Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

I got a call two months ago from an associate editor at Palm Beach Cottages and Gardens Magazine, published by Conde Nast. She said they wanted to put a bit in their "What's New" section for the March issue. The magazine came out on Friday, and I got my copy in the mail today. Pretty good coverage for a perfume line that was only officially launched in December. Click here and follow the link to see my homemade photo positioned above a $730,000 Mont Blanc pen!

STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 Time for a break from blogging again. Time to network more with the people around the globe who are aghast at the bad science, bad attitude and outright bias that International Fragrance Association (IFRA) and also the European Union (EU) are exhibiting towards natural perfume materials. Just when natural products are enjoying a 20% annual rise in sales, and traditional products only 3-4% rise, they want to severely limit our access too these gorgeous, lovely natural aromatics. Yes, perhaps some essential oils or absolutes, if used in an excessive amount *may* cause a rash in in some people; wine causes allergies, too, but we don't see the EU limiting it, or banning it. My time has been eaten up by the learning curve necessary to work on this. On Sunday I had to take a few hours to cobble together a printout for an esteemed ethnobotanist and natural perfumer because he is without a computer, and I couldn't just send him links to websites.

Tony Burfield's recent work challenging IFRA and the EU has forced them to show their hand, and here is the plain, awful truth, which Tony said all along was their agenda: http://www.cosmeticsdesign-europe.com/news/printNewsBis.asp?id=74667 They're insisting that synths are good, and naturals are bad and expensive. Baloney (well, ok, some naturals are expensive, let the market find it's own level.) Funny they cite Calone: it was the first perfume ingredient that ever caused a respiratory reaction from me. For my entire life, despite dousing myself in perfumes that yes, contained some synths, when Calone was introduced, it, and the other harsh synths that followed, caused both me and a lot of the general public to rebel against heavy, harsh perfumes. I had no idea what, at that time, had changed perfume, I just knew everyone was complaining. Before that, I remember people would complain someone was wearing "too much" perfume, but after the age of harsh synths came

STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 1st March 2007 Dear Sirs, Please find attached the petition posted up at http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ifra40/ http://www.cropwatch.org/40thpetition.htm . You will note that there are approx. 740 signatories to date, including perfumers, natural perfumers, MD's of aroma ingredient companies, aroma technicians, academicians, soap makers, staff from cosmetic & natural products companies as well as natural products commodity end-users from countries as diverse as Russia, Iceland & USA. There are a number of anonymous signatories, and to avoid any unfair accusations of ballot-rigging or signature duplication, we are quite willing to submit the owner's version of this petition (which reveals fuller identity details), to an independent 3rd party (who will need to agree to absolute confidentiality), if the need should arise. I think you if you read the comments section of the petition - scroll through http://www.ipetitions.com/petit

Another of the short, fun, or informative posts I've been making for the past few days...here's some great news. Several of the European natural perfumers are taking action and proposing a NP conference in the next year to year and a half in Europe. It's very exciting to see the energy and interest and I just wanted to post a short note about it to put the word out there into the Universe. It seems they'll probably meet informally to plan the event, to get to know each other and work out details, and then finalize the conference details. More announcements to follow. We're discussing this in my Yahoo group,linked in the right column, if anyone cares to chime in and join in.

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STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 I need to relax. Next week I'm going to post on frivolous, fun, fragrant stuff. The IFRA/EU Global Harmonization is coming, it'll change the way, or the ability, to continue business for many artisan perfumers. I'll work on it behind the scenes, but yowza, it's really taken a chunk of my personal and business life working on all these issues. I did have a great, fun Valentine's Day, great restaurant, South Beach cruising, and a preview of the huge boat show in town this weekend, and I realized that was the first day I've taken off in weeks! This Libra needs to catch up on her lovin' and loungin' ;-) Tuberose, jasmine, neroli, petitgrain, beeswax, ambergris, pandanus, jamrosa, ambrette, etc., etc....gotta get back to the basics.

STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 POLL CLOSED AGAIN. No explanation, no links left. So, the following post is moot, but the situation is interesting. Perfumer and Flavorist magazine has decided to extend the poll by reopening it for votes. The new deadline is March 5th. You can read the editor's letter about this at: http://www.perfumerflavorist.com/news/5761601.html At first I thought the original poll was going to be tossed out for the new one, but the editor assured me today that the results are being carried over. You can't vote this time if you voted previously, which is not spelled out on the website, so if you have already voted, and care about the issue, circulate this information to other interested folks. You have to go to the main page to vote. Anyway the new results go, it looks good for Tony and Cropwatch http://cropwatch.org David (Cropwatch) is really nipping at Goliath's (IFRA/EU) heel, and them not accepting the results of this unscientific (Allured

