Job Choice Makes Scents for Pittsburgh-Born Perfumer

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Perfumer Sherri Sebastian literally began developing her nose for business at an early age. The only real question for the Pittsburgh native was how to turn her passion for fragrances into a profession.

? honestly believe that it? my calling,?said Sebastian, who as a girl would use her perfume collection to perform a sort of aroma therapy on herself. ? didn? know that it was a career, but I knew that I wanted to do something that involved aesthetics, tasting and smelling.?p>Her career got on firm footing at Pennsylvania State University, where she graduated in 1991 with a degree in food science and a minor in business. Sebastian? first job was as a flavor chemist at Virginia Dare in New York. She would then move on to working at fragrance houses, most of which are located in New York state or New Jersey.

It was a desire to expand her horizons that brought her to Los Angeles in December to work at Fragrance West, where she is a senior perfumer. Sebastian and her team create scents that are placed in soaps, shampoos, air fresheners and other products made by clients of the Van Nuys fragrance house.

Despite having thousands of ingredients from which to choose to craft a scent, she knows what the end product will smell like before combining the ingredients. Sebastian likens the process to working in the kitchen.

?hen I look at a formula, it looks like a recipe. They say you can eat with your eyes, as a perfumer you can smell with your eyes,?she said. ? can look at a piece of paper with ingredients on it and their proportions and I have a general idea how it? going to smell.?p>In addition to her work at Fragrance West, she also creates perfumes, colognes, soaps and other scented products to sell through Sebastian Signs, which she founded in 2005. Items can be purchased from Web site SebastianSigns.com, and at boutiques across the United States and in Canada.

She sees the business as a natural progression in her interest in design and aesthetics. ? can be a little more creative and not as concerned about marketing trends,?she said.

Sebastian is single and lives in Venice. In her spare time, she likes to do yoga and surf.

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