VERSAILLES, Ky. (LEX 18) — Tucked away at 114 S Main St in Versailles, Marcelle Roigneau's Art of Perfumery offers visitors a unique opportunity to create their own custom fragrances through hands-on classes and experiences.
Rod Hatt, the owner and perfumist behind the business, describes himself as a chemist, collector, world traveler, self-proclaimed problem solver — and maybe an author, too.
He named his perfumery after his grandmother, Marcelle Roigneau, who was born in Bordeaux, France.
Hatt's journey into perfumery began with an unlikely admission: he doesn't have a green thumb.
"Weeds can thrive on neglect, so if I don't water them they're doing well," Hatt said.
Ironically, he explains that most fragrant plants are exactly that — weeds.
"For thousands of years people have enjoyed fragrant materials and the secret is how you get it out of a plant and into a bottle," Hatt said.
The modern method involves steam distillation, which produces a distinctive result.
"Then what you get is a pot of water with a little oil floating on the top and chemically they're really more waxy than oily, but it still floats on top," Hatt said.
The perfumery stocks 75 essential oils that customers can choose from to create their own unique fragrance. The process involves understanding the three components of perfume: base notes, heart notes, and top notes.
Most customers arrive with a specific goal in mind, and Hatt believes the oils have special properties that can help achieve those objectives.
"One lady was trying to get a date and so we tried to make it romantic and a romantic fragrance would be different than a go to work fragrance, so she made it and it worked," Hatt said.
There's also a scientific explanation for why humans are drawn to pleasant scents.
"All of these senses that we have except for our nose have to get rerouted through our body to get to our brain, our nose sitting right here actually has the most direct connections to our brain," Hatt said.
Hatt offers classes for one to two people by appointment only for $99. Participants receive a copy of their custom recipe and a book about the oils used in the process.
The experience concludes with customers naming their unique creation before taking home their personalized fragrance.
