Italian Perfumery Insitute is born to train perfume experts

The first course – “Fragrance evaluator & marketing specialist” – has started in Milan. The initiative is promoted by Fondazione Istituto tecnico superiore per le nuove tecnologie della vita, in partnership with Esxence – The Art Perfumery Event and fragrance house Cff

The first Ifts (Higher Technical Training Education) course in perfumery for enthusiasts and professionals has started. The title of the course of study is “Fragrance evaluator & marketing specialist” and was organized by the Italian Perfumery Institute, promoted by Fondazione Istituto tecnico superiore per le nuove tecnologie della vita, in partnership with Esxence – The Art Perfumery Event and the fragrance house Cff, with the aim of offering paths of knowledge, study and in-depth study that enhance the history and reality of the great tradition of Italian perfumery.

The course, which is also recognized at the European level, is designed to develop, at different levels, knowledge, notions and fundamental tools of the world of perfume and to create unique and innovative training itineraries that, drawing on the Italian perfumery heritage, can offer new and possibilities and outlets at the professional level. The fragrance evaluator & marketing specialist will be a professional working within fragrance houses and companies in the perfumery, beauty care and home care sectors collaborating in the development of new olfactory projects. This is the closest figure to the perfumer, the “nose” who creates fragrances and acts as an intermediary between customer and consumer desires with a focus on product performance and regulations.

The technician participates in every stage of the fragrance creation project: from understanding the client’s brief to the final realization and has strategic insight into the needs of the target market and product positioning strategies.In recent years, there has been a great resurgence in the importance and use of the sense of smell, and people have rediscovered its fundamental role in everyday individual well-being.

There has been not only an increase in the use of perfume, which is capable of offering escapism and emotion, but also the development of the desire to experiment with new essences, original fragrances and sought-after raw materials capable of making people dream of distant countries.

“Given the growing importance of the sense of smell, also confirmed by the recent success of Esxence – The Art Perfumery Event, the international benchmark event for artistic perfumery,” says Maurizio Cavezzali, president of the Italian Perfumery Institute, “we are proud to present the Institute’s first course, the first school of higher education in Italian perfumery. Thanks to the expertise gained in recent years with Esxence, our flagship event, we intend to make available to the country a qualified course of study that can enhance the history of perfume tout court and train new generations on a topic that has become increasingly topical and turns its gaze toward the future.”

Giuseppe Nardiello, president of the Fondazione Istituto tecnico superiore per le nuove tecnologie della vita adds, “The value of perfumery of excellence matured in our country is very high and I am proud to be able to launch another innovative project for training in Italy, after the initiatives we have dedicated to cosmetics.”

The course takes place at the Fondazione Cova, in Milan on Corso Vercelli. Free of charge and with compulsory attendance, it is reserved for candidates with an upper secondary or professional education diploma who are residents or domiciled in Lombardy. Suitable for different age groups and interests, it aims to train qualified professionals to enter the world of work through internship paths and the direct involvement of major companies in the sector. At the end, a Certificate of Higher Technical Specialization, equal to EQF level IV, will be issued, expendable in the Italian and European labor market and allowing access to Its paths.

It consists of two parts, a theoretical one in the classroom (550 hours) and a practical one (450 hours) at companies. The faculty consists of more than 20 industry professionals with mature experience in the perfumery field. The teachings will range from the history and culture of Perfume, sensory analysis, raw material chemistry, market analysis, and sustainability of the entire supply chain (from raw materials to packaging).

The skills acquired through the course will enable students to consider different career paths within fragrance houses and beyond. They will be able to work as consultants for brands and companies in the industry, in sales, product development, communication and marketing. They will also have the basic knowledge to start entrepreneurial activities in the world of perfumery.At a later stage, it is also planned to organize specialization courses, two-year postgraduate master’s degrees, designed to gain expertise in the world of perfumes; understand the fragrance formulation process, study global perfume markets and new trends.

Subsequently, 120-hour Executive courses (including evening courses) will also be designed, open to anyone who wants to deepen their skills in the world of perfume, and summer courses lasting 2-4 weeks, for those who want to deepen their skills on the world of perfume made in Italy.