What’s in a scent? Last Thursday, a group of CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund alums explored the possibilities at a fragrance workshop hosted at the CFDA with L’Oréal.

Designers like Becca McCharen, Rio Uribe, David Hart, Behnaz Sarafpour, and Billy Reid were among those gathered to learn about the art of smell with Harry Fremont from the famed perfume company Firmenich. The Master Perfumer, responsible for such scents as Romance by Ralph Lauren and Mon Paris from Yves Saint Laurent among others, led the discussion. Smell is the sense most associated with memory and emotions, and the past CVFF finalists learned that, much like wine, perfumes also contain a complex combination of top notes, mid notes, and base notes that contribute to the aroma and lasting effects.