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Perfumer and Flavorist Poll on Cropwatch v. IFRA Issue

The industry magazine Perfumer and Flavorist is running a poll until February 7th on the boycott that Cropwatch has called for against the IFRA 40th Amendment. Cropwatch is trying to get IFRA to allow discussion of the proposed amendment before it is automatically adopted. If you click on the P&F website here scroll down to the lower left corner of the page to vote. You can read more about the issues in my post Freedom to Choose, below. STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008

Freedom to Choose -- and Use -- as Informed Consumers - STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008

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Headline: EU Issues Plastic Bubble Pods for Everyone - Protection from Everything Guaranteed OK, let's get serious. STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 Fir st thing I must state is that no natural perfumer, or traditional perfumer I know, desires that any product they create would cause a rash, irritation, allergy or respiratory problem in the consumer. Or themselves, for that matter, since we deal with the essences every day. The user of natural aromatics, whether they are for personal or professional use just wants something that smells wonderful, puts them in a good mood, and has that deeply wonderful gestalt that only comes from nature. We also recognize that some naturals can cause problems because of their chemical makeup. They're also after some synth oils created in a lab, but I'm here to focus on the naturals, since they let a lot of the synths slid into use without proper review. Are you a niche, boutique perfumer who uses either all natural aromatics, or, p

Pricing - A Cautionary Tale

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Ahhhh...the smell of money. As intoxicating and seductive as a gorgeous natural perfume....but....your business skills have to match your blending skills, and your PR skills may also be called upon if you're caught with your pants down, and your bottom line down even further due to bad planning. Pricing your product is a tricky business, and you have to take many current and future variables into account: Materials Labor R&D Loss Rent & Overhead Advertising Website Contract Manufacturing Employees FICA, taxes etc., etc. So many homegrown businesses start to fail when they start to grow because the owner didn't factor all of the above, plus some I've forgotten to list because I'm jotting this message down in between many errands today, so, basically, their success kills the business. Many of us won't reveal how we arrive at our price point. It's just too complicated, too personal. If you're really serious, and you wish for your business to grow beyon

Artisanal - Worldwide and Wonderful

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This image of perfumed gloves hand-in-hand, as if two friends reaching out and clasping hands in friendship is very evocative of the old Artisan Perfumer and Glovemakers Guild in France. The two guilds used to be intertwined, since Grasse was the center for both the perfume and glovemaking industry, and perfumed gloves were the rage for many years. Now guilds are spread out all over the world, all with the same credo: help others learn the art of whatever the product is you are making, and work to keep the standards up by finding new methods and helping the apprentices. The Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild, although only six months old, has 75 members now, from all over the world. This week, if you click on the Basenotes website you'll see photos of a guild member,  Alexandra Balahoutis, who was interviewed by Basenotes, and the guild logo, posted by Basenotes in recognition of the guild naming December Natural Perfume Month. It's a historic moment of our small, growing gu

December is Natural Perfume Month - Follow Up

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What a great response! Many perfume blogs posted about this (see original blog entry, below) and I'll be interviewed on Marlen's Perfume Critic blog next week on the subject. The major magazines' beauty editors that received promotional baskets with the announcement were so supportive when I spoke with them - and they've been supportive of natural perfumery in the past, so we're all looking forward to the increased public awareness of the art. The Guild is taking baby steps, reaching out, spreading the word as best we can. Thanks for Ayala for her amazing work on her blog advertising all the Guild member's sites in association with December is Natural Perfume Month. Thanks to Now Smell This, Bois de Jasmin, Scented Salamander, Indie Perfumes, Coutorture, Blogarithm, and portals far and wide who picked up on it -- and please forgive me if I've forgotten to list your blog, but let me know, and I'll add it.

