Erica Moore Fragrances of the World Interview

Erica Moore Fragrances of the World Interview

Erica Moore has been evaluating fragrance for 14 years, and began her career training under renowned Australian perfumer, John Lambeth at Dragoco (now Symrise). She continued her lab-based duties with drom fragrances. Eight years ago she began working with Michael evaluating fine fragrance launches for his body of work. She continues to evaluate, communicate, collaborate and classify with Michael on every new fragrance launched, as well as offering consultation services for new fragrance development. She regularly contributes her expertise to the media, and last year sat on the judging panel for the Jasmine Awards. Her work has taken her around Asia and Europe, where she continues to develop her olfactive skills.

Question: What role do you play at Fragrances of the World?

Erica Moore: My official title at Fragrances of the World is Fragrance Evaluator, although this name really only represents one aspect of the work my colleagues and I do. On top of evaluating (which is basically smells) we liaise with brands and fragrance houses to gather and maintain information on all new fragrance launches. Last year there were more than 1100 new fragrances, and we are on track this year to exceed that number.


Question: What does your job as a fragrance evaluator involve?

Erica Moore: I trained in a fragrance lab under a Perfumer as a Fragrance Evaluator. The role of an Evaluator in a lab is essentially to collaborate with a Perfumer on their fragrance developments, and act as a go-between with sales staff, clients and the technical staff. In my role at Fragrances of the World, I use my evaluation skills (which is the ability to deconstruct a fragrance through smelling) to classify every new fine fragrance launched, according to Michael Edwards classification system. This classification system takes a fragrance and classifies it into a fragrance family such as Floral, Citrus, Woody Oriental etc. Because our fragrance tastes generally fall into one or two families (in the same way our wine tastes might) our classifications are utilised by retailers as well as creative development teams. We annually publish a guide book which is used as a sales tool, while our entire body of work (over 14,000 fragrances) is also housed in an online fragrance encyclopaedia.

Fragrances of the World is also active in furthering the discovery of fragrance and generally acting as an advocate for the fragrance industry locally and overseas. Michael Edwards runs regular training workshops and we participate in industry events such as the Jasmine Awards (excellence in Fragrance Journalism). Another aspect of our media activity is the Ambassador program I'm involved in with Air Wick. It's a fantastic vehicle for sharing the information; knowledge and expertise I've gathered in the fragrance industry with people who'd really like to have a better understanding of fragrance and how to use it, both personally and in their homes.


Question: How is travel involved with your career?

Erica Moore: Fragrance launches are generally showcased at several big trade shows every year. These are held in Singapore, Milan, Florence, New York and Cannes in the south of France. We attend each of these shows to collect the information we need on new launches – it's also a great opportunity to build relationships with the marketing teams at the brands, because their cooperation in keeping us up to date with upcoming fragrances is critical to our work. The shows are enormous and incredibly well organised – we've had the opportunity to hear Kofi Annan and Sir Bob Geldof speak at these shows – and even had James Blunt perform as the entertainment at one show!


Question: What inspired your career in evaluating fragrance?

Erica Moore: I've always been fascinated with fragrance (having received my very first Avon perfume at 5), and have always relied on my sense of smell perhaps more than most. Fragrance itself has always inspired me. However, realising there was actually an entire industry built around fragrance creation, happened quite accidentally when I saw an advertisement in a local paper for a Trainee Fragrance Evaluator. Intrigued, but completely lacking the skills required, I bravely applied. Two interviews and an exhaustive smelling session later, perfumer John Lambeth decided I was the best candidate for the job.

Question: How can others interested in fragrance become a fragrance evaluator? Is there training involved?

Erica Moore: Sadly opportunities like the one I was fortunate enough to stumble across come along far less frequently now. Most creative labs and development centres for fragrance (which is where you are most likely to find an evaluator) are generally based offshore. For technical qualifications, anyone wanting to be a fully qualified perfumer would need to study at ISIPCA in France or one of the perfumery schools linked to the big fragrance houses. Another way to become involved in the industry is to work with one of the brands locally that market fragrance, in one of the many marketing or PR roles.


Question: How do you go about clearing scents from the senses?

Erica Moore: There are a few different theories on the best way to reset or refresh when you are smelling fragrances. Coffee beans is a popular one, although I prefer something odourless … in a lab you'll see perfumers and evaluators sniffing the crook of their elbow (which can look odd, but is normally a pretty easy to access, odour-neutral spot). These days, if I have a lot of smelling to do, I break it up with a walk in the fresh air.


Question: What's a typical day like, for you?

Erica Moore: A normal day in the office will begin with checking my emails and going over any information that might have been received overnight. I also look over the social media and blog/websites we access to check if there has been any launch activity. I'll look over the Air Wick facebook page in case any queries relevant to fragrance have cropped up. If (like at the moment) there are a lot of fragrances that need evaluating, I'll do a preliminary smelling session. I'll dip/spray the fragrances and make my notes, checking against any evaluation notes Michael (my boss) has already made having met with the brand and/or perfumer. I'll also see what information we still need on new fragrances and will get in touch with the brand to request it. In between smelling sessions I'll probably touch base with Margaret, our General Manager where we might have to go over a media brief or discuss upcoming projects. I'll also work on any media commitments such as script concepts for my work with Air Wick or helping them with fragrance profiling their new Filter and Fresh fragrances. Because a lot of our information comes from overseas, I'll check my emails again in the evening and re-check my evaluations. A fragrance takes 24 hours to develop, so I won't finalise a classification until the following day. I'll then add the classification to our database and release the fragrance live to our site, making it visible to our subscribers.


Question: What are your favourite fragrances?

Erica Moore: I'm constantly finding a 'new favourite" which is an occupational hazard in my line of work. However, I do have a couple of enduring favourites: Guerlain's L'Heuere Bleue is a timeless classic, with (to me) an almost entirely seamless composition. Christine Nagel, the perfumer behind many of Jo Malone's fragrances is one of my favourite perfumers. Her work in Jo Malone's English Pear and Freesia illustrates her talent for making something very wearable but slightly quirky at the same time. My all-time favourite and the closest thing I have to a signature scent is Baraja by Italian niche brand Acqua di Biella. It's a slightly earthy cologne style fragrance with some very cool, dry spicy notes. It's very fresh, but also a bit dark.


Question: How should we go about choosing a fragrance, for ourselves?
Erica Moore: A really good place to start is with fragrances you've worn and loved before. This will give you an idea about the family of fragrances you should be looking for. Also check out what other scented products you use around the house … for example I use the Air Wick Filter and Fresh with the Citrus Orange and Ocean Energy fragrance refill, which appeals to my preference for citrus and cologne style fragrances. Make notes of any particular types of scents that crop up regularly, and when you go shopping give this information to the sales staff. They should be able to recommend fragrances from your preferred family. It's also important to live with a fragrance for a full 24 hours, to allow it to develop fully. If you buy on first sniff, it may turn out that the fragrance doesn't have the same appeal, as it dries down.


Question: What should we keep in mind when choosing a fragrance as a gift?

Erica Moore: If you apply the same principles above when choosing form someone else, you should be able to make an informed choice. Obviously, if you want the gift to be a surprise you may need to be covert. Once you've narrowed down your choices and made a shortlist, take this selection home on separate blotters. If you live with the recipient of the gift, leave them discretely dotted around the house and see if they respond positively (or negatively!) to any of them. If not, try wearing the fragrance yourself when you are going to spend time with them – even if it is for the opposite sex, you'll find they will have a positive response if they love it. You just might need to have some excuses up your sleeve as to why you smell like men's cologne / women's fragrance!


Interview by Brooke Hunter