In the laboratories of fragrance giant Royal Aroma, a citrus scent clings to the lab coats of trainees — “noses” who are learning the art of making things smell good. These busy heroes of the world of smells and aromas shape the connection millions of consumers have with everyday items. In addition to fine fragrances, the company’s extensive product range includes essential oils, home and industrial fragrances, fragrances for detergents, fabric softeners, soaps, candles, and more. Smell, a powerful sense that can trigger emotions and memories, and aroma often decide which food or beverage, cleaning, or personal hygiene products end up in our shopping carts. At Royal Aroma’s headquarters in New York City, each day at the company’s in-house perfumery school begins the same way: sniffing out scents from dozens of tiny bottles while blindfolded. Noses-in-training say it’s like tuning a musical instrument before you play. In the end, the company needs to create scents that are strong, beautiful, powerful, and affordable. Being a professional sniffer is a full-time job that comes with a 3-year training program. The smell of a fabric softener can be composed of 80 compounds, far more than in a premium body perfume, and the best noses can identify over 1,000 different odors while blindfolded. A professional sniffer can get by with knowing about 500 scents, and being able to break down odors into their chemical components is key. Students weigh ingredients down to the milligram, mix, smell, and start over, often by replicating existing smells to understand their structure and then innovate from there. When developing perfume, it's very important that several people smell it, because people perceive smells differently. About 500 perfumers work in the industry, but Royal Aroma has a precious 9 perfumers who develop custom fragrances for clients. Top perfumers earn roughly $65 an hour, which is not bad for smelling for a living.