Fragrance Notes Issue 2, 2018 | Page 14

NOTABLE NOSES
pursue new avenues , new scents , and new approaches while also coloring within the lines that we all have to do to an extent in our roles ?
KILLGO : Well , it ’ s in my nature to push the limits a little , to not always do things the way that they ’ ve been done before . I definitely respect and appreciate everything I learned about fragrance through training , realizing how things are made and understanding fragrance types . But when you ’ re early on in your career and still learning , you have to do things your own way , and a lot of times you stumble across something that is even better than how someone told you it should have been done . I stumbled across a lot of experiences where , by doing it a different way , I found great success .
In terms of creative process and innovating , you have to look and think outside the box . I look beyond my project , to fashion , cuisine , nature , for inspiration . I think nature is the original perfumer . And so often when I ’ m creating , my goal is to try to capture , as much as possible , the way something should smell in nature .
DANGELICO : You seem to be a “ visionary ” personality , someone who doesn ’ t follow the same path as everyone else and may feel constricted by rules and regulations . How do you balance your passion and craft with the needs and regulations of the industry ?
KILLGO : I think half of me is very analytical and the other half is visionary , so the way my brain works fits this job quite perfectly . I think most regulatory people are also very process-oriented . So , it ’ s not necessarily a challenge for me to balance both . It ’ s all about understanding what consumers want , what consumers are going to need , and being able to tell that story . Being able to take your ideas and your concepts and validate and explain them to someone . There ’ s no better way to win someone over than by letting them smell something , having a concept right in front of them to experience , and telling them the story that goes along with it . That ’ s really all you need to do .
Every time our industry has had a challenge with a raw material , whether it ’ s because it ’ s unavailable or because it has a restriction , we get creative because there ’ s more than one way to create a particular scent . You just have to find a different way . Our industry is known for being innovative and we can work around any challenges that come our way .
DANGELICO : As an association , we are committed to promoting and protecting fragrance in the face of these unprecedented challenges . We believe that to know fragrance is to love fragrance , so it is our role to encourage legislators , influencers , and the public to think about and appreciate these stories , these memories , these connections . Can you speak a little bit about your perspective on the policy piece ? Why is this something a perfumer should care about ?
KILLGO : It ’ s easy to realize the importance of protecting our industry , and by protecting it I mean I can ’ t imagine a world without fragrance . It would be terrible . I also think that many of the policies affecting our industry are not founded on complete or accurate data . Unfortunately , many policies are born out of a lack of education or fearbased strategy versus a scientific approach .
Fragrance is such a complicated piece , as we use so many different materials . We have man-made molecules , we have natural materials , and those natural materials are fragrances in and of themselves . It ’ s important to understand that we have been using fragrance for a very long time and that our industry is very safe . And I think that
we need to continue to promote its safety . If you are passionate about fragrance , about our industry , you should be passionate and actively engaged in protecting our industry from misinformation , etc .
DANGELICO : Part of that thinking is why the association invests so much in our advocacy program , one aspect of which is our Capitol Hill perfumery event , showcasing both the industry ’ s science and creative artistry . Having been involved in several perfumery events , why do you think that is such an effective approach ?
14 | FRAGRANCENOTES . ORG | Issue 2 , 2018