Dive into the mind of self-taught perfumer TEDDY HAUGEN, whose passion for scent took him from a casual collector to an independent creator with a unique olfactory vision. In this candid interview, Haugen opens up about the pivotal moments that sparked his obsession, the challenges of navigating the secretive world of perfumery, and the inspirations behind his debut fragrance collection. As one of the few perfumers actively sharing his unfiltered opinions and insights on social media, Haugen has built a refreshing presence in the fragrance community.
Teddy, can you share your personal journey into perfumery? What were the key moments in your life that led you to become an aficionado and a perfumer?
I always joke that perfumery was a slow descent into madness for me.
Growing up, it was clear I had a sensitive nose because I would pick up on smells that no one else seemed to notice. And while none of my family and friends were collectors, my dad and grandfather regularly wore fragrances like Kouros which sparked my interest in collecting. That probably explains why my first fragrance purchase was Fahrenheit!
From there I collected casually for years. But I have an obsessive personality, so my collecting slowly turned into learning more about how fragrances are made. And that’s when I reached the most critical moment in my journey – I read ‘Perfume: The Alchemy of Scent’ by Jean-Claude Ellena.
Ellena’s book flipped a switch in me. That’s when I got obsessed with learning perfumery, and started hunting down everything I could find on it.
How did you learn to make perfume, and what was your biggest challenge? Was there a surprising moment during your learning process?
The biggest challenge in the beginning was finding quality information on perfumery. It’s a secretive industry, and there’s some misinformation out there on the subject. So knowing what sources to trust was difficult at first!
I started out slowly with forums like Basenotes DIY by following the members with strong reputations, and industry experience. Then I was purchasing all the textbooks I could find, scouring industry websites and publications, watching interviews, and purchasing more and more raw materials for nose training.
From there it snowballed. I was performing Jean Carles experiments, doing fragrance family studies, and making experimental blends. Then before I knew it I was surprised to realize that all my ingredient and equipment buying had turned into a perfumery lab!
What are your favorite notes or ingredients to work with, and which do you find most difficult? What’s the most unusual accord you’ve created?
As a reformed patchouli hater, I was surprised to find that I love working with it. It’s such a versatile ingredient that has many faces depending on what kind you’re using. There’s a range of different distillations, and even things like Clearwood, that all have different impacts on a composition. It’s a lot of fun!
As for the most difficult, that would be oud because there’s so many directions the natural extracts can go. I’ve found it hard to make accords that do them justice, and the western-style recreations that are popular right now aren’t even close.
The most unusual note I’ve pulled off is the ripe banana in my fragrance Banane au Chocolat. The normal ways of doing a banana accord tend to lean candied and synthetic, but I found a clever way to make it much more ripe and photorealistic that I’m really proud of!
Do you wear perfume yourself? What are some of your personal favorites that hold special meaning for you? Are there any particular perfumers you admire?
Absolutely, I’m a fragrance collector at heart so I love wearing them. Though it can be tricky as a perfumer because I have to manage my nose – I can’t wear fragrance while experimenting because it distorts my smell.
Kouros and Bleu de Chanel EDT have a special place in my heart. My dad wore Kouros for years, and Bleu de Chanel EDT was my grandfather’s signature scent for the last decade of his life so it will always be dear to me.
As for perfumers, Jean-Claude Ellena is my number one inspiration. His books are what got me into perfumery, and I love his style. The way he achieves transparency and tension in his compositions is wonderful. I’m also a big fan of independent perfumers like Sarah Horowitz, and Andy Tauer – they are trailblazers that I look up to.
You’ve just launched your own collection. How would you describe the fragrances? What was the creative process like behind them?
There’s three of them – Banane au Chocolat, Summer in Love, and Passing Stranger – and they all go in a unique direction.
Banane au Chocolat is a semi-gourmand that captures a memory with my daughter. It opens with ripe banana and chocolate, and becomes an earthy chocolate chip banana bread with a heavy, but smooth, patchouli base. Then the butter note slowly becomes more prominent, and it can take on a pain au chocolat feel – so the name is also a pun!
Summer in Love was inspired by a caprese salad my wife makes – except she uses farmers market peaches. The smell in the kitchen when she makes it is heavenly, and I knew I had to bottle it. The notes make it look like a gourmand, but it’s very green and aromatic with the basil and tomato leaf creating tension with the fuzzy peach.
Passing Stranger is an airy genderless fougere that feels nostalgic and modern at the same time. I wanted to subvert the traditional structure by making it feel unisex, so I swapped oakmoss for Veramoss, supported the traditional lavender and geranium with iris and rose, and gave the composition a fresh mountain air feel.
I’ve found that my creative process is often like chasing olfactive portraits that appear in my mind. Sometimes it’s based on an experience or memory – like with Banane au Chocolat – or just an idea that feels stuck in my nose like Passing Stranger. And then I go to work on it until what comes out of my blends matches what I’ve been chasing. Sometimes it’s surprisingly fast, other times it can take many months – but it’s an amazing feeling when it finally clicks.
What trends do you see emerging in the perfume market over the next few years, in terms of themes, consumer preferences, regulations, etc?
I feel like demand for smaller travel sizes will keep growing. There’s way more fragrance brands now than ten years ago, and many people want to experience more by buying fragrances in smaller sizes.
I think we’ll also see more erosion of collector trust in niche and luxury fragrance brands. Many brands built strong goodwill by creating interesting fragrances that captured imaginations. But that made them acquisition targets, and we’ve seen many of those brands change hands which has contributed to a trend of price increases, and tame releases, that aren’t aligned with what built those brands.
You’re one of the few perfumers active on social media, with a provocative style. What inspired this approach, and what’s been your most controversial post?
I had this realization that I’m a fragrance collector turned self-taught perfumer, and that came with so many “aha!” moments as I learned. And with hardly any perfumers doing short form educational content, I figured I’d share what I’ve learned to see if it resonates with anyone. Turns out it does!
I think what helped me stand out is that I’m not trying to grow my social media following to get brand deals. So I can share my unfiltered opinions without worrying about that, which people seem to find refreshing.
Which is probably why my most controversial posts are the ones where I expose luxury and niche brands that are cloning, or heavily copying, more affordable fragrances. People are either really excited to learn about it, or get mad at me because they spent a ton of money on them!
What has been the most rewarding part of your journey as a perfumer so far? What advice would you give to someone just starting out in this field?
The most rewarding part of my journey so far was seeing the first reviews on social media after my sample set soft launch.
It felt like I was sending little parts of my soul out into the world to fend for themselves. I was so nervous, but what I wasn’t prepared for was how many people enjoyed experiencing them – I expected much more mixed reactions!
My advice for anyone starting their journey is to always remember that perfumery is a creative act. Some people obsess over buying ingredients, researching technical details, chemistry, equipment – everything except actually creating. Don’t get so lost in the learning that you don’t practice the art.
In 2 or 3 words, how would you define perfume?
Wearable art!
Teddy, thank you for your time and for sharing valuable insights with us. Would you like to add something before we wrap up?
Thanks for having me! It’s been a whirlwind since the launch, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.
Follow Teddy on Instagram: @teddy_haugen
Check out Teddy’s website: https://www.teddytheperfumer.com
Leave a comment for Teddy below!
