A training day at the Italian Perfumery Institute
We had the pleasure of leading a training day at the Italian Perfumery Institute, together with Paolo Roselli and Federico Huscher, devoted to one of the topics we consider most central to contemporary perfumery:
the difference between a product and a project.
Starting from the turnkey production model, between Private Label and Full Service Made in Italy, the discussion with the students revolved around a very concrete idea: today, making a good product is no longer enough.
How contemporary perfumery has changed
In recent years, the perfume market has changed profoundly.
The average quality of products has risen.
Access to suppliers has been democratized.
Creative possibilities have expanded.
This means value no longer lies only in the ability to “make a perfume”.
The real challenge is building a project that can work in the market.
Product vs. project
During the session we explored a fundamental distinction.
A product is an object. A project is a system.
A system that has to hold together:
– positioning
– pricing
– industrial development
– packaging
– supply chain
– distribution
– operational sustainability
Many projects fail not because the product is weak, but because these elements don’t fit together. And it is precisely this consistency that now determines how solid a brand really is.
The role of the Full Service model
One of the central themes addressed during the day was the role of the Full Service model within contemporary perfumery. For a long time, the market operated through fragmented structures:
– separate designers
– separate manufacturers
– separate suppliers
– separate consultants
This model works as long as complexity is limited.
But when:
– volumes increase
– markets multiply
– SKUs multiply
– operational expectations rise
fragmentation inevitably creates friction.
The Full Service model exists precisely to reduce this complexity by managing every phase in an integrated way. Not merely as an operational shortcut, but as a strategic alignment tool.
Made in Italy as infrastructure
Another point we explored was what Made in Italy really means. It is very often seen purely as an aesthetic or creative value. In reality, Made in Italy is above all a unique industrial infrastructure:
– the manufacturing supply chain
– technical know-how
– flexibility
– manufacturing culture
– development speed
It is this integration that still makes Italy one of the world’s leading hubs for cosmetics and perfumery.
Training a more aware new generation
One of the most interesting aspects of the day was how closely the students followed the structural dynamics of the industry. Not just creativity or olfactory development.
But also:
– economic sustainability
– operations
– distribution
– scalability
– industrial management
A sign of a new generation that is starting to see perfumery not only as creative expression, but as a complex system.
And this is probably where the industry’s evolution will be decided in the years ahead.
Conclusion
Contemporary perfumery demands an increasingly integrated vision, because the market doesn’t judge only the finished product.
It judges:
– the consistency of the project
– the ability to execute
– continuity
– the strength of the system behind it
And it is precisely in the difference between product and project that much of a brand’s real value is created today.