Bad Suppliers Will Scrooge Ya

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Don't Get Toadally Scroodged This will probably be my longest post ever here, but the subject is coming up so often on my group, weekly, in fact, I was urged to go public with it. We recently had a chat going on my *private* natural perfumery (NP) group about NPers receiving fake aromatics from suppliers they trusted. It's not the first time this has been brought up, and it seems the same guilty suppliers are still selling bunk. Bad news for the naturals industry, since they misrepresent their oils, and we NPers are dedicated to using only natural aromatics. Con artists, ripoffs, fakery and just plain lying have plagued the perfume industry for centuries. Nothing new under the sun there. When aromatherapy (AT) became popular a few decades ago, many enthusiasts jumped in and started importing oils and selling them to hobbyists and in turn, professionals, as the discipline grew. I want to bring this discussion out in a more public venue such as this blog, since many newbies enter

December is Natural Perfume Month

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December Is Named Natural Perfume Month By Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild December is Natural Perfume Month When Fragrant Trees and Wreaths Bring the Outdoors In, and Natural Perfume is the Gift of Choice for Many For Immediate Release MIAMI SHORES, Fla./EWORLDWIRE/Nov 29, 2006 --- The Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild has named December Natural Perfume Month in recognition of the growing interest in natural fragrances. The first naturally-perfumed gifts associated with the month of December were those given in Bethlehem of frankincense and myrrh. Those fragrant tree resins are found in many natural perfumes today. Click below to see an enlarged picture of rare Hojari Frankincense incense, one of the most beautiful fragrances in the world: During this month, ancient traditions called for a fragrant conifer tree, wreaths and boughs decorating the home. Today, the wonderful aroma of cooking with sweet spices like cinnamon and clove adds to the ambiance, creating a true holiday atmosphere.

Anya's Garden Store Now Open

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Thanksgiving weekend has given me a reason to be extra-thankful. No hurricanes this season (yay!), I placed over 70 families in an emergency situation re: collapsing roofs (due to Hurricane Wilma-weakened roofs) into new housing in the past month when they were made homeless by October/November rains, and finally got my website store up and running. Life interferes when you're trying to make perfumes!;-) It's been a struggle through two hurricane seasons, since I ended my private label contracts with South Beach hotels that were longtime business associates, launched Anya's Garden, launched the Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild, refused a number of custom perfume contracts due to priority obligations, well, Whew! I think the hard work is over, it's going to be all about the great fragrances from now on. Natural perfumers tend to be sticklers for control. We have to. Our perfumes must meet the highest standards, our packaging must reflect our aesthetic and philosophy, and

A Timely Hiatus To Work Locally Helping Neighbors

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Today is the one year anniversary of Hurrican Wilma hitting us here in South Florida. My house was without power for fifteen days. I was lucky that there was no damage to my house. Others, however, a year later, still have blue tarps on their roofs, no repairmen or supplies in sight, and are living in substandard conditions. We're all also suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome; children cry during rainstorms, and adults get tight-lipped and worried with each gust of wind. It's estimated that 15,000 homes in Dade and Broward are without solid, safe roofs, subject to flooding in the next storm. Every rain storm brings news reports of more people made homeless as the blue tarps fly off, exposing their homes and apartments to the rain. My business and personal life is very busy, so I had to find something(s) to eliminate right now. I'm going to take some time off from this blog to help with the efforts to rebuild South Florida, and also to aid in the struggle for affor

Recognizing Redefining Perfume: Letter to Natural Health Magazine on Natural Botanical Perfumery

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On July 27, 2006 I was chatting on a thread on the natural perfumery group I host on Yahoo (link on the right) about an article on natural perfumers in the then-current Natural Health magazine. There were several "regular" perfumers included in the article, and the mention of phthalates made it seem like we use them. With Mandy Aftel's help, I drafted a letter to the magazine. They just published the letter, edited of course, in the November issue! It's so wonderful to see the name of the Guild and natural perfumery presented in a positive light in the media ;-) Here's the original letter I sent. Dear Editor: I am the President of the Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild, founded by Mandy Aftel, and I'm the host of a 900+ member Yahoo group for natural perfumers. Natural perfumers define themselves as artists who use only aromatics from nature, such as absolutes, concretes and essential oils from plants. They may also use natural source beeswax, and perhaps ambergr