Sam Macer

Sam Macer is a self-taught, independent, British perfumer. In his past, he experimented with teaching himself different art forms including 3D art, guitar, music production, digital painting, photography and video editing. He studied Chemistry in order to become a perfumer and graduated with a first-class degree in Chemistry from Imperial College London, studying abroad for his final year at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) while completing his masters. After failing to find a job as a perfumer, he decided instead to start his own perfume company and learn on the job, during which he discovered a love of entrepreneurship and forming his own frameworks for creative perfumery, inspired by Jean-Claude Ellena, Jean Carles and Edmond Roudnitska in contrast to the casual approach to perfumery widespread online.

Sam founded his perfumery, Lux & Terra, in 2019 but progress stalled in the pandemic, so he took a job in software while building the business in his evenings and weekends. The focus is now helping other aspiring perfumers learn from home who may not have access to the expensive perfumery schools in France like he didn’t. "He does this through his YouTube channel, his perfumery supplies store, The Fragrance Foundry, and his app Formulair, a digital notebook for apprentice perfumers. Sam still runs his perfume brand, now called Zurai and uses it as a creative outlet  distilling the dreams of fantasy worlds which precipitate themselves inside his head, often in co-creation with his fragrances. He aims to build around unique & special combinations and tailored artwork as is more common in niche perfumery, but balance this with the accessibility and affordability of designer perfumery. His perfumery style is driven by a love of exploring different aesthetics and the Dark Academia brief from Scent Trunk was a perfect match.