Far East | Our Creative Talent
Sapsorrow Leung
Perfumer
There’s a stage to creating fragrances where you add a unique material to the combination of ingredients and it’s like adding a hint of magic that transforms the fragrance to a totally different scent.
Sapsorrow joined CPL over 20 years ago and began her journey in the QC department in 1999 at the CPL Aromas Hong Kong division. During the stint in the QC department Sapsorrow’s role was to monitor the quality of raw materials and fragrances. After 3 years she was able to take a new challenge and role change to be a GCMS analyst in 2002. This change had not only taken Sapsorrow to a new area of knowledge and skills but also gave her an opportunity to open the door to the fragrance creation world.
What inspired you to become a perfumer?
During the 8 years of working on GCMS analysis, I analyzed many raw materials, bases, different categories of fragrances and gained lots of fragrance knowledge. This stimulated me to continue discovering more about the mystery of how fragrances worked, which in turn inspired me to become a perfumer.
Are their processes of a project you enjoy the most?
There’s a stage to creating fragrances where you add a unique material to the combination of ingredients and it’s like adding a hint of magic that transforms the fragrance to a totally different scent, this is the part I like the most.
Which applications do you prefer working on and why?
I enjoy the personal care category with formats such as soap, shampoo, body cream etc. I prefer working on them because they are widely used in our daily life. Knowing what fragrances people use in their daily routines can help characterize their personality. This can be an interesting observation for us.
What feeling do you get when you see one of your creations on shelf?
When I see my creations on self, I always feel really excited, it can be moving and I am proud every time. This is a recognition and an achievement of my work and it motivates me to keep creating fragrances.
Do you have any other passions outside of perfumery? - do you think it aids you in your role?
I do like hiking, scuba diving, travelling and reading. These activities don’t just give me enjoyment but also help me to feel, to explore, to think things in different views and be open minded. These passions encourage me to be brave and think outside the box when creating new fragrances.
What ingredient do you enjoy using the most? why does it stand out to you?
I enjoy using fruit ingredients such as coconut, pineapple, berries the most because they have very pleasant and unique smells on their own but can be harmonized when mixed with others like citrus florals or woody powdery fragrances.
What are your thoughts on sustainability?
Sustainability has become very popular and important, it affects all industries around the world. CPL Aromas does very well in this area – reducing a high percentage of carbon footprint and recycling most of the packaging waste. Sustainable materials in fragrance is important and we aim to continue adding to our responsibly sourced ingredients list.
What do you think the future of fragrance looks like?
In my opinion, the future of fragrance will see people still loving natural fragrances but not just purely using natural ingredients. Natural scented fragrances with chemical ingredients that are innovated by green chemistry, biodegradability and renewable carbon will become more accepted by consumers who care for sustainability and choose to be environmentally fri
