Description

Composing perfumes with Sarah McCartney
Seeing scent: Sound, memory and the emotional power of perfume

“I hear smells as sounds. Mint’s really pointy, whereas oakmoss is more like music…” Sarah McCartney

What does mint sound like? How do you describe something that can’t be seen?

In this episode of Seeing Senses, artisan perfumer Sarah McCartney joins Sarah to explore how fragrance communicates beyond words. They delve into the rich, cross-sensory connections between scent, sound, emotion, and memory. And why perfume is closer to music than to chemistry.

Sarah shares how she composes fragrances for exhibitions, operas, and unexpected collaborations. From the Courtauld Gallery to burlesque performances to a chocolate-themed scent for author Joanne Harris. The episode highlights the challenges of language in olfactory design, the individuality of scent perception, and how closing your eyes can sharpen your sense of smell.

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Listen if you're curious about:

• Why perfume is like music for the nose
• How fragrance shapes memory and emotion
• What it takes to design scent for art exhibitions and live performances
• The subjectivity of smell and the limits of scent vocabulary
• How olfactory design can elevate storytelling
• What it means to self-teach in a traditionally closed industry

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Key themes & takeaways:

• Everyone smells differently: Perception is shaped by memory, mood, and culture
• Scent and sound share a sensory structure: Both unfold in time and layers
• Language fails scent: Verbal description often falls short
• Fragrance design is collaborative: Working across disciplines creates richer experiences
• Smell deepens immersion: From galleries to gardens to stages
• Olfactory habituation is real: We stop noticing familiar scents
• Perfume is emotional: It bypasses rational thought and connects directly to memory
• Teaching scent opens access: Breaking industry secrecy through education and transparency

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Guest:

Sarah McCartney is the founder of artisan fragrance house 4160 Tuesdays. A self-taught perfumer, she began after careers including as head writer for Lush Cosmetics. Since 2011, she’s run workshops, launched Scenthusiasm.School, and represented artisan perfumers on the IFRA UK Executive Committee. She co-wrote The Perfume Companion, speaks internationally, and her award-nominated fragrances have featured in operas, galleries, and gardens. She’s also a regular contributor to BBC Radio on the fragrance industry.

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Bonus for multi-sensory thinkers:

Head to Seeing Senses on Substack for updates and extras.
You’ll find sense-hacking experiments and book recommendations from the guests. Become a paid subscriber to support the making of this podcast (with extra episodes and content).

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Host:

Sarah Hyndman is a designer/researcher, author and speaker. You can book her for a talk or workshop about Multi-Sensory Thinking here via Type Tasting. Sarah is the founder of Type Tasting, curator of The Sensologists and author of the bestselling book Why Fonts Matter (Penguin/Virgin). 

Seeing Senses. Where there’s more than meets the eye. 

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Theme music by AudioKraken.