The Future Has a Scent | Christophe Laudamiel on Memory, Emotion & Designing the Invisible

At a glance

In this episode of The Future Is HOW, I sit down with world-renowned master perfumer Christophe Laudamiel to explore one of the most powerful yet overlooked senses shaping our future: smell.

Christophe shares how his journey into perfumery began, what mentors in the fragrance world taught him, and why scent is far more complex than we usually imagine. Together we explore the deep connection between smell and memory, why no scent ever represents just one thing, and how fragrance can be designed to evoke emotions, experiences, and even entire stories.

The conversation moves from the personal to the future: How would you design the scent of a humanoid robot? Why do we crave certain smells, like fruit, yet rarely experience them authentically in fragrance? And what happens when scent becomes personalized, expressive, and deeply human?

From creativity and diversity to memory and imagination, Christophe reminds us that scent is not just chemistry. It is language. It is emotion. It is a way of experiencing the world.

A conversation about the invisible forces that shape how we remember, feel, and imagine what comes next.

Chapters

00:00 The Power of Scent and Memory
02:54 The Journey into Perfumery
03:24 How Christophe discovered smell and entered the industry of parfumery
06:04 I love the variety - you should see my shower!
07:19 What mentors in the parfume industry teach you
08:24 For those who have no mentor and want to create parfumes
09:23 When Frederik's daughter could smell a picture
13:00 There is not one smell, that smells of only one thing
18:16 How Christophe would create the scent of humanoid robots
23:19 Why don't we have more fruit smells though so many people likes fruits
26:05 Designing Scents for Emotions
29:40 Personalized Fragrance Creation
32:05 The Future of Scent and Memory
33:10 Fast Future Questions
34:10 Diversity in Fragrance and Humanity
35:15 Creative Expression Through Scent

Where to Find Frederik G. Pferdt

NextLetter: ⁠⁠⁠https://www.nextletter.frederikgpferdt.com
Book: ⁠whatsnextisnowthebook.com⁠
LinkedIn⁠: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fgpferdt
⁠YouTube⁠: https://www.youtube.com/c/frederikgpferdt
⁠Instagram⁠: https://www.instagram.com/frederikgpferdt

Website: https://www.frederikgpferdt.com

Make the test: https://awareness.frederikgpferdt.com

Music: Andreas Horchler
Producer: Florian Dietrich