Perfumer vs formulator

The differences between perfumers and formulators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a perfumer and a formulator. Additionally, a perfumer has an average salary of $70,745, which is higher than the $64,882 average annual salary of a formulator.

The top three skills for a perfumer include GC, ms and . The most important skills for a formulator are FDA, R, and QC.

Perfumer vs formulator overview

	Perfumer	Formulator
Yearly salary	$70,745	$64,882
Hourly rate	$34.01	$31.19
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	242	412
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

Perfumer vs formulator salary

Perfumers and formulators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Perfumer	Formulator
Average salary	$70,745	$64,882
Salary range	Between $38,000 And $130,000	Between $36,000 And $116,000
Highest paying City	New York, NY	Morgantown, WV
Highest paying state	West Virginia	West Virginia
Best paying company	International Flavors & Fragrances	Qorvo
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between perfumer and formulator education

There are a few differences between a perfumer and a formulator in terms of educational background:

	Perfumer	Formulator
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 80%	Bachelor's Degree, 46%
Most common major	Biology	Chemistry
Most common college	Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Stanford University

Perfumer vs formulator demographics

Here are the differences between perfumers' and formulators' demographics:

	Perfumer	Formulator
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 47.4% Female, 52.6%	Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 7.9% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 6.0% White, 68.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 6.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 8.6% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between perfumer and formulator duties and responsibilities

Perfumer example responsibilities.

Prepare samples for GC and GC/MS.
Send experimental oils to be run and analyze on the GC.
Work with cross-functional teams to ensure timely completion of projects, and submission of highest-quality fragrance samples to clients.
Streamline the fragrance compounding by developing fragrance database.
Process development in solution polymerization and diazo condensation reactions, UV-Vis & IR spectroscopy development procedures for above.
Draft analytical testing procedure guidelines for method validation and stability protocols used in GLP documentations.

Formulator example responsibilities.

Manage daily production schedule, monitor machine operation, addressed any etching machinery problems.
wear proper PPE for the jobs need to be done.
Follow all PPE rules and requirements.
Construct spectrophotometer database for all lacquer and UV base inks.
Warehouse, packing and stacking pallets, fill jugs with product, and cleaning
Operate blend tanks, agitators, and various pump as directed by batch record.

Perfumer vs formulator skills

Common perfumer skills

GC, 50%
Ms, 50%

Common formulator skills

FDA, 16%
R, 13%
QC, 10%
GMP, 10%
Pallets, 9%
ISO, 7%

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Perfumer vs Formulator

Updated January 8, 2025

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