Anya's Garden Perfumes + The Natural Perfumery Institute

The Natural Perfumers Guild, the world’s largest organization for natural perfumery, is defining the scope of natural aromatics in accord with the vision of our art. Natural isolates are aromatics consisting of odor molecules from natural materials. Members voted on what constitutes a natural isolate to meet challenges to the "naturalness" of isolates. The Guild position serves to guide members and to assure the public of the Guild’s commitment to high standards of the art of natural perfumery. The Guild's standard exceeds ISO 9235, the International Organization of Standardization publication on standards for aromatic raw materials. Miami, FL, May 15, 2012 --( PR.com )-- The Natural Perfumers Guild, the largest organization of natural perfumers in the world, is defining the scope of natural aromatic isolates in order to assist its professional natural perfumers as they move forward with their desire to use these scent materials. Natural isolates ar

I intended to write the backstory of the Guild's vote on the adopted definition of natural isolates today because of the press release going out today, but it's a huge post, and I need to proof it.  In the meantime, I wanted to offer you this eye candy of roses and their scents just for the sheer enjoyment of it. They're from Martha Steward magazine, and I found them floating on the internet.

I have a well-trained Scent Memory, and I provide my students at the Natural Perfumery Institute with the tools to link the nose, hand, mind via specific exercises and recording forms to train themselves. Scent Memory is a valuable tool! Here's an interesting story.  Hewlett Packard convinced a town in the USA to do without print for a week.  This experiment was also conducted in India and Singapore, and the two quotes from those locales are what surprised me.  The woman in Singapore though her perfumes smelled different when she didn't have the labels to ID them, and a man in India complained that his mother-in-law didn't cook for the week because she didn't know what spices were what! Yes, I would be confused in a supermarket if all the labels were removed - who wouldn't - but my sense of smell would definitely get me through the perfume confusion, as I have so many raw materials and perfumes committed to Scent Memory.  I wouldn't have any problems with

Dear Friends: There will be no Ask the Perfumer forum today, as it is Mother's day in the USA and my mother died just six weeks ago.  I will spend the day quietly.  I wish all love and good wishes towards those of you who still have your mothers.  Here is a photo of my mother taken June, 1966 when she was 46 years old.  I couldn't bring myself to write a tribute to her today, as I have been very sad all week.  However, if there was a one sentence tribute, it would be that she is the one who introduced me to my first passion, perfume, and that has stayed with me every day of my life.

The New Logo for The Natural Perfumery Institute click here: http://Perfume Classes.com I found a delightful graphic designer to work with, and she quickly helped me make my vision for the rebranding logo for what was formerly Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute into the Natural Perfumery Institute.  The website will also go a redesign, a minor one, incorporating the logo. I'll use the word delightful again to describe my Consulting Editor Andrine Olson because she is a delight to work with as we go through the textbook for its fourth edition.  We found some minor typos this time around, and we are clearing up some language to make the book even more student-friendly.  Andrine worked for major corporations as a technical editor, and also taught courses to engineers, many of who did not speak English as a first language.  She brought those talents to my textbook, and in going over it, page by page, I was stunned, once again, at the clarity and depth and br

There's still a little bit of rose centifolia wafting over from last week.  Ian of Shirley Price Aromatherapy sent a detailed comment to the blog after hours.  You might like to read it here .  Just scroll down the comments to find Ian's comment. My garden is alive with the fragrance of so many gorgeous blooming plants right now!  All the jasmines, the Brunfelsia (nighttime clove/carnation scent), the Tahitian and Vietnamese gardenias, and of course, the dependable Aglaia odorata - Chinese Perfume tree.  It sometimes seems this tree only takes a tiny break between flowering.  The Full Moon certainly brought it to full flush. Last night I attended a memorial for Bob McCulley, the gardener who took care of my plants.  I introduced Bob to the Aglaia, and he started to introduce them to gardens all over Miami Shores and North Miami.  He grew to love this carefree fragrant tree as much as I did. This lemon/floral-scented beauty is a tidy small tree with glossy green foliage an

Last week James posted a question that stumped me.  I attempted a weak answer about "why isn't there any rosa centifolia essential oil?" Rosa centifolia photo from Aromatics International - where they sell the hydrosol of this rose I asked three experts to help me, and they quickly came to the rescue: Andrea Butje of Aromahead is one of those experts who is humble enough to say when something is outside of her area of knowledge: Hi Anya, Nice to hear from you! I *imagine* that it is because the flower petals are too delicate to withstand the heat of a distillation. That may be why it is produced only as an absolute. Must be the damascena flowers are stronger. But not being a distiller or expert on distilling roses, I can not be totally sue. Maybe ask a rose distiller? How about Alain at Florihana. He is amazing. So I asked Alain of Florihana and he offered this expert information:   Bonjour Anya, There is no essential oil availab

Well, there is some room for fun double entendres.  After all, isn't jasmine associated with lusty romance, the scent known to entire the opposite sex (no matter what sex you are!)? So when I read this article, well, yes, my mind went there. The only problem I have is with the fact that Dr. Hirsch, who is well-known for his aromatic sensory studies (remember the findings that men find lavender and pumpkin spice arousing - that was his study) is that it's never clear if he using true, natural aromatics or synths.  Are we to believe he use pricey jasmine grandiflorum?  If not, and a well-paid ball player wanted "the real stuff", believing it would give him an advantage over his synth-sniffing opponents, would he try to source from reputable suppliers?  I guess the analogy of replacing steroids in the story shows parallels of a sort :-) Oh, and the photo below. Priceless! "Jasmine makes me bite my bat".  Please, stop me, I can't help myself, LOL. http

