I found out about Georges when he took over the neighborhood’s Instagram stories with his home garden and lab to teach us about enfleurage and tinctures. His genuine passion and devoted dedication didn’t go unnoticed. So, I decided to reach out to pick his brain further. 

If you ever end up visiting Georges, you will need to free hours of your day. The conversation is stimulating, the tangents are many, and he will make sure that you smell each and every one of his perfume extracts.  

Read about Georges, aka @intuitive_alchemy_, a perfume maker, who believes that everything already lives within us, and it is just about expanding it outwards.

— Can you introduce yourself? 

— My name is Georges. I was born to Lebanese parents in Saudi Arabia in 1979. I spent my childhood between the Kingdom and a boarding school in Europe. In 1997, I settled in Lebanon. I worked in design for a couple of years. Right now, I am fully committed to my lifelong olfactory project.

— We are in the middle of buzzing and chaotic Beirut, yet we are in an oasis of greenery. Can you describe to our readers where we are? 

— We are in a little island within the city. This charming house dates back to the 1800s. It is surrounded by regional and local endemic plants like fig, citrus, loquat, mandarin, sweet orange, laurel, various herbs, gardenias, jasmines, and lilies. There is also a grapevine that is thirty years old. It is my safe and private space. It is my sweet lab and home. Actually, I haven’t left the house for the past ten days. It is hard to believe it, but I don’t feel trapped between four walls because this is my little paradise. 200 synthetic and natural references, 85 of my own extractions and their endless combinations keep me company. 

— How come and why did you embark on this olfactive journey?

— As a kid, I used to make perfumes by boiling herbs and freezing roses. It didn’t end up always well. My mother and aunts have several anecdotes to tell! Nevertheless, years of curiosity, interest and fascination have shaped my current work and identity. Flowers are an integral part of my life. My flower tattoos are a testimony to their predominant role. When driven by passion, the beginnings cannot be pinpointed to a certain date, time or place. The formative years are a stepping stone towards achieving your dream. That being said, I decided to fully commit to this journey during the 2020 lockdowns. 

— You experiment with Arabian spices and Lebanese flora to create unique fragrances. Can you tell us more about that?

— I take the sensibility of the Gulf perfuming culture and introduce to it Lebanese herbs. I always try to find the best formulas to incorporate these two elements. The Gulf has a very rich incense perfume culture, which was enabled by religion and geography, while Lebanon has an abundant flora and fertile soils. My biggest success so far is a mukhalat, a type of incense. It is traditionally made out of woods and resins. My version uses three types of frankincense from Oman, Pakistan and Indonesia, mixed to a Lebanese oil. 

— Your creation process mixes between modern and traditional techniques. Can you tell us more about that? 

— The techniques are pretty straightforward. First, you have distillation, which consists in boiling or steaming a material to extract the essential oil.  Second, you have solvent extraction, which consists in using alcohol or hexane to extract scent from delicate flowers. Third, you have enfleurage, which consists in using fat to absorb and trap scents. This is my favorite one. It is a very ancient technique that was first practiced in Ethiopia, Southern Arabia, and Egypt. It is really simple. You pick a flower and mix it with fat. Anybody can do it. However, it does not come without risks. Organic materials or mold can break out or come on top of the flowers, if they are not delicately removed at the right time. Moreover, it is very difficult to produce batches in great quantities since there are no guarantees that the same exact smell will be replicated. It is also time consuming. You will have to follow the same process, the same routine, every single day, at the exact same time, for the entire season. Otherwise, the batch will be damaged. Simplicity is something, but maintenance is a different affair altogether. It is a commitment and dedication is key.  

— When we think of perfumery, chemicals, labs and white coats come to mind. How do you compare that to what you are doing?

— The “natural vs synthetic” debate seems to be a never-ending discussion. However, I find it quite bizarre and amusing. After all, the world is full of chemicals. Perfumery creation is a science and all fragrances come from nature. Perfume and poison are the exact same thing, yet there is a fine line between toxicity and fragrance. In fact, most naturals are more toxic than synthetics. The latter have been studied, tested, and proven to be safe for human skin. When you say lab and white coats, I don't see a cold environment. I see utmost care and attention to nature. I am also doing the same thing, but in a different setting.

— I wore your perfumes, and they literally last all day and can easily compete with international names! What is your secret?

— Attention and care. To be frank, I don’t remember what big name fragrances smell like. However, I do not rule out the possibility of finding similarities between my creations and their products. At the end of the day, perfume creators have access to the same material, because there are only four or five companies that have the ability to synthesize the required resources. Some people call it a monopoly. I call it quality control.

— Would you rather lose your sense of smell, taste or sight? And why?

— The sense of smell brings us pleasure. It also keeps us alive, because it is a natural defense mechanism. If you smell sour milk, you will immediately take precautionary actions. A lot of people say they would waiver their ability to smell, if they were to lose one of the five senses. I don’t understand their choice. You are constantly detecting odors. You are smelling things all the time. That is the sign that you are alive! I would rather do away with gustation. Whenever you are full, you stop eating. As simple as that. Honestly, I prefer losing all my senses, and not the sense of smell. The thought of losing this sense depresses me. It is not something I like to think about. 

