Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar

Profile: Born and raised in sunny San Diego, California, and from a young age, fragrance was always part of my world. My mother often turned to herbal remedies—echinacea, lavender, valerian root, and chamomile—while my father filled our garden with rose bushes. I still remember helping him cut the blooms (carefully dodging the thorns). Summers meant camping in the mountains, and weekends were often spent at the beach. Everywhere I turned, scent surrounded me and left an imprint on who I would become.

 Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar Family Photo.

After high school, I threw myself into culinary school. It wasn’t easy—I had no car and no money, so after long days in class I often walked five hours to get home. On my very first day, eager to impress, I cut the tip of my finger slicing an onion. My teacher patched me up, looked me in the eye, and said, “You’re going to be a baker instead.”

 Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar at culinary school

That accident set me on a long journey through kitchens: first as a line cook, then as a restaurant chef, and eventually as a master baker. Cooking and baking came naturally to me, but over time, the spark faded.

 Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar Outside ER During COVID.

Looking for a new direction, I entered the medical field. By day, I worked in restaurants; by night, I attended medical school. Eventually, I found myself working in the NICU, urgent care, with the Navy’s primary care system, and in the emergency room. It was demanding, exhausting, and meaningful work. But during the height of the pandemic, with its relentless pressure and heartbreak, I needed an outlet—something that would help me cope with everything I was experiencing. That’s when perfumery came into my life.

I began by researching raw materials and ordering my first small set of ingredients. After twelve-hour shifts at the hospital, I’d come home and spend the night blending, experimenting, and failing—over and over. But every failure taught me something new, and every small success lit a fire in me. The idea that I could create something entirely from my own imagination was thrilling. Those first messy trials are still tucked away in storage, and sometimes I revisit them just to see how far I’ve come.

 Aromas de Salazar logo

My background as a chef and baker gave me a natural way to approach perfumery. Just as flavors must work together to create a balanced dish, notes must harmonize in fragrance. The challenge—and the beauty—comes in making unexpected pairings work. My very first fragrance, Café Fiesta, blended juicy pineapple, rose, and coffee. It wasn’t meant to be safe or expected—it was meant to be new, exciting, and thought-provoking.

 Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar Perfume Organ.

That’s what Aromas de Salazar is all about. My brand is built on two principles: pushing boundaries and uncompromising quality. I don’t want to create mass-appealing, predictable scents. I want to make fragrances that spark emotion and curiosity, that challenge what perfume can be. And when it comes to quality, I take no shortcuts. I source directly from producers whenever possible: oud from Saudi Arabia, Bangladesh, and India; patchouli from distillers in Indonesia; saffron from the Middle East. What I can’t find, I create myself—tinctures, absolutes, and even a house-made vanilla concentrate blended from beans across ten countries and aged for over a year.

Fragrance Concentrates as well as various raw materials and housemade accords

Transparency and education are just as important to me. I love sharing behind-the-scenes processes, posting formulas and accords for others to study, and teaching classes for beginners. The perfume community has given me so much, and giving back is part of who I am as a perfumer.

 Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar Portrait in Studio

On American Perfumery: To me, being an American perfumer means creating something from nothing. It’s not about chasing the traditional idea of the “American Dream,” but about having the freedom to chase your own dream. Many of the greatest perfumers are self-taught, while others trained in formal schools. What unites us is the same passion: the drive to create something beautiful, something unforgettable.

Heritage Collection

What began as a way to cope during one of the darkest chapters of my life has become my greatest passion and my profession. Aromas de Salazar is more than a fragrance house—it’s my journey, my resilience, and my commitment to creating something meaningful out of nothing. And in many ways, I feel like I’m just getting started.

Anthony Bourdain via wiki

Favorite American Artist: Outside of perfumery, I’ve always drawn inspiration from food, art, and music. Growing up, I admired chefs like Anthony Bourdain, who taught me that creativity could come with both flair and honesty. They dared to step outside of the norms and be truly expressive while being true to themselves. An inspiration that still leads me to be authentic till this day.

Michael Salazar, perfumer, and founder of Aromasdesalazar.com

Heritage Discovery Set includes these fragrances

Thanks to perfumer Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar we have a draw for a registered reader worldwide for a Discovery Set that includes 10  x 3 1.9 ml from the Heritage Collection. To enter the draw, you must be a registered reader. Please leave a comment with what you found fascinating about the path to perfumery, and where you live. Draw closes 9/29/2025

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Michael Salazar of Aromas de Salazar the 182nd  in our American perfumer series, which officially began in 2011 with Dawn Spencer Hurwitz of DSH Perfumes.

All photos belong to Aromas de Salazar unless otherwise noted.

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