The Fragrance Foundation launches online learning program

Speaking at this month’s reception honoring The Notables (rising fragrance industry executives), Fragrance Foundation president Elizabeth Musmanno described the new online learning initiative as one designed for new employees coming into fragrance from beauty, from university, or from another industry altogether.

The Fragrance Academy was developed in partnership with the well-known education publishing company Pearson and, according to the foundation’s site, was “designed with input from top retail, manufacturing and sales training experts” ​too.

Content and credentials ​

The Fragrance Academy is a succinct certificate program. The course comprises four multi-chapter lessons that participants can log in and out of as time permits.

Topics covered by in the lessons span perfumery and structure, conceptualizing fragrance in terms of storytelling or classification, the consumer and the marketplace, and the fragrance professional. This, according to the foundation’s syllabus for the new educational initiative.  

As the Fragrance Foundation would have it, “​the course provides participants with a clear and comprehensive understanding of the fundamental skills needed to set and maintain the high standards of professional performance and service excellence in the fragrance industry.”​

Value added​

The course is reasonably priced and by all indications, appropriately comprehensive. The published syllabus outlines the program’s objectives as follows, noting that “By the end of the course, you will gain knowledge of:​

• The history and development of fragrance including how fragrance became a ​multibillion-dollar industry and the influence of fashion on shaping its trends​

• The basic structure of a fragrance along with commonly used ingredients, fragrance ​strengths, notes and the role of perfumers​

• The difference between the typical approach to fragrance selection, by notes or ​classification, and an emerging, modern way called storytelling​

• How to formulate your fragrance story and share it with others​

• Fragrance trends in today’s marketplace including where and how to shop​

• How to extend the life of a fragrance and create personal bespoke scents through ​layering different products and forms of scent​

• Customer mindsets and preferences to better fulfill their needs​

• The key fundamentals of engaging the customer and influencing their purchasing ​decisions through the storytelling method​

• Techniques to discuss the features, advantages and benefits of multiple products to ​influence purchasing decisions​

• Broadening your customer base and building loyalty with simple closing and ​customer relations management communication techniques​

Find out more here​.