Making Scent, Fragrances & More – Cologne Maker and Collector, Rico Ramirez

by Kerri Cooke

Rico Ramirez’s love for scent goes back to his childhood when he would sneak a spray or two of his dad’s cologne before going to elementary school. The fragrance that most evocatively summons his youth is Ralph Lauren’s Polo. 

Ramirez didn’t dive into fragrance seriously until two years ago. Now, as a retired chef, he spends much of his time collecting and creating colognes and interacting with online cologne-centered groups. You probably won’t find as large of a cologne and perfume collection anywhere else in SWLA, as Ramirez boasts over 1,000 bottles. His favorite fragrances are among the Tom Ford and Guerlain lines, although he says asking him to choose is like asking what child is his favorite. 

Always one to enjoy putting things together, Ramirez compares cologne making to cooking a spaghetti. He instinctually can tell when a recipe needs more oregano or any such ingredients. Concocting a cologne is the same. He can smell something and know what other scent it will match well with. He’s even been known to get up in the middle of the night and start on a new fragrance because he was suddenly inspired. 

Largely self-taught, Ramirez recalls watching videos on YouTube when getting started. The most challenging part of making fragrances is creating accords, a blend of chemicals that makes a scent smell like it does after it dries down. Accords make the scent complex, combining several different notes to create a new smell. Ramirez says he loves the challenge and the chemistry making a cologne requires. 

As to inspiration, it can range from something Ramirez ate to a scent he smelled in his daily life. He describes making a Junior Mint cologne after eating one. He has also made a cotton candy cologne. The completion of a scent can take anywhere from days to months. 

Ramirez remembers eating at a restaurant in New Orleans when his waiter asked him what scent he was wearing. Producing a bottle with a tiny amount of cologne in it, Ramirez showed his homemade fragrance and sprayed it on the waiter’s hand before attending a cologne making workshop. Before long, the waiter and others were clamoring to get their hands on Ramirez’s cologne. 

Scent has the ability to affect how others see you and how you see yourself. “It makes you confident,” Ramirez says. “It makes you feel good about yourself. I like to observe people. When they put a scent on, their aura changes.” Knowing the power of scent, Ramirez gives away samples for Great Harvest Food Pantry to give to people getting back into the work force. 

With a lineup including colognes, bar soap, incense, shampoo and body wash, Ramirez says he takes custom orders and can make pretty much anything. He’s copied famous perfumes and has his own line of original scents. He even has incense that smells like hot cocoa. 

Being part of an online community for those interested in colognes and how to make them has helped Ramirez hone his craft. Groups discuss new releases from top brands, hear from professional cologne makers and solve problems together. Ramirez says he’s even made friends with people living in Dubai and has experimented with ouds as a result. 

Out of the whole process, naming a cologne is the hardest part, Ramirez says. His Lady Intense cologne has notes of pink pepper, bergamot, coconut water, white wood, ylang ylang, jasmine and more, while one of his masculine fragrances, Weekend, has a profile including caramel, apple, wood, oak, moss, amber and more. 

Ramirez is slowly building his business as the tariffs recently enacted have hurt his bottom line. He sells a handful of colognes a month and hopes to bring his talent to local farmers’ markets in the future. 

If you would like a custom fragrance or are interested in Ramirez’s range, you can contact him at 337-600-8915.