調香師 調香師
What 調香師 do
An English description is being prepared. Japanese description:
まず、依頼主（企業・部門）から依頼を受けて、どのような香りが人々に好まれているか、どのような製品に使われるのかを把握し、その条件に適合した香りを思い描く。そして、数百～数千もある香料の中から使用する原料を選定して調合割合を決め、処方箋を作成する。
調合香料は処方箋にしたがって、精密天秤で正確に調合される。香料が完成すると、それぞれの製品に合わせた基材に賦香し、においの強さや良し悪しを評価する。その後、要望に沿った香りに仕上がるまで何度か改良を繰り返し、処方箋を完成させる。
完成した香料見本を依頼主に渡し、採用されれば工場で生産が始まる。また、自主的に新しい香りを生み出す創作研究も行っている。
なお、調香師の中でも食品や飲料に使用される食品用香料（フレーバー）を創る人は「フレーバリスト」と呼ばれる。
◇ よく使う道具、機材、情報技術等
精密天秤
Employment type of workers
調香師 salary
The average annual pay for 調香師 in Japan is ¥5.83M (≈ $37,094; Basic Survey on Wage Structure (2025), national). The estimated median is ¥5.42M, the typical range is ¥3.93M–¥10.11M and the top 10% earn about ¥8.68M.
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The distribution is estimated from Japan's national wage statistics, including pay differences by age.
Pay by ageest.
Estimated from the average pay and average age (41.7) using the age-wage curve of the Basic Survey on Wage Structure.
Pay by experienceest.
Pay by employment typeest.
The average hourly wage of ¥2,876 is 2.4× Japan's national average minimum wage of ¥1,177 (fiscal 2026). Minimum wage by prefecture →
Japanese pay is shown in yen (¥5.57M = 5.57 million yen ≈ 557万円). Dollar figures use the current rate of 157.25 yen per dollar and are for reference only; purchasing power differs.
Pay over time
| Year | Average pay | Employment | Openings ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | ¥5.84M | — | — |
| 2022 | ¥5.80M | — | — |
| 2023 | ¥5.51M | — | 0.92x |
| 2024 | ¥5.91M | — | 0.81x |
| 2025 | ¥5.83M | — | 0.77x |
Projected pay for 調香師 (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today ¥5.83M → in 3 years ¥6.16M → in 5 years ¥6.40M → in 10 years ¥7.01M (10-year range ¥6.03M–¥8.14M). The model assumes pay growth of +1.9% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (the job-openings-to-applicants ratio), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for 調香師
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace 調香師? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using the MHLW job tag survey on work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for 調香師
A ratio above 1.0 means there are more job openings than applicants (a labor shortage). The 5- and 10-year figures are estimates from the openings ratio, wage momentum and AI replacement risk.
The same job in the United States
| 調香師 Japan | Chemists United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Median / average pay | ¥5.83M ≈ $37,094 | $91,240 |
| Pay in 10 years (est.) | ¥7.01M | $120,500 |
| Outlook score | 50 | 60 |
| AI replacement risk | 77% High | 60% Moderate |
| Workers | — | 83K |
Matched by occupation (SOC code). Yen converted at 157.25 JPY/USD for reference; Japanese figures are averages, U.S. figures are medians, and the surveys define occupations differently.
Skills, education and requirements for 調香師
Key skills
Skill levels from the MHLW job tag worker survey.
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Licenses and certifications (Japan)
No specific license or certification is required.
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Difficulty of entry: ★★★★★ Hard to enter (from education, training, experience, licenses)
How to become 調香師
The typical path in Japan is shown by the education, training and experience of current workers above and in the Japanese guidance below. A detailed English guide for this occupation is being prepared.
Guidance from job tag (Japanese)
香料会社が毎年採用する新規学卒者の中から適性を考慮して、若干名を養成するのが一般的である。また、中途採用の場合もある。
入職後は1,000種類以上もある香料原料の香りを毎日のように嗅いで記憶し、識別できるようにする。単品の香料が嗅ぎ分けられるようになったら、簡単な組合せのもの、何十種類の香料を組み合わせた複雑なものと、段階を踏んで訓練を進めていく。併せて、香料の組合せ（アコード）や調合を学び、5～10年の経験を経て一人前になる。ヨーロッパなど海外の調香の専門学校へ留学したり、入職後に海外の香料会社で研修を行うなど、技術を学ぶ場合もある。
香りに対する興味を持っていること、嗅覚が敏感であること、イメージを香りで表現する芸術的センスなどが求められる。また、仕事の上で嗅覚が重要なので、体調管理が必要とされる。
Career path and how to earn more as 調香師
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by experience is shown in the Pay section.