Made-to-Measure Perfume Workshop: Spotlight on Ruby Brown

Ruby Brown is a model and a Canadian entrepreneur who launched her own eco-luxe company in 2015 creating perfumes, bath & body and candles that can be bought online. Many name brands such as Cirque du Soleil, Luxury Retreats, and Germain Hotels have given Ruby Brown the task to create their bespoke fragrances. For my part, I discovered Ruby Brown through Etiket as they've recently partnered up with my favorite niche fragrance shop to sell her products. While browsing the eco-luxe company's website, I stumbled upon the page talking about their made-to-measure perfume workshop. My interest was piqued and I immediately got my boyfriend involved in this activity.

We arrived in Montreal bright and early, ready to take on this atelier with lots of eagerness. Greeted by the glitz and glamour of the Montreal Ritz-Carlton and its sumptuous decor, we were guided towards where the workshop would be happening. The room where the perfume workshop would be held was small but cozy, with a lovely adjacent salon. Ruby Brown and her chemist colleague Axelle were almost done setting up and immediately greeted us with warmth and open arms. We were offered coffee and tea while we waited for the other participants. All in all, we were eleven, a lovely number: not too many where people would feel forgotten and not too few where people would feel intimidated.

I loved Ruby Brown's energy. She was quite enthusiastic and her positive energy coursed through the room. Teacher of her eponymous atelier, she introduced us to the organ, the most important tool to a perfumer. On this particular organ, there was about 80 matière première, all well-identified. All the scent families were well represented: there were bottles of florals, citruses, woods, fruits and ambers. After a short introduction to the art of perfume and a few pointers to get us started, we were left to explore with our nose. I could feel the other participants slowly opening up and numerous conversations were held during the practical part of the atelier. Ruby Brown took the time to talk to each participant and helped them with their various decisions. She was very available and her guidance was well-appreciated, never overbearing.

At first, I didn't really have any idea of what I was going for, but when I spotted green tea on the organ, I knew it was the note on which I'd build my fragrance. I tried a few matière première like ylang-ylang, mimosa and bamboo, but they didn't sound right to me. I had a vague idea that I wanted a less powdery interpretation of green tea than my current fav Armani Privé - Thé Yulong, but I was still struggling with how to go about it. Thankfully, it's the bergamot note that made everything fall in order. I finally decided to go for a spa, forest-like scent, centered around the freshness and delicate facets of green and white tea. This was the final pyramid note of my perfume:
- Top notes: bergamot, green apple
- Middle notes: cucumber, green tea, white tea
- Bottom notes: musk, sandalwood

My boyfriend had a harder time deciding what he wanted for his perfume as there was a lot of choices to make (and he's the indecisive type). He finally decided to work with citrus fruits, notes he favors a lot (one of his favorite fragrance is Dior Homme Cologne (2013) ). He ended up with a sweet, tropical, gourmand fruity perfume that I'm quite eager to smell once it'll have macerated for a week or so.
- Top: bergamot, tangerine
- Middle: pineapple, mango
- Bottom: coconut, vanilla, white musk

After an enjoyable 2 hours where my nosed was filled with the most wondrous notes, I finally had my bespoke fragrance bottled up. We were even given a travel size and a pipette so we could transfer our perfume in a more manageable format! I was also happy to learn that they kept the sheets where we had recorded the notes and the ml used for each matière première so if we ever ran out, we could order another bottle anytime through their website. 2 hours and 249$CAN that were well invested in furthering my knowledge of this passion of mine. I wish I could've heard Ruby Brown talk a bit more about her experience and her path towards perfume, but other than that, I have absolutely no regrets. I wholeheartedly recommend doing this activity if you're in Montreal and looking to dive deeper in the world of perfumes. Thanks for reading this article!