Last week I joined the Bodyworks of Perdido Key team for a perfume-making class at Tijon Fragrance Lab – Pensacola, and it was one of the coolest group experiences I’ve done in awhile.
The second you walk in the Tijon team hands you a white lab coat and suddenly the whole thing feels very scientific and very official.
The walls are lined with more than 300 fragrance oils, and the class starts by helping you figure out what kind of scents you’re naturally drawn to. Fresh, beachy scents. Warm woods. Florals. Citrus. Musk. Vanilla. Clean linen. Smoky amber. Tobacco. And dozens of other scents you didn’t even know existed.
We did Tijon’s “Mix & Match” class, which is one of several experiences they offer alongside Express classes, Fragrance After Dark, and Fragrance 101.
You start by choosing a base scent that feels the most “you,” then slowly build around it by layering additional notes together. Some combinations instantly work. Some absolutely do not. There’s a lot of testing, changing your mind and smelling your neighbors creations before you settle on your top three combinations.
Coffee beans are set out throughout the room so you can reset your nose between scents, which becomes very necessary very quickly.
Once you have your top three distance combinations, you text them each on your skin (the final component of the scent) and step outside to smell each scent in the fresh air before choosing which one you want to make a bottle of.
One of the most interesting parts was seeing different everyone’s fragrance preference was. Some immediately leaned toward fresh and clean scents. Others wanted something warm and moody. Some smelled expensive and beachy. Some woodsy and earthy.
The Tijon team guides you through the entire process without making it feel intimidating, teaching guests about top, middle, and base notes while helping narrow down combinations that actually work together.
When you choose your favorite blend, you mix it with water annd alcohol and water in your very own perfume bottle. The Tijon team adds your label and it’s ready for you to take home. My one price of advice, start thinking about what you want to name your perfume before you go. This was one of the hardest parts for me!
The class ends with a champagne or juice toast, an official perfume maker certificate and several little gifts from the Tijon team.
The Pensacola location is owned by Elliott and Bre Henderson, whose warmth immediately makes the experience feel welcoming and relaxed instead of overly formal. If you’re looking for your team’s next outing or tam building activity, I would 100% recommend. Thank you to Bre and the Tijon team for a wonderful afternoon and such a cool opportunity.