I want to thank Christopher of White Lotus Aromatics for bringing the passage from Chapter XXL (quoted below) from George William Askinson's book Perfumes and their Preparation (1892) to my attention. Christopher added a link to this part of Askinson's book to his Facebook feed, and I wanted to quote it here, because this passage from Askinson's book shows that the antimicrobial value of airborne essential oils were recognized as killing the bugs for many centuries.  When I tell people I haven't had a cold or flu since December 1970 - yes, 1970 - they are shocked.  For many years, I told them that I think my use of fresh herbs and essential oils in my food and drinks built up my immune system.  EOs are fabulously anti-microbial, and many aromatherapy/medical research studies have documented that fact.  The studies, however, mostly address the inhalation or ingestion of oils after an affliction occurs, and do not speak of addressing the strengthening of the immune

A main element of the basic natural perfumery course from the Natural Perfumery Institute is the intent to bring the student a strong foundation in all aspects of perfumery.  Below is a sample of one of the technical reports known as a GC - gas chromatograph.  The basic course does not go far into the reading of such a technical report, as that requires much more in-depth study to be able to interpret.  Being aware of such reports, and knowing some of the basics of it, and why it is valuable, is covered. Example: 1.12:  Forms, Sheets, and Charts for Module 1                                                        Organoleptic Evaluation Forms                                                                                Organoleptic Evaluation Form - Sample                                                               Organoleptic Evaluation Form                                                                              Aromatic Lexicon                             

Dear readers: you have until midnight tonight, Apr 23, to sign up.  Alert for those who love beautiful natural aromatics: this week I'm going to have an incredible sale on golden boronia absolute. IF you can find it elsewhere, the price is much, much higher than what I'll be offering the 4mls for. This will be offered to my newsletter subscribers only, so please sign up at: http://anyasgarden.com/signup.htm

Have you planted fragrant plants in anticipation of using them for tinctures, distillation or another means of extraction.  I have this pricey butane extraction unit that I was given to play around with, but I need a source of PURE butane before I can use it.  Anybody in the South Florida area know of one? Acme Gas doesn't carry it.  I'd love to use the butane extractor, but I'll settle for any of the above processes in the meantime.  If you have any perfumery questions this Sunday, I'll be here until 10 PM EST USA to help.

Last year Trygve of Enfleurage asked me if I was growing Quisqualis in my fragrant garden.  She knew I grew and harvested fragrant flowers leaves and roots for scent extraction.  The distillations, tinctures and enfleurage washes are made from my garden bounty and find their way into my perfumes.  At first the name didn't register, then I remembered Rangoon Creeper, a vine that is almost a weed here in South Florida. It can spread aggressively, covering trees and buildings! I decided to give it a try, on a length of fence on the far side of my property, a place that doesn't get any supplemental irrigation.  Within one year, the vine is about 25' long, and is setting out spreader branches in several directions.  I'll prune it to keep in check, and in the meantime, I'm enjoy the nighttime/early morning fragrance of the thousands of flowers blooming.  I'm growing the single-flowers variety, and there is a double-flowered variety available.  The double-flowered va

This is the first perfume bottle I ever purchased as a collectible.  I was living in Syracuse, New York and was a student.  I couldn't resist this Devilbiss black and chrome Art Deco beauty, and I have cherished it from the day I obtained it.  It's traveled from Syracuse to Tampa, to Philadelphia, to Naples (FL) and then Fort Lauderdale and eventually to Miami.  It now resides on the upper right shelf of my new perfume display cabinet.  It only cost $12, but it is priceless and irreplaceable to me.  From research, I believe it was made in 1927. A triptych view of my Devilbiss:

Dear Friends: I'm back hosting "Ask the Perfumer" every Sunday, after a few weeks off due to the death of my mother.  Life changes can be traumatic, but also a look towards a future that, if you're a  positive person like myself, holds many wonderful possibilities.  I didn't blend at all the past five or six months, because of my energies being channeled towards my mother, but I now feel renewed and will soon be back to making mods, challenging myself with the direction the perfume takes, and otherwise being engaged in all things related to natural perfumery, education, and the Guild. I'd love to again start receiving your perfume-making queries, so I'll be here until 10 PM EST (USA).

An industrial designer has come up with an interesting concept: jewelry as a perfume bottle.  I like that the little sprayer is in the necklace.  I don't care for the modern, stark design, but that's subjective.  http://www.industrialdesignserved.com/gallery/Perfume-flacon-as-a-jewellery/2402374  I can see one big flaw in this design.  The original concept is good, but as you use the perfume, the amount in the "jewel" piece goes down, as it would in a bottle.  Might not be so attractive then.  That's one reason I never added necklaces with glass pendants to hold perfume.  To me, it would just look strange to have a half-full pendant.  Do you agree?

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

On December 19, 2011, I wrote about the arrival of my little frankincense tree.  Click here to read and see the photo.  Even for a dormant tree, Little Frankie looked pretty poorly.  