STOP THE FDA GLOBALIZATION ACT OF 2008 Please note that there is a detailed FAQ on this issue, linked at the end of the press release. -Boycott Called to Halt Adoption of International Fragrance Association’s (IFRA) 40 th Amendment by UK-based Watchdog Organization Cropwatch Gains Momentum with Online Poll and Petition. Online poll by Perfumer and Flavorist newsletter P&F now shows a landslide for Cropwatch with 85.1% of the vote. -USA- based Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild joins in effort to Demand Opening the Process Up for Public Input and Review of the Process before thousands of small perfumery and toiletry businesses are adversely affected by restrictive, unfair compliance standards. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: MIAMI SHORES, Fla./February 8, 2007.  On February 7, 2007, fragrance and flavor trade magazine Perfumer & Flavorist released the results of an online poll showing 85.1% of readers in favor of boycotting proposed fragrance industry guidelines that will heavi

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

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

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

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

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

Photo of a woman perfuming her garments with incense of Ambergris "Fumée d ambre gris" by Sargent. Vegans beware -- this post is not for you. Squeamish folks beware -- same warning. Animal products in perfume. There, we all settled in now for a nice discussion of using animal "stuff" in perfume? Well, not all perfume. I'm going to discuss the animal products I use in my perfume. As long as the animal isn't harmed, I'm for it. No need to address goat hair again, Frontrunner (see post below) has been ID'd and we can all see he's quite healthy and unharmed. I find that the incredible complexity, the pheromonal pull, and the staying power of perfume is fabulous when a tiny bit of animal "stuff" is in the mix. I won't use anything that harms an animal. Period. One anonymous grouch (they're always anonymouse, lol) wrote me trying to be sarcastic and accusatory that there's no need for animal products in perfume. Well, that goes

(Please see update at the end of this post re: Frontrunner.) Helg's Perfume Shrine blog is featuring reviews of my perfumes, and her writing is putting me on cloud nine. Already reviewed this week, Fairchild is joined today by a review of Pan that cracked me up, replete with a quote from Led Zeppelin. Helg will review Riverside next. I'm stunned by her writing ability, as you will be if you look back through all her blog's entries. It is gratifying for a perfumer when a stranger on the other side of the globe (Greece) conjures up visions and words that make the fragrance come to life via words. Now if only the New York Times knew of Helg! The lovely blond-haired goat that had the hair around his horns snipped for Pan is named Frontrunner and he lives contentedly on a farm in British Columbia where he keeps a lot of lady goats happy so they produce an abundance of milk for Tracy's Goat Milk Skin Care products at the Natures Natural Solutions farm (that's what I

Just a short post today because I'm in a twirl over the fact that two stores, one in Dallas, one in Seattle, and two spas, one in Canada, the other in Miami, want to carry my perfumes. I couldn't let this wonderful dialogue, stimulated by an excellent post by the lovely Helg's blog, wafting out from Greece, go unnoticed. Her Perfume Shrine illuminates the oddities and innacuracies in the recent New York Times article by Chandler Burr that attacked the use of natural aromatics in perfume. I posted a link to Helg's entry on the Perfume of Life forum , and I think lovers of perfume - natural or synth! - will enjoy the exchanges and illuminations going on there. I will not even attempt to find an illustration for this entry, since Helg's is the absolute perfect image.

It's late in the day, but I just found this out when I visited my friend Anne in Sweden's yummy Anne's Food Blog that we're supposed to list five blogs that are new to us on our blogs. This is all springing from the organizers of the event Blog Day 2006 This is hard for me, since I don't visit blogs often, just the ones in my blog roll. Well, I had to pick Cupcake Bakeshop listed on Anne's site, which is a bit of a cheat, but I LOVE cupcakes, so there it is ;-) I discovered a lucky student on a grant was traveling the world visiting sources of fragrant aromatics for the perfume industry, but the Scent Traveler hasn't posted in a while, too bad. Enjoy her archives. From a completely different dimension, and a locale that will soon be mine is the lovely and demure Twisty Who Blames the Patriarchy a spinster aunt for all seasons (and seasonings - woman likes her Tex Mex.) Austin and all Texans and patriarchs are her fun and fodder.

In the past month, since the launch of my line of Anya's Garden Perfumes, many samples have made their way around the world. UPDATE: even though I am not going to purchase the huge lot of bottles that are planned for the line, (because I'm moving half way across the country), due to popular demand - and impatient perfumistas who want some juice *now* - I have a small lot of some bottles on their way to me this week. They're not the *real* bottles, since I need to order them by the 1000s, but they'll make due in this pinch. Email me privately if you're interested in full bottles of any of the perfumes you've sampled. So the samples are making the rounds, and various reviews are coming in. One from a perfumer, Andy Tauer, one from a perfumer-in-training and Guild member, Lucy of Indie Perfumes, and now one from a perfumista on a forum I frequent. They've all reviewed Pan, attracted by the fact, I suppose that I am the first perfumer to incorporate tinctured