Blind Perfumer Creates 'Cozy' Scent for the Anxious

Alexander Yashin is 32 years old, a perfumer who has lived in Novosibirsk for several years after deliberately moving there from Moscow. But his story is not just about swapping the capital for Siberia. Alexander has been blind since birth: he can distinguish only light and shadows, perceiving the world around him through smells, sounds, and touch. Today he creates his own fragrances, and recently he devised a new one — for people who are struggling, who especially need a sense of security, warmth, and homely comfort. NGS reports on how a blind perfumer turns sensations into scents, independently organizes his life, and why he chose Novosibirsk over Moscow.

Blind Perfumer

Alexander Yashin is the author of unique fragrances. He works at Pure Sense, a company where blind perfumers create scents. The laboratory is in Moscow, and once every two months Alexander flies to the capital; the rest of the time he works remotely. He has four signature fragrances to his name, one of which he dedicated to Novosibirsk, and his latest he created for those experiencing stress. The perfume is inspired by homely comfort and the carefree days of youth.

Alexander is an only child and has been practically blind since birth. He sees only shadows and light. Nevertheless, this has not limited his life — rather the opposite. He is fully independent, engaged in his favorite work and creative pursuits. He became a perfumer in 2019 in Moscow, where he had lived with his parents before. Although he studied philology, creating fragrances became one of Alexander«s professions.

“By that time I had an extensive perfume wardrobe and knew a lot about the market. I wanted to try my hand at creating fragrances,” Alexander recalls. “And even though far from all of my loved ones believed in me, I decided to give it a try and submitted an application. They contacted me. There were more than 60 applications. Out of them, 6–7 people were selected whom they wanted to work with at all, and from those 6 they chose us — three perfumers, who formed the brand and company Pure Sense.”

Each perfumer — besides Alexander, there are two more women in the lab — works on projects individually. Each client order includes a technical brief specifying what they want the final result to be. The perfumers create scents for diffusers, scented candles, perfumes, and eau de toilette — atmospheric, interior, and personal fragrances. There are also signature projects.

“Some people say, ‘I want it to smell like my mom«s baking.’ For one person, mom»s baking is a charlotte cake, for another it«s a belyash,” the perfumer describes the process. “That is also our task — to crack the client, understand what they need, and where it will be used. Sometimes we make something for someone, and I say, ‘We»re not giving this to the client, we«d better release it ourselves.’ Because we like it too much. If you give it to the client, you give away the rights. And it would be improper to change a couple of components and release it.”

‘Confidence’ for Siberia

Today Alexander«s signature collection includes three fragrances released under the Pure Sense brand. In addition, there are many custom projects. One of the fragrances — Confidence — he dedicated to Novosibirsk. He drew inspiration from the taiga, Siberian berries, and the history of the region.

“I was inspired by the resilience of the people, because my scholarly path, which I work in, is the traditional culture of settlers from the Stolypin reform in Western Siberia. And when I started studying all of this, around 2020, I began to understand that these were incredibly resilient people, so there are many woody nuances here, there is a reference to railway themes, to creosote, to mineral notes,” the author describes the story behind the creation and the scent of the Siberian fragrance.

Alexander was born in Moscow, where he finished school and the philology faculty of the Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language. His parents still live there. Even as a student, Alexander decided that blindness was not a reason to sit at home and constantly seek help. He began living in a dormitory, learning to cope with daily life and his own needs.

He moved from Moscow to Novosibirsk quite deliberately. In the capital he felt there were no prospects for his creative potential and was searching for something closer and more understandable. A friend, who is also blind, invited him to Siberia. And there Alexander felt at home.

“I arrived, they met me, surrounded me with such understanding, care, respect, and acceptance that I realized — I really want to live here. From 2021 to 2024 I worked at the library for the blind and visually impaired on Krylova,” Alexander recalls. “It was a great start for me — a chance to learn the city, the people, to understand whether I want to and can live here. Now I can call myself more a Siberian than a Muscovite, because when I come to Moscow, I realize I no longer remember anything there, everything feels foreign. In fact, if it weren«t for my parents and the perfume lab, I wouldn»t go there.”

‘It«s Funny Talking to Mannequins’

Alexander himself demonstrates remarkable resilience and cheerfulness. He treats his blindness with humor.

“It can be very funny talking to mannequins in stores. You think there«s a person in front of you, you nudge them, apologize, and only then realize that it is, of course, a person — but a plastic one. I laugh at my blindness big time. I don»t consider it some kind of misfortune or ailment or unhappiness or anything like that,” the perfumer says.

In Novosibirsk he lives alone and bought an apartment on his own. He loves to cook and confidently uses gadgets: a special program reads aloud what is happening on his smartphone screen. He communicates easily in messengers, runs his own channel, orders food, and pays utilities. He is constantly on the move not only around the city but also between cities: performances with ensembles, work in the lab, rehearsals, meetings with friends.

And amid this stream of affairs and projects, Alexander feels quite confident. He says it is because back in his student years he got used to being independent.

“Not because I«m some kind of superhuman, but simply because my hearing, sense of smell, and touch replace my eyesight. These senses complement the things I cannot assess. But take away my funny remnant of seeing light and shadows, and of course it would be harder for me,” Alexander describes the life of a blind person.

Nevertheless, outside help is still needed. For example, when working in the lab on new fragrances. Each perfumer works with an assistant who, following instructions, measures components and mixes them according to the formula Alexander developed based on the client«s brief. That»s how even world-class perfumers work. In the case of signature experiments, however, you first need to work on your idea.

“This is about inspiration, about emotion, about impressions from certain smells, experienced sensations that you must clothe in a fragrance. If you don«t understand what to do, well, then it»s not time yet. But usually there is already some outlined idea, and you understand what you will do,” the fragrance creator says.

‘A Cure for Fatigue’

The Confidence fragrance dedicated to Novosibirsk was born precisely from impressions. Alexander truly fell in love with the city. And he calls the perfume an offering to Siberia.

“There will surely be people who write in the comments: ‘He«s blind, he just doesn»t see what a mess he lives in!’ I love Novosibirsk very much and know its problems perfectly well,” Alexander says about life in Siberia. “And I would very much like there to be more metro, cleaner streets, better roads, and more interesting cultural life and dining. But this city has given me so much, and I have things to love it for, things to be grateful for.”

This summer saw the release of another unique fragrance by Alexander Yashin. He called the new perfume “On Cloud Nine.” It features gourmand notes, aldehydes, vanilla, cranberry, cinnamon, frankincense, lemon, magnolia, musk, and chocolate.

“This perfume is a kind of remedy for fatigue from the world and the events happening. In it, very clear notes of lemon pie and dark chocolate coexist with the smell of a fireplace and frankincense. I was inspired by memories of carefree times when I felt good. It was precisely that ‘good’ that I wanted to convey to people who may now be sad, scared, or simply finding life strange. I want to extend a kind of helping hand to them, support them, and say that they are not alone,” the perfumer described his new work.

Alexander is sure that people want comfort and calm. They express themselves in understandable images and smells.

Alexander speaks simply about his happiness: all his relatives and loved ones are alive and well, and he has a favorite occupation — more than one — which he pursues alongside people he wants to be with. And there are many such inspiring examples of people who, despite their challenges, unlock their potential. We told the story of Roman Akulov, a photographer without hands whose work has been published in popular foreign magazines, and who recently held a photo shoot for the singer Yolka.