Natural Perfumery

I started making natural perfume after reading Mandy Aftel's book Essence and Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume, which is one of the best books on Natural Perfumery out there. I was inspired. I fell in love with it. Natural Perfumery is an art; an alchemical and sensory experience like no other. The creation of a natural perfume evolves, it takes you on a journey, so that you never know what the end result will be. It's a meditation, a dream.

There are less ethereal reasons why I got into Natural Perfumery. Commercial perfumes are full of toxic chemicals, like phthalates, which are solvents that extend the staying power of perfume. They have been shown to harm the liver, kidneys, and lungs, along with the reproductive system. They are easily absorbed through the skin. Commercial perfumes also have synthetic fragrance oils rather than pure essential oils; fragrance oils just smell lousy to me, overbearing and chemically. I love pure essential oils and I search far and wide to find the most beautiful rose, jasmine, bergamot, etc.

Now when I smell commercial, mass-market perfumes, I am overpowered and I get headaches. Natural perfume is never overpowering, it lasts as long as it lasts, two hours or so. It develops on the skin from top notes to base notes. If you want it to last longer, you reapply it.

I love every aspect of making natural perfume. It is a transcendent experience that takes me out of myself into a world of sensory discovery.