Laurie Erickson

Laurie Erickson is a craft perfumer and the founder of Sonoma Scent Studio, a fragrance house based in Sonoma County, California. She studied Environmental Earth Sciences and Geomechanics at Stanford University, and her love of the natural sciences is reflected in her work as a perfumer. Erickson began her journey in perfumery after attending a class at The Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles. Since then, she has studied with several accomplished perfumers both locally and nationally, and has immersed herself in perfumery workshops, books, and experimentation with a variety of materials, including natural and mixed media. In 2004, she founded Sonoma Scent Studio, which has since become known for its unique fragrances that combine nature and science. Erickson draws inspiration from her surroundings and from memories of her childhood, including the floral scents of her mother’s and grandmother’s gardens, and the outdoor smells from camping trips and horse rides. Erickson believes that perfumery is both an art and a science and takes a combined approach to create her fragrances. She starts with an emotional and artistic concept, and then brings it to life by combining her technical knowledge and experience. Some of her most popular fragrances include Winter Woods, Fireside Intense and Jour Ensoleille. She also constantly experiments with and develops new scents, such as Tabac Aurea, which features a soft note of pipe tobacco with woods, spices and other warm, comforting accords.