A tasting of perfumeslike the one directed by perfumer Agustín Melazo in Mexico City, is an experience designed to explore and understand the structure of a fragrance through smell. Just like at a wine tasting or mezcalscomponents are identified and their evolution over time is analyzed.
In an interview with El Economista, Melazo explained that a perfume is based on the fundamentals of olfactory evaluationwhich is based on three levels:
- Output Notes (20%): They are the first to be noticed and disappear quickly. They include aromas such as pear, lemon, bergamot, white grapefruit and basil.
- Heart notes (50%): they make up the body of the perfume, with greater duration and aromatic strength. Notes such as ylang ylang, geranium, rose, palmarosa and rosemary are found here.
- Background notes (30%): These are the ones that remain on the skin the longest and provide fixation and depth. Common examples are vanilla, ginger, cloves, cedar, myrrh and cinnamon.
Perfume is liquid memory. A tool that allows us to translate who we are, where we have been and what we want to remember,” said Melazo.
Guided step by step by Melazo, participants learn to recognize each of the notes and how they combine to build a balanced perfume.
Who is Agustín Melazo?
Agustín Melazo He was born in Argentina and trained as a biotechnologist at the National University of the Litoral. From a very young age he showed interest in the sensesin particular for the smell, and how it influences memory, emotions and perception of the environment. This concern led him to investigate aromatic molecules not only from hard science, but also from their narrative potential.
Melazo explained that his career combines two unusual axes: scientific rigor and artistic exploration. After years of research in biotechnology applied to food and natural products, the pre-fumer began to develop your own methodology that would allow you to translate sensory information into concrete experiences.
Agustín Melzao, perfumer of Argentine origin.
Emotional Reminder was born as a signature perfumery project that unites technical formulation with the design of emotions, memory and identity through aroma,” said Melazo.
main axes
The “Nose” approach combines technical precision and narrative sensitivity. Since his project, he has worked with more than 2,000 raw materials and has designed formulas for individuals, brands, foundations and international projects. Their creations have reached more than 19 countrieshave been presented at the UN and one of them was even sent to Antarctica as a symbol of regional cooperation.
Agustín Melazo developed an approach with three main lines:
- Perfume as a collective experience: group workshops (for companies, hotels or institutions) where attendees participate in an olfactory tasting, learn about the structure of a perfume and design their own fragrance. Here it applies its pedagogical side, simplifying the chemistry of fragrances to make it accessible without losing depth.
- Perfumes with identity (one by one): personalized developments, where you accompany a person or brand in the construction of their own formula. It is a longer process, which includes interviews, olfactory tests, technical adjustments and narrative construction. Each bottle becomes an emotional signature.
- Projects with purpose: collaborations with communities, cultural, scientific or diplomatic institutions. In these cases, perfumes become tools of symbolic representation. Some have traveled to more than 19 countries, and one was delivered to the United Nations headquarters. Another, made with native species, was sent to Antarctica as a symbol of regional integration.
The experience of creating your own perfume
During the tasting led by Melazo, attendees not only learned theory, but composed their own fragrance, step by step. Using olfactory strips, bottles and pipettes, They selected their top, heart and base notes based on your preferences and what you learned during the sensory evaluation.
During the tasting directed by Agustín Melazo, each participant created their personalized fragrance.
Each formula was adjusted with the direct guidance of the perfumer, who accompanied the combination processes, tuning proportions and harmonizing the final result. The culminating moment came when each participant named their creation, generating a direct connection between aroma, experience and memory. The bottle that each person took was the result of a reflective and sensory process.
The space
The workshop was held in Mexcalísimoa mezcalería located inside Privada Roja in the San Rafael neighborhood in Mexico City. This space not only served as the venue for the event, but also offered a Parallel tasting of artisanal mezcalswhich dialogued naturally with the fragrances created.
Each selected mezcal accompanied different stages of the olfactory process. The citrus and fresh aromas of the perfume found an echo in mezcals with an herbal or mineral profile; while the spicy or resinous notes were harmonized with deeper mezcals.
This crossing between senses —smell and taste— allowed attendees to experience a different relationship with aroma: not only as something that is worn on the skin, but as something that is also experienced from the palate.
