{"id":8740,"date":"2023-12-14T09:26:18","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T09:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/masterparfums.com\/?p=8740"},"modified":"2026-10-28T13:10:59","modified_gmt":"2026-10-28T13:10:59","slug":"history-of-master-parfums","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/masterparfums.com\/en\/history-of-master-parfums\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the History of Master Parfums, Educational Games About Perfume"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

“We live in an over-perfumed world, and yet the sense of smell remains the most underestimated, the most under-used, and also the most mysterious sense.” This is the observation made by Anne-Laure Hennequin<\/a> \u2013 founder of the olfactory games brand Master Parfums. If you are only just discovering us, you could not have come at a better time: we propose to go back to the genesis of Master Parfums, retracing Anne-Laure’s journey before exploring the brand’s philosophy as well as each work in the collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And even if no one beats you at a game of Pocket Quiz, we bet that there are probably still a few grey areas for you regarding the history of Master Parfums \u2013 let us clear them up without further ado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’ve Sniffed Everything Since I Was Tiny”: the Journey of an Enthusiast<\/h2>\n\n\n
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\"olfactory<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Anne-Laure Hennequin was hooked very early: her fascination with perfume and smells in general goes back to her childhood. “I’ve sniffed everything since I was tiny,” she explains<\/a>. “Like many little girls, I amused myself by macerating flowers from the garden to create perfumes, not really memorable ones! My favourite game was one that let you compose perfumes. While I can picture the box very well, I can’t manage to remember the name. But it was well before Sentosph\u00e8re! I remember my favourite creation, which was based on lilac and which I had poured into a little bottle of Cl\u00e9a by Yves Rocher to give to my mum. I also, of course, had a collection of perfume samples and miniatures.” But at the time, Anne-Laure did not limit herself to admiring the pretty coloured juices in her pretty bottles\u2014she was already amusing herself by smelling them blind and trying to recognise them, even organising contests with her aunt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not really scientific at heart, a career as a perfumer was not even to be considered at that time. When it came to higher education, she therefore chose the path of languages and, after a year in the United States, she joined a translation school. Her love for perfume did not leave her for all that\u2014on the contrary: she did her end-of-studies internship at Clarins (which counted Angel and Elysium in its perfume catalogue), within the international training department. There, she translated the manual intended for training the teams. It was at that moment that she found her calling: that of transmission, and in this case, the transmission of a passion for the fifth sense and perfumed creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anne-Laure then completed a course in perfume and cosmetics distribution, while working as a temporary beauty adviser at weekends. “Working for different brands each time, I was able to benefit from many training courses.” Then she held the position of trainer-presenter at Kenzo, first in France, then in the United States, for nearly ten years. Her mission? “To make the saleswomen understand the brand’s DNA and the new products.” Europe called, and it was in Barcelona that she settled to work for eleven years for Puig, beginning with training for Prada before extending her training to the entire group as international training director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Anne-Laure Hennequin was acquiring no fewer than twenty years of experience as a trainer for major perfume brands on an international scale, she realised that the means best suited to her educational objective was that of the game<\/a>: she designed, with her team, training modules based on edutainment, a method combining education and entertainment\u2014in a word, education through play. Because when one blends learning and play, one learns simply, quickly and effectively: directly involved and not just silent spectators of a teacher or tacit readers of a book, we retain much better what people are trying to transmit to us!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, how did these edutainment modules end up giving rise to Master Parfums?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Master Parfums: Why?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Gaps in the Way of Training<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In her professional life, Anne-Laure Hennequin had a front-row seat to an unfortunate observation: training courses favour knowledge of the new products, and the teaching of sales techniques serving these new products takes precedence over everything else. The brand image and the communication that carry a launch take up a great deal of space, to the detriment of olfactory culture. The result? The proliferation of “sleeping beauties”: olfactory creations that fall into oblivion under the weight of new products, gathering dust on the shelves instead of living on skins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not only the saleswomen who are neglected: consumers are even more so, faced with a growing offering, but not necessarily with the expertise needed to find their way in this ocean of perfumed products. Yet Anne-Laure is convinced of it: once educated, one knows how to recognise quality, and this would allow many fragrances to be appreciated at their true value, and for us, to learn to honour and pamper our sense of smell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Olfactory Paradox<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Beyond her professional journey, something else has struck Anne-Laure for a long time. On one side, everything is perfumed: hygiene and beauty products, supermarkets, shops, waiting rooms, the metro, food\u2026 Not a second of respite for our nostrils, our nose being solicited constantly, as if the world were a pomander.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other\u2026 The sense of smell is neglected! “Smell is the sense to which we give the least importance,” observes Anne-Laure. “Not only does school not bring us knowledge on this subject, but our sense of smell is not even tested, whereas we undergo tests from a very young age to check our sight, our hearing, or touch through manual activities. It is the most overlooked sense.” The Covid-19 health crisis, moreover, brought to light just how much the sense of smell is often taken for granted\u2026 Before, many people did not know that it was even possible to lose<\/a> the sense of smell<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to explain that our fifth sense is left abandoned, and above all, how to remedy it? This is where Master Parfums comes into play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Birth of Master Parfums<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

An idea then germinated in Anne-Laure’s mind: what if we could transmit the culture of perfume directly to consumers? “I felt myself invested with a mission: to simplify perfume education in order to promote its culture among everyone.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result? A concept of educational games within reach of complete beginners as well as enthusiasts and perfumery professionals: Master Parfums! It is time to restore the reputation of the fifth sense: not only does one learn about the fascinating world of perfume, one also puts one’s sense of smell and imagination into action. If you do not yet know the range of games, do get acquainted\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Master Parfums Games Collection<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Master Parfums Pocket Quiz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Master Parfums Pocket Quiz<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The adventure begins in 2018 with the Pocket Quiz<\/a>, a perfume quiz in the form of a card game that can accompany you everywhere. A small format that is nonetheless incredibly rich! Its 120 questions are divided into four categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n