Ron Winnegrad

Ron Winnegrad, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, has been a perfumer and professor for more than 46 years. Throughout his illustrious career, he has managed to express the world he sees through an arc of rainbow-like visions of olfactory and emotional impressions. As a professor, Winnegrad has shared his multisensory lens with others, inspiring them to explore the realm of fragrances. Winnegrad became famous in the 1970s after creating iconic fragrances such as Love's Baby Soft and Lagerfeld Classic. He has developed numerous successful fragrances over the years, including Balenciaga Rumba, Giorgio Armani Armani and Clinique Simply Clinique. As director of the New York perfumery school at International Flavors & Fragrances, he has trained countless perfumers and fragrance evaluators, leaving an indelible mark on the industry. Instead of following traditional approaches in perfumery, Winnegrad developed a unique method to teach fragrance students how to identify smells. He created a map of “cities” and “streets,” representing a flowchart that guides students through various olfactory options, ultimately leading them to a base note such as amber, oakmoss, or musk. His mantra, “Don’t think, just smell,” encourages students to trust their intuition and memory when exploring scents. Winnegrad’s workshops on synesthesia, a neurological phenomenon in which stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to involuntary experiences in another, further show his innovative approach to teaching. Unable to relate to the musical aspects of perfumery because he lacks an ear for pitch, Winnegrad began associating colors with smells, awakening the neurons in his brain and fostering a deeper understanding of fragrances. To help students and enthusiasts develop their sense of smell, Winnegrad recommends doing scent exercises. By making short, superficial inhalations of various aromas in vials at 30-minute intervals, people can train their noses to identify odors without fatigue. Winnegrad also advises being more aware of smells throughout the day—smelling food before eating it and paying attention to the aromas of different places. Ron Winnegrad’s career as a visionary perfumer and dedicated professor has impacted the fragrance industry. His unique approach to perfume creation, centered on synesthesia and intuition, has paved the way for a new generation of perfumers. Through his innovative teaching methods and extraordinary creations, Winnegrad has left an indelible mark on perfumery.