Press Gurwitz Perfumerie, Marathon, NY
I am Victor Rakovich, entrepreneur, artist, crafter, and director of operations and product development at Press Gurwitz Perfumerie, a niche perfume brand I have been operating for almost three years. I started this company with two partners, who now live in Israel. We developed a collection of unique 15 unisex fragrances. We have a storefront in Marathon, NY, and I often bring our fragrance collection to local art and craft fairs, festivals, and holiday pop-ups in Central New York. It is during these pop-ups that I received many inquiries from customers interested in making their own blends and learning more about the craft of perfumery.
I started a Perfumery Club with a vision for creative minds to express individuality through the art of natural perfumery using rare botanical extracts from my personal collection and house-made tinctures. My mission is to connect my customers to the sensual world of natural perfumery in the heart of central New York.
I am an entrepreneur and product developer. I watched my grandfather and father make tinctures with black and red currants and other berries back in the Soviet Union in the 80s. I've always been drawn to the alchemy of natural essences and kept family tincture recipes and methods, improving on them. I found myself involved with skincare product launch and development in 2018-19. I noticed that fragrances can take only 1-3% in a formula, but they make 100% of the buying decision over which lotion or other product is bought. This tremendous power of fragrances over human psychology was eye-opening.
Next, my colleague and creative director invited me to collaborate on the launch and production of her new perfume line, which will be known under the brand of Press Gurwitz Perfumerie. This was my entry into the world of niche perfumery on the level of operations, and I began to work with fragrance oils.
Inevitably, I learned the difference between synthetic and natural materials and was able to compare them. It was a time of insight and great appreciation for the honor to be able to explore the natural raw material essences because it was almost a spiritual experience to connect with live plant essences, which still possess the chi, the vibration in the form of the fairly short-lived aromatic essence of another life form. I fell in love with natural raw materials and their distinct vibrations, which I can blend to create an infinite number of new notes.
As a perfumer's apprentice myself, who started on this journey a short few years ago, I invite everyone to join me in exploring the world of natural perfumery, its rich history, replicating famous recipes and formulations, and creating your own scents. I personally draw inspiration from the fine Russian perfumery of the early 19th century. I reflect on the fact that perfumery materials are the same essences that comprise our medicine, spices, and foods. Natural raw materials are sacred and have a special quality that is hard to estimate because they are essences of different life forms.
