Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

Several natural perfumers and the owner of a natural perfume company joined me in writing "The State of Natural Perfumery 2012" for Basenotes. It's fascinating and enlightening to see everyone's individual take on our fragrant art. I hope you enjoy this unique, collaborative effort. http://www.basenotes.net/ content/ 1154-The-State-of-Natural-Perfu mery-2012

The Natural Perfumers Guild has added a new benefit to membership: group bottle buys.  What this does is bring affordable, beautiful bottles into the micro-businesses that make up the Guild.  No matter what category membership a Guild member holds, they can take part in this.  Elise Pearlstine generously offered to help organize the buy and administer it.  She made the initial contact with suppliers to identify what was available in case lots, then she received samples from them, and she and I evaluated them. We looked at the bottles and caps available, and determined that yes, even though five or six Guild members might be sharing the same buy, with different caps and labels, there would be enough of an aesthetic difference so that the perfume bottle would be "their own" as it were. After presenting about nine different bottles/sizes to the Guild members via a photo gallery in our private Yahoo group, bottles G and J were selected by those participating in the buy.  I

Admin Announcement from Anya McCoy, Guild President: The Natural Perfumers Guild Wekcines Elise Pearlstine as Administrative Manager.  Elise, the nose of Bellyflowers Perfumes , is taking on several projects as part of her duties for the Guild. First, Elise has inventoried and categorized all of the items in the Guild Scent Library.   As Perfumers and Associates join the Guild, they are requested to submit, according to their category, perhaps one full size bottle of perfume, and samples of their perfume line, or perhaps soaps, body lotions and other fragrant products.  It is important that we keep a reference library of the Perfumers products first and foremost, for historical purposes and also for PR and communication purposes.  Elise will contact Guild members who may need to send products to fill in the gaps of their materials in the Scent Library.  Second, Elis

Bay Leaf hydrosol flowing into the beaker I recently had to cut down - with much sorrow - a huge bay leaf tree/bush that I planted about 10 years ago. Many meals have benefited from the organic leaves of the Laurus nobilis I harvested from that tree. Planted at the SE corner of my patio, it had to be removed for patio expansion. I saved the roots, trunk, limbs and leaves, and they are all going to be used, nothing wasted. The roots, trunk and twigs will be used when I barbeque, as their aromatic beauty will flavor everything on the grill with a complex, floral, yet earthy and woody fragrance and taste. Now, I reasoned, was a great time to start distilling. Then with amazing clarity, the Universe confirmed my feeling. Within one week, a distiller I had known for years on the internet but not corresponded with in a year or two contacted me about joining the Guild with his newly-founded business, a Yahoo Natural Perfumery (YNP) group member joined the Guild and informed me he's making