Right: Kathryn Balcerski
A Virtual Discovery of the World of Perfume
Introducing the new virtual curriculum taught by Tami Katz and Kathryn Balcerski — fragrance experts, industry veterans, and principals at Serendipitee NYC. Serendipitee NYC is the US licensee of Cinquième Sens, the acclaimed global professional institute fully dedicated to olfactive education since 1976. Serendipitee NYC partners with The Fragrance Foundation in support of a shared vision to provide Fragrance Education.
All modules are for anyone who touches the world of perfume – fine fragrance, beauty & personal care, candles, or home care. The training content is objective and has been customized for the US market. Participants can take one or all of the modules; there are no prerequisites. Whether you are new to the industry, a seasoned industry executive or you just have a passion for perfume, these courses are for you.
Courses are taught using the Zoom platform (or other web platforms by special arrangement).
For more details and to register:
Please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
Please contact Serendipitee NYC for corporate virtual group sessions, private virtual sessions, customized training, or our in-person fragrance trainings. The sessions will comply with your corporate Covid-19 health and safety guidelines.
Contact: tami@serendipiteenyc.com or kathryn@serendipiteenyc.com
Discovery Journey 1: Introduction
- Discover olfactive developments through the ages
- How did the olfactive landscape change over time?
- Learn about the sense of smell: physiology, characteristics and curiosities
- Understand the importance of emotion and memory in smelling
Designed for anyone new to the industry working for brands, fragrance houses or retailers; and for perfume enthusiasts.
For more details and to register, please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
Discovery Journey 2: Perfumers and Their Palette
- Naturals: where do they come from and how are they processed?
- Synthetic ingredients: why are they important in modern perfumery?
- Fragrance ingredient regulations and sustainability considerations
Designed for anyone involved in developing or selling perfumes: brands, fragrance houses, trainers, retail selling professionals.
For more details and to register, please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
Discovery Journey 3: The Fragrance Development Process
Follows the development process from fragrance brief to final juice:
- How a brand constructs a fragrance brief for a new fragrance creation
- How to work with fragrance houses and perfumers for the optimal outcome
- How to evaluate fragrance creations to select the best one for your project
Designed for anyone involved in the creation and development of any fragranced product (perfume, beauty care, home fragrance, etc): fragrance/brand development, technical departments, and anyone at a fragrance house (evaluation, marketing, technical, sales)
For more details and to register, please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
Discovery Journey 4: Perfumery, Perfume Facets, Smelling and Language
- This is a smelling based module; the Olfactorium smelling kit, a compact, portable mini perfumer’s palette of 48 fragrance vials, is required to take the course. (You will pay for the Olfactorium kit upon course registration).
- Understand how to smell and how to talk about fragrances
- Introduction to the 17 perfumery facets and how to communicate what you are smelling
- The same Olfactorium will be used for our upcoming continuous education ‘smelling workshop’.
Designed for anyone involved in the creation and development or selling of perfumes: Brands, Fragrance Houses, Retail Selling Professionals
For more details and to register, please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
Discovery Journey 5: The Smelling Workshop
- A deeper dive into smelling – further build your smelling skills and ability to speak the language of perfumery through this interactive smelling class led by experts
- Includes many smelling exercises to sharpen your skills and vocabulary
- This is a smelling based workshop: the Olfactorium kit used in Journey 4 will be required to take this class
Designed for anyone involved in the creation and development or selling of perfumes: Brands, Fragrance Houses, Retail Selling Professionals
For more details and to register, please visit our website at www.serendipiteenyc.com/virtual-fragrance-training.
About Us:
Kathryn Balcerski | Principal at Serendipitee NYC
“For me the journey of creating a fragrance requires complete immersion: understanding the relationship between perfume, consumer and brand. This belief has taken me around the world to engage in fragrance creation. I have evaluated soaps in India, shampoos in Shanghai, harvested organic rose petals in Grasse, and collaborated with the world’s top perfumers and clients in NY, London, and Paris. My passion is to live the creative process; it is the only way to make the concept become a reality.”
A passion for fragrance, brands and global culture lie at the root of Kathryn Balcerski expertise. She received her chemistry degree at university, then earned her masters from the renowned Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management in Marketing and International Business. Kathryn’s first love was chemistry, spending many years working in the beauty care specialty ingredients sector, then discovering the allure of the perfume world where she has remained for twenty-five years.
After a stint with Haarmann and Reimer (now Symrise), Kathryn honed her fragrance development skills at world leader International Flavors and Fragrances. Her time based in their New York and London offices allowed her to work with perfumers globally to develop fine fragrances, hair care, skin care, home fragrances, personal cleansing, and deodorants. She has collaborated on brands such as Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis, Mary Kay, Bath & Body Works, Ponds, Axe Deo-Cologne, TRESemmé, TIGI, and Lux.
In 2016 Kathryn and former colleague Tami Katz formed Serendipitee NYC, with a mission of working closely with companies to expertly guide them on a journey to translate their brand vision into a winning fragrance. Serendipitee NYC offers fragrance evaluation and development services; they are ‘noses for hire’. They are also the official training partner of Cinquième Sens, the renowned fragrance training company in Paris, and The Fragrance Foundation in New York, where they train the world’s top brand teams to understand the language and art of perfumery.
Tami Katz | Principal at Serendipitee NYC
“I see perfume-making not as a science of precision, but as an art and a form of alchemy. The mystery and olfactory delight in experiencing an exquisite new fragrance, there is nothing quite like it.”
Tami Katz’s entry into the world of fragrance began twenty-five years ago with the Executive Training Program at Bloomingdale’s. Cultivating a keen understanding of all aspects of perfume-making, Tami pursued her passion and spent the bulk of her career at IFF creating perfumes for Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Oscar de la Renta, Elizabeth Arden, Liz Claiborne, Axe, Dove, Degree and more. Ultimately, she was chosen to hone her craft with industry icon, Ann Gottlieb. Tami has skillfully collaborated with perfumers to create fine fragrance and cologne, home fragrances, deodorants, lotions, in addition to haircare.
Throughout her journey, Tami has worked with brand development teams, chemists, and fragrance suppliers as she ushered the creation process from start to finish. She loves collaborating with perfumers, providing olfactive guidance and inspiration to stimulate their creativity. She also loves to share her passion through education; she has mentored many Evaluators as well as provided fragrance training to virtually all of her clients.
In 2016 Tami and former colleague Kathryn Balcerski formed Serendipitee NYC, with a mission of working closely with companies to expertly guide them on a journey to translate their brand vision into a winning fragrance. Serendipitee NYC offers fragrance evaluation and development services; they are ‘noses for hire’. They are also the official training partner of Cinquième Sens, the renowned fragrance training company in Paris, and The Fragrance Foundation in New York, where they train the world’s top brand teams to understand the language and art of perfumery.