. Imagine trying to paint something blindfold. It's possible that of all the perfumes in all the shops in all the world, someone will make some that smell similar. In fact I have launched a couple then smelled others that have come out later that smell similar but we would have been working on them separately at the same time!
I find that I have set off on the quest for the perfect rose and fruit chypre and keep trying to do a better one, but then other people ask me to create something completely new and that keeps me fresh creatively. Also there are new and interesting materials that I discover, then I will want to do a new fragrance around one of those. I've just ordered some tonka bean absolute so I'm going to be making an almondy, hay--like peachy thing some time soon.

@LibertyBlue

Question for Sarah: I love iris perfumes, the flowers, but also those with lots of orris giving that carroty, earthiness to a fragrance. I have no idea why, but I find iris enchanting. So my question is: if I love Prada Infusions D’Iris, Serge Lutens Iris Silver Mist and Chanel Bois de Iles.... which perfumes might I like from your range and other houses?

Hi Liberty Blue

I have no idea what other houses are up to! But you NEED Scenthusiasm from me. ;-)

Sorry, going back to regulations, do perfumes not come under the EU Cosmetics Directive then?

We need to know what would go into Knicker-Dropper Glory

No lily fragrances as DH hates funeral flowers. If you don't mind...

Hi Sarah, so many questions so little time!

I would like to know what your favourite mainstream scent or house is, and as a follow up who your favourite perfumer (niche or otherwise) is too.

I get very excited by your historically inspired scents (the 1920s ones...Goodbye Piccadilly... Oriane...) Do you have any more in the pipeline?