Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

Oh, no, my beloved kewda flower, the male flower of the Pandanus odoritissimus, a Prehistoric plant that has survived for millions of year, may be in danger because of a proposed Indian law.   It seems that the kewda flower is one ingredient used in a rather toxic chewing gum known as gutkha.  You can read the article for all the details, but I will cut the chase about the problem:  an industry may be shut down because of this, an industry that supports many families and a beautiful product that is used in perfumery.  I use pandanus flower oil in two of my perfumes, Fairchild and Kewdra.  I will be able to harvest the flower here in Miami or grow my own if supply dries up.   Pandanus - aka Kewda flower I truly don't think it will dry up, because some of the distilleries will remain active.  Perhaps the distilleries could have been more forward-thinking and used some long range planning for alternative uses for their kewda oil, but often industries ...

It's a hot and steamy day in Miami, the peach-scented frangipanis, Vietnamese gardenias, gardenias, white champaka and long-petaled jasmine, next to the Confederate jasmines, are blooming.  I'll be enfleuraging and tincturing all day, but will still love to answer your perfumery questions. Oh, and once I sort through all the entries, write the respondent's names down, cut the paper with the name into strips, I'll choose the winners from the Guild- and ginger-helpful respnses this past week.  Well, one name will be selected because I like the name they've suggested for the non-fresh ginger. First, though, coffee!

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 th...

Can you help me?  I need two things from my readers. There will be a freebie gift for two helpful souls who reply, one for each subject. First:  Back in late 2006, I stumbled across *fresh* ginger root essential oil at liberty natural.  There were two - one from Madagascar, one from Indonesia.  I immediately told my perfumery friends about it, and I used the fresh version in the kits for my students.  Why the excitement? Fresh grated ginger - zest, fresh, hot, spicy fragrance Previously, the only ginger root oil available was from the peeled, sun-dried roots, and it was a middle note for perfumery.  It had a mellow, soft fragrance, much like the dried ginger powder you get for baking purposes.  This fresh ginger, on the other hand, smelled just like the fresh cut or grated root!  Hot, spicy, wet, luscious, and a top note! I've used the aged, dried ginger EO, because it is valuable in perfumery and for food and drink purposes, but its so...

Nowhere in the 350 page textbook, nor in the online study area of the website (access via password to the private area) will at student of the Natural Perfumery Institu te find a formula.  Not a formula for an accord.  Not a formula for a basic perfume.  I don't instruct students to study existing perfumes, either mainstream or niche, synthetic types, or natural. Students are given the skill set to properly evaluate, analyze and categorize the array of natural aromatics that they obtain, either by purchasing the course kits, or have purchased on their own.  They are instructed how to create accords and evaluate how the aromatics interact.  They then are given instructions on how make a perfume. This system works beautifully, in my opinion, and allows the students intellect and creativity to combine, allowing them to set their own aesthetic.  They still adhere to the fragrance family paradigm, and select a cohesive theme for their perfume, say, a gourm...

Ask the Perfumer is open for questions from hot and humid Miami - summer is giving us a sneak peek with 90F-degree weather today.  I'm just in from watering my plants, which, since we're on water restrictions, is only on Wednesday and Sunday, and I'm wilting.  Perk me up with your questions. And today is a very special day for Mandy Aftel, master natural perfumer - she's nominated for three FiFi Awards from the Fragrance Foundation.  I believe it's the first ever Indie Awards by them, so it's quite a coup. 

In the Spring, do your thoughts turn to lighter perfumes? Ask the Perfumer is open for questions today, and with a gentle reminder: please do not post follow-up questions to me privately during the week.  This is the forum for all questions.

It's a beautiful day here in Miami, and I'll be working on extracting the scent of hyacinths both by enfleurage and tincturing.  I hope you have a beautiful day, too, and if you have any perfumery questions, I'll be here until 10 PM.

I'm here until 10 PM to answer questions you have about perfumery.  There may be a time lag until your questions appear, as I'm in and out all day.  Have a beautiful Sunday!

I'm really going to be blogging a lot more, especially since I realize that I failed to mention Tom Pease's review of Kaffir perfume on Perfume Posse on February 7th! I did tweet about the review, calling it "stunningly accurate", but that's definitely not the same as posting here, on the blog. Some of Tom's comments did stun me - in a great way.  To hear that my perfumes are his "armor" and "heartlessly chic", in the vein of Bandit, an iconic mainstream perfume was just wonderful.  Too often, we perfumers work in solitude, and yes, sales can indicate that customers love our creations, but we also don't get direct feedback, except from bloggers. When I wake up every day, the first business thought on my mind is - how can I help my customers?  Sound odd.  It isn't, if you think about it.  Tom was helped by a perfume so feisty, that he felt it was like "Bandit" and provided him with "armor".  Most females, I w...

Ask the Perfumer forum is open for Sunday, Feb. 27, 2011.  I'm happy to assist you with your perfumery questions and as usual, I will be in and out all day, so if it's not answered immediately, be assured it will be by tonight.

I've just dashed in, ready for perfumery questions.  I hope everyone is enjoying a beautiful day!

I'll be in and out of the studio today, but don't hesitate to leave your questions, I'll get to all of them.  I love checking the stats for this feature, and seeing all the hits from all over the world. Some check back over and over in the course of a day, so it's obvious this feature really interests you!  If there are 700 hits, maybe I only get five questions, but everyone is sharing in the answers.  Don't be afraid to post, because those of you who do post to me via email know I point you right back here ;-)

Ah, Bob Marley's birthday!  Any hemp oil related questions? Maybe pimento oil (the best is from Jamaica)? I'll be in and out throughout the day, enjoying the highest temps in the nation right now.  Miami rocks in February!