Meet Danielle
Hey there, I'm Danielle.
Psychology-based Neuro Perfumer, & Founder of Noteology
For more than 20 years, Danielle Fleming has been exploring one deceptively simple question:
Why does scent make us feel the way it does?
Long before founding Noteology, Danielle's fascination with fragrance began with psychology. While studying to become a psychologist, she became captivated by research exploring the connection between aroma and the mind—how what we smell can influence our emotions, trigger memories, affect our moods and even shape our behavior.
That fascination eventually became a career.
Today, Danielle is the founder and perfumer behind Noteology, the creator and inventor of its patented Custom Perfume Studio experience, and a fragrance expert whose background spans psychology, neuroscience, consumer research, professional perfumery training, fragrance development and more than two decades of working with scent.
For Danielle, perfume has never been simply about smelling good.
It's about how scent makes you feel.
Where Psychology Meets Perfumery
Danielle's path into fragrance didn't begin at a perfume counter or in a chemistry lab. It began while studying psychology.
As a graduate student, she became fascinated with research examining the effects of aroma on the mind and body. She began asking questions that would ultimately shape her career: Why can a single smell transport us back decades? Why do certain aromas make us feel comforted, energized or confident? And why can two people experience the exact same fragrance so differently?
Those questions led Danielle deeper into the study of olfaction and eventually into the art and science of perfumery.
What began as academic curiosity turned into more than two decades of studying, creating and working with scent—and ultimately became the philosophy behind Noteology:
What we smell influences how we feel.
Learning the Art & Science of Perfume
Danielle began as a self-taught perfumer, studying fragrance materials, formulation and the classic Jean Carles method of olfactive training and perfume creation.
As her expertise grew, she pursued formal fragrance education and professional training.
Her studies have included The Technique and Language of Perfumery at Cinquième Sens, the renowned Paris-based perfumery training school for fragrance professionals, as well as the Fragrance Academy of The Fragrance Foundation in New York City.
Her study of scent has even taken her to the hills of Tuscany, where she studied traditional herbal techniques at il Laboratorio dell'Erborista.
But some of her most valuable education came from working inside the fragrance industry itself.
Inside the Fragrance Industry
Danielle further developed her expertise at DSM-Firmenich, one of the world's leading fragrance companies.
As a Senior Consumer Insights Analyst at its U.S. headquarters in Princeton, New Jersey, she managed fragrance research and consumer insight projects for major global brands as well as internal fragrance development initiatives.
Her role sat at a fascinating intersection of psychology and perfumery.
Danielle studied how consumers perceived and described scent, using qualitative and quantitative research to translate people's emotional and sensory reactions into insights that could guide fragrance development, product concepts, brand positioning and launches.
In other words, she wasn't only studying what people smelled.
She was studying how fragrance made them think and feel.
That perspective continues to influence the way Danielle creates fragrance today.
Inventing a New Way to Experience Scent
Danielle eventually began asking another question:
What if people didn't simply choose a fragrance? What if they could discover what they loved about scent and become part of creating it themselves?
That idea became the foundation for Noteology's hands-on approach to fragrance and ultimately led to two signature experiences: the Custom Perfume Studio and Custom Candle Studio.
The Custom Perfume Studio
Rather than asking customers to choose from a handful of predetermined fragrance blends, Danielle developed a guided experience that allows people to explore individual fragrance notes, discover their personal scent preferences and create a fragrance that feels uniquely their own.
With guidance from Noteology's trained Scent Designers, customers smell, experiment and select the notes they love during their Custom Perfume Studio experience. Their selections are then transformed into a professionally blended fragrance formula that is saved so their signature scent can be recreated again and again.
Danielle's work developing a system for personalized fragrance creation resulted in two United States patents: U.S. Patent Nos. 10,242,391 and 10,817,918.
The Custom Candle Studio
Danielle brought that same philosophy of scent discovery to home fragrance with Noteology's Custom Candle Studio.
Instead of choosing a finished candle from a shelf, customers step behind the candle bar and become part of the creative process. They explore individual fragrance options, discover combinations they love and create a custom scent before hand-pouring their own candle.
The experience is designed to make fragrance creation approachable, interactive and fun—whether you're creating something completely unexpected, recreating the feeling of a favorite place or simply discovering two scents you never imagined would smell incredible together.
Together, Noteology's Custom Perfume and Custom Candle Studios turn fragrance from something you simply buy into something you experience, understand and create.
Now It's Time to Discover Your Own Scent Story. What's yours?
After more than 20 years of studying fragrance, Danielle still believes the most interesting person in the room isn't the perfumer.
It's you.
Because fragrance isn't just about what's in the bottle—or the candle. It's about the memories it brings back, the emotions it creates and the way it makes you feel.
That's why Noteology doesn't just create fragrance.
We help you discover your scent story.
And sometimes the best way to discover it is to create it yourself.
What will you create?
