Here is an English version of my interview with Yosh Han for SuperStyle.ru 

It certainly isn’t a revelation that scents work wonders. We talked with talented and charismatic Yosh Han — the founder and perfumer at YOSH — about how exactly perfumes can resound with our body and soul, and in particular about what her new term ‘trans-aromation’ means and what other effects perfumes have.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Yosh, you have chosen a “trans-aromation” way of creating fragrances, could you please elaborate a bit for our readers?

Yosh Han: When we experience smell, we are transported to another place, time and experience. Some people might describe it as deja vu. When it’s happening, you can see a person’s body transform — they literally relax into their bodies. In some cases, the scent brings them into present time but often, it transports them to a place often in the past. It’s a little more than a memory, you’re almost re-living that moment in a somatic way — not just a cerebral re-creation of a memory. It’s a bit Proustian but I think you get my picture.

Anastasia Denisenkova: I think I got it, we’re talking about the ability of scents to evoke memories regardless of whether we want it or not. What else can aromachology and trans-aromation do to a perfume wearer?

Yosh Han:  Aromachology and trans-aromation are the effect of the perfume. People’s energy and aura changes when they wear a particular scent. When I traveled to the Middle East recently, I could see the effect of the bukhoor (incense) of a person’s aura immediately. When I smelled the high quality oud, the result was immediately spiritual — no other way to describe it. It makes a non-believer into a believer. It could be fascinating to view a person’s brain waves and map out what happens when they’re smelling various materials. I’m positive with the real oud, the experience is similar to when someone is meditating — lots of alpha and theta brain activity.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Being a perfumer, clairvoyant and aura healer — can you describe for those who are far away — how do your perfume consultations look like? What do you need to know about a customer and how do you intend to transform that knowledge as a result?

Yosh Han: Most people who find me and want to work with me are usually in a transformational time in their life — whether they’re getting married, divorced, graduation, changing jobs or some other milestone. People who want straight up fragrance usually find some other Perfumer to work with. I wouldn’t say that my work is only for the spiritual per se, but usually, people who seek me out — whether consciously or sub-consciously find that they’re already evolving in some way and the custom fragrance is an aromatic memento of that time period or mental state. It’s really amazing actually because the fragrances that they end up choosing are somehow vibrationally connected to that transformation. It’s not medical aromatherapy because I use both natural and synthetic materials. But truly, the experience somehow captures the moment — an olfactory snapshot in a way.

There are two parts to the perfume consultations. The first is the actual fragrance journey. We start by smelling various raw materials. We edit the ones that really resonant on an energetic level and we weed out the ones that are displeasing to the nose. When we create a custom fragrance using just the ones that are harmonic to the person’s energy, it really makes a difference on the skin. There will be fragrances that a person loves, likes (seems pleasing but it doesn’t mean it goes into the final creation), essences that smell horrible (I don’t take anything personally), and finally what I call the «X-factor.» The «X-factor» in perfumery is the signature character that marks the uniqueness of the person. When a person comes across this type of smell, they feel intrigued and resistant simultaneously. It’s fascinating. I see it all the time. It almost makes them lose their rational thought process for a moment and they have to use their instinct to know whether they like it or not. These types of fragrances give the perfume the edge. We then build the fragrance according to the structure of top, middle and base notes. We keep editing the composition until we get the right harmony. Each person leaves the consultation with their custom fragrance.

The second part of the experience is the aura portrait where I look at the person’s energy from a clairvoyant perspective. In a way, the creative perfume process tells me a lot about the person already. When the perfume is complete, I’ll view their energy and look at their colors, images or past/future. It’s somewhat meditative and many people experience healing benefits during this part of the process.

Anastasia Denisenkova: You are a real clairvoyant — that’s such a rare gift so I am quite sure our readers would be happy to learn more about that part of your personality if that is fine for you to talk about it. How exactly do you apply your special gift in creating perfumes?

Yosh Han: I guess I see the world a little differently. I think most people are intuitive but somehow their scientific mind talks them out of it. I recognize it as a reality for me so I don’t doubt it. When I’m creating a fragrance — whether for a private client or commercial project, there’s always the energetic flow of the creative process. One can’t force it, the magic has its own timing so to speak. I think most perfumers are intuitive. We are good listeners and we understand when the raw materials want to blend with each other. When I make a blend that doesn’t work, it’s kind of an energetic response, it just doesn’t feel right. But when I make a blend that is truly harmonic, it just kinds of sings.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Being kind of Ginger Ciao fan I was surprised to learn that this perfume is somehow related to the 2nd chakra, number 7, paprika color — so what is it supposed to mean for me as a wearer?

Yosh Han: Just reading your question, I can see that you’re a curious observer, a person who pays attention to details and one who is creative at the same time. You’re also keen to discover something deeper within yourself and yet responsible to others. You have high interpersonal skills and want others to feel comfortable. You’re a very thorough person and yet you’re looking for something beyond what’s obvious. You’re very sensual and also adventurous.

Anastasia Denisenkova:Thank you, Yosh, for commenting it so circumstantially, I am thrilled to hear that! So can we make a point that people’s perfume choice is translating what they are and even help them to  know themselves better?  Can some bad things be corrected by a perfume?

Yosh Han: Even when something perceived as negative happens, there is usually a positive outcome at the end of the day. I do agree though that sometimes Life seems unfair or that sometimes it seems that there is a lot of bad luck happening. In that case, I recommend fragrances that are calming, grounding and balancing. Wood notes, frankincense, geranium, tea tree and eucalyptus have cleansing and grounding benefits. But this gets more into prescriptive modalities which I think is a bit much to expect from commercial perfumes. If something truly terrible is happening, then it might take more than perfume to turn the flow of events. In this case though, something happy, light and easy or even a fantasy fragrance might be wonderful.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Do you consider some ingredients as most influential on our behavior?  If you do — which ones?

Yosh Han: Definitely the oud. Rose, jasmine and sandalwood have incredible influence on our behavior. These three materials are super sacred and have high vibrational frequency. Not only do they have medical and emotional benefit but also spiritual. There’s a reason they’re used in a lot of perfumery — both ancient and modern. Our scientific mind will tell us that we just like the smell. But if you look at the energy of what those ingredients represent, it becomes very clear why they’re popular ingredients in perfumery and why people want to smell like them. Rose is a universal balancer. Jasmine is energetically stimulating and balancing while being an aphrodisiac. Sandalwood is grounding and nurturing. Oud of course is highly spiritual. It’s hard for some people to adjust to the smell but used in the right context, can be extraordinary.

Anastasia Denisenkova: Can we pause upon Rose for a little longer? It has such a varied and doubtless beauty but still there are people who don’t feel comfortable wearing a perfume with a well pronounced rose note (I am one of them, that’s why I am asking). Do you believe it depends more on their olfactive habits or it has something to do with energetic context?

Yosh Han: There are so many rose fragrances and even more rose combinations. Perhaps there hasn’t yet been one that you found that resonates with you. One other aspect to consider is to delve deeper into the resistance. It could even be as simple as the rose reminding you of something you don’t like.

Anastasia Denisenkova: OK, I believe I should resign to wearing a Rose and go on just admiring its perfume once in a blue moon.

Thank you so much, Yosh, for taking your time to share your thoughts! All the best to you always!

 

All images provided by Yosh