— I know for a fact that you have sample scents of gasoline and cow poop. Can you explain to us the whys?

— When perfumers are creating fragrances, they cannot block out the scent of life. In painting, imperfections are featured to authentically reflect the contradictory nature of life. For instance, haze is reproduced in nature and landscape paintings. The same applies for perfumery. At any given place, you can smell the beautiful scent of flowers, the foul smell of gasoline, and the fetid smell of livestock. It adds a little bit of texture, a little bit of grit. 

— How do you perceive the relationship between perfumery, fragrances, scents and cultural identities in general and Arab culture in particular? 

— Each region has its own way they perceive smells, and it hasn’t changed in the last two millennia. Personally, I find the Gulf preferences the most fascinating since they like very strong, resinous, woody sort of fragrances. In Europe, it is much cleaner, much lighter. Lebanon is right in between. Let me give you an example. In our part of the world, rose and jasmine scents are used by men. In Europe and the US, there is a more feminine way of looking at things. In the Arab world, woody herbal essences are more associated with women, whereas they are reserved for men in other parts of the world. Let me give you another example. The Prophet, PBUH, was known for preferring oud type and musk-based scents. Therefore, the Islamic world stared to use amber, musk, and similar materials as basis for their fragrances. In the Near East, we developed plant-based scents, because oranges, citrus, lilies and low-growing herbs were the most prevalent plants in our area. I think religion, culture, topography and local harvests can influence your preferences.

— Are Arab perfumers on the rise?

— Definitely. Arab perfumers are more than ready to take the next step. They are going to dominate their field. Independent Arab perfumers are renowned for their incredibly powerful nose, and unique approach to doing things. They are masters at mixing local rich material with Western perfume. The future of perfumery is Arab. The Arabs have a natural and magical gift for fragrances. Their know-how is starting to be appreciated at the international stage. The world is finally admiring their talent for its true value. Arab perfumers are bringing this whole new perspective of combining crazy non-combinable materials to create something beautiful. The rise of Arab perfumers is going to be a tsunami. Be ready!

— Is there such a thing as a rare luxurious scent? Yes, no? And why?

— Absolutely. The more difficult it is to make, the more difficult it is to extract, the more it becomes prominent and sought-after. Creating rare luxurious scents requires blood, sweat, tears, time, care and dedication. The creators should be fairly compensated, and yes, people should be paying a premium for the magic that is sold in perfume bottles. However, everything is subjective in our field. Sometimes, people find rare and expensive scents repulsing, because they link it to unpleasant past memories. 

— Can you guide us on how to properly apply our perfumes?

— There are so many ways. However, I would recommend to follow the “Gulf” way. It is important to apply perfumes on a showered and moisturized skin. The humidity protects the skin and allows for whatever product that comes on top of it to hold. First thing you do is to apply the fat, shea butter for example, and then you put the alcohol perfume on top to ensure that the molecules are well captured. This technique slows down evaporation. Afterwards, you light up the incense. The incense will mostly go on your skin, hair and clothing. So, it is fat, alcohol, and smoke. I would also advice to layer your perfumes. Usually, what grows together goes together. My third advice would be to reapply your spray perfume mid-day when your skin has produced its sebum. When the top notes, mid notes have dried down onto your skin, you just have the base. Therefore, reapply the perfume. It is a whole different experience. A common misconception is that perfumes should not be applied unless the body is clean. However, what does clean truly mean? Your body is clean by nature. This is your natural oils and pheromones, so embrace your body and play with the scents. 

— Any advice for those who want to start training their noses?

— Interested individuals should be extremely passionate and nearly fanatical about this. They can always browse the internet to enhance their knowledge and connect with like-minded people to develop their skills. They can also read books and enroll in courses. However, it is not going to be a straightforward journey. It will take them time to unlock their potential. They have to be patient. 

— Which fragrance do you wear on a daily basis? 

— It really depends. Nowadays, I almost exclusively wear my own creations, because someone needs to test them! Back in the day, I would wear Mugler cologne since it has a nice balance of citrus and it is a great base to start off with. I had my own grapefruit mix that would go on top. Also, I really like the smell of leather. I like the texture of leather since it is almost a second skin. The smell of skin is extremely fascinating. 

— What is next for Georges?

— I am working on becoming a producer of perfume raw materials. It is a work in progress and I hope that this aspect of my business is going to grow exponentially. At the same time, I am working closely with my mentor on developing scalable quality and longevity. Right now, I am in a transition phase. I have identified my style and my preferences. I am figuring out how to put everything together. I am aiming to release regular perfumes as well as limited editions based on my extractions. My doors will remain open for those interested in seeing how I work, and willing to have a conversion around perfumes and fragrances.