CREATE YOUR OWN PERFUME WITH US
Danielle Today
More than two decades after she first became fascinated by the psychology of scent, Danielle is still asking questions, smelling everything and creating.
As founder and perfumer of Noteology, she develops fragrances and scented products, oversees the creative direction of the brand, develops the Custom Perfume & Candle Studio experiences and trains Noteology's Scent Designers in the art of helping others discover their individual fragrance preferences.
Her work with fragrance also extends beyond Noteology.
Danielle is the founder of Olfactif, a destination for discovering niche and independent perfumery. Through Olfactif, she has spent years smelling, evaluating and curating fragrances from independent perfume houses around the world—giving her a perspective that spans both sides of perfumery: creating fragrance and discovering exceptional fragrance created by others.
Through it all, the idea that first fascinated Danielle more than 20 years ago remains at the heart of her work:
Scent is deeply personal.
There isn't one fragrance everyone should love. The most meaningful scent is the one that connects with you.
Ask the Perfumer
Is Danielle Fleming a trained perfumer?
Yes. Danielle began as a self-taught perfumer and later completed professional fragrance education including The Technique and Language of Perfumery at Cinquième Sens and the Fragrance Academy of The Fragrance Foundation. She has also studied the Jean Carles method of olfactive training and perfume creation and previously worked in consumer fragrance research at Firmenich.
What is scent psychology?
Scent psychology explores the relationship between our sense of smell and the way we think, feel, remember and behave. Because smell is closely connected with areas of the brain involved in emotion and memory, fragrance can create powerful and highly personal emotional responses. This relationship between psychology and scent has been central to Danielle's work for more than two decades.
Did Danielle Fleming create the Noteology Custom Perfume Studio?
Yes. Danielle developed the process behind Noteology's Custom Perfume Studio to give people a guided, approachable way to explore individual fragrance notes and create their own personalized perfume. Her work in personalized fragrance creation has resulted in two U.S. patents.
What is the Noteology Custom Candle Studio?
The Custom Candle Studio is Noteology's hands-on candle-making experience in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Customers explore fragrance options, create their own scent combination and hand-pour a custom candle with guidance from Noteology's Chandlers, aka Candle Makers.
What's the difference between the Custom Perfume Studio and Custom Candle Studio?
Both experiences are built around scent discovery, but what you create is different. In the Custom Perfume Studio, customers explore individual perfume notes and work with a Scent Designer to create a professionally blended personal fragrance. In the Custom Candle Studio, guests create their own fragrance combination and hand-pour it into a custom scented candle.
What makes Noteology's approach to fragrance different?
Noteology approaches fragrance from the perspective that scent is personal. Instead of telling you what you should like, both studio experiences encourage you to smell, explore and discover what naturally appeals to you. Your own preferences become the starting point for creating something that's uniquely yours.
Can I create my own perfume or candle at Noteology?
Yes. Both are guided experiences led by Noteology's trained Scent Designers and Chandlers, so no previous perfume or candle-making experience is necessary. Customers can book either a Custom Perfume Studio or Custom Candle Studio experience at Noteology in Scranton, Pennsylvania by calling 570-343-2100. Sessions are by appointment only.
Training, Education & Recognition
20+ Years Working With Scent
More than two decades studying, creating, evaluating and working professionally with fragrance.
2 U.S. Patents
Inventor of the patented System for Creating Custom Fragrances.
U.S. Patent Nos. 10,242,391 & 10,817,918
Professional Perfumery Training
Cinquième Sens, Paris
The Technique and Language of Perfumery
The Fragrance Foundation, New York City
Fragrance Academy
Jean Carles Method
Olfactive training and perfume creation
il Laboratorio dell'Erborista, Tuscany
Traditional herbal techniques
Fragrance Industry Experience
Former Senior Consumer Insights Analyst at Firmenich, working on fragrance research and consumer insights for global brands and fragrance development initiatives.
Education
B.A. Psychology — Moravian University
M.A. Mental Health Counseling — Marywood University
M.Ed. Instructional Leadership — Marywood University
Recognition
Danielle's work and entrepreneurship have been recognized with honors including: Top 20 to Know in the Beauty Industry by GCI Magazine, Women Entrepreneur of the Year by the Small Business Development Center, Young Entrepreneur of the Year by Bank of America, Top 20 Under 40 Business Leaders in Northeast Pennsylvania, Best New Organic Product and Best in Show at the New York International Gift Show, and a United States Senate Award for Entrepreneurship.
She has also presented research at national psychology conventions and has been invited to speak about scent, psychology, beauty and fragrance.
Featured Fragrance Expert
Danielle has shared her fragrance expertise with national publications including ELLE and Cosmopolitan and has been interviewed about her path into perfumery, fragrance techniques and our emotional connection to the sense of smell.
Danielle chats with Elle Magazine about "The Floral Scent you Should be Wearing this Summer."
Danielle weighs in on the "9 Genius Hacks for Getting the Most Out of Your Fragrance" with Cosmopolitan Magazine.