Show Notes
This week Karen is talking to Silvia Yonkova, founder of Rose Overdose, a company that grows roses and produces stunning fragrances from them. But, on top of this, Silva also hosts a yearly ‘Rose Retreat’ where budding perfumers can experience what it’s like to harvest roses and work with organic materials. In this interview with Karen, Silvia shares her family's rich history with roses, what inspired her to move into the world of perfumery and gives details of her not-to-be-missed retreat.
KEY TAKEAWAYS Silvia grew up in a family of rose growers. However, when she was young she began to notice a huge difference between the roses her family grew and those available to the public. She explains how this set her on her journey to perfumery. Synthetic rose materials are used in most perfume creations. Silvia explains why this is the case which leads the ladies into a discussion about the differences between natural and synthetic rose materials. Silvia explains what happens at her rose retreats and how she aims to give visitors a different experience from the standard tourist one. Despite her rich history with and love for roses, as Silvia explains to Karen, it was her desire to show the world that Bulgaria doesn’t just smell of roses that led her to perfume making.
BEST MOMENTS “What makes the Bulgarian rose so unique is that it is unapologetic.” “Don’t be in a rush to create your fragrances. Enjoy the journey and let the materials reveal themselves to you.” “What you smell with synthetic rose materials is not what roses actually smell like. There is no comparison.”
EPISODE LINKS Rose Overdose Website Rose Overdose Retreat Rose Overdose Instagram
VALUABLE RESOURCES Getting Started Guide Artisan Perfumery Mastermind In-person class ABOUT THE HOST Fragrance expert, author, teacher and speaker; Karen Gilbert runs courses in the UK and online which demystify the secretive world of perfumery in a fun and interactive way. Karen has inspired thousands of students to explore their olfactory sense and create their own personalised fragrances. With extensive product development experience in both the commercial perfumery and the organic skincare industry, Karen is able to offer a unique insight into creating natural and mixed media fragrances for fine fragrance, room scents and skincare/bodycare products using commercial perfumery techniques. Karen is also a certified meditation teacher and has a passion for helping people to create daily rituals that integrate scent with other modalities to shift state and increase your sense of wellbeing. CONTACT DETAILS Website Instagram Facebook YouTube Email
More from The Perfume Making Podcast
This isn’t the usual New Year’s episode about planning, vision boards, and big 2026 goals. Instead, Karen looks at what happens when you need to do less, and how that can be the key to building a more robust perfume or creative business without burning out. She talks honestly about overcommitting (including with AI‑fuelled planning), why she’s simplifying her offers and pressing pause on some things, and how she’s re‑shaping her work around the life she is actually living. If you’re tired of the constant hustle but still want your business to thrive, this episode is perfect. To keep getting access to new content from Karen in 2026, sign up for her newsletter here: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk KEY TAKEAWAYS ● Be honest about how much work you can handle. ● Your creative energy naturally rises and falls. Accept that, go with the flow, and stop beating yourself up about not getting absolutely everything done. ● Our culture says, “new year, new you,” but winter is a season of rest and introspection, so it’s okay if big goals don’t feel realistic right now. It´s OK to set new goals in other months too. ● Drop things that drain you without generating true benefits. Ask yourself, do I have to do this now, or is it just another shiny object or something that is fun and distracts you from doing the more boring things? ● Don´t try to run on empty; make time to refuel. Hobbies, time with family and friends, travel, learning new skills, exercise, and other things that light you up, all top up your creative energy. BEST MOMENTS “I am planning on actually doing less this year on purpose.” “Creativity is not something that you can just squeeze out. You have to let it flow." “Really tap into you and how you work best – that is going to keep you in this for the long-term.” EPISODE LINKS: Bulgaria Perfume Workshop: https://www.roseoverdose.com/perfume-plants-of-bulgaria IAO Awards: https://thegoldenpears.com/home In Person Classes: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/studio-classes Previous New Year episodes - https://podcasts.apple.com/mt/podcast/reflections-for-growth-learning-from-2024-to-build/id1693602939?i=1000682798977 and https://podcasts.apple.com/es/podcast/making-the-most-of-2024/id1693602939?i=1000640841400 VALUABLE RESOURCES Studio Classes: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/studio-classes Materials Mastery: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/materials-mastery Getting Started Guide: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/podcast-getting-started-guide Artisan Perfumery Mastermind: https://www.karengilbert.co.uk/artisan-perfumery-mastermind
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This week Karen follows on from the conversation she had about learning to evaluate your perfumes. She covers something that is done as a matter of course in the industry. It's something a lot of people, especially when they're new, don't really get - making more than one version of your fragrance. Or, in industry terms, making a mod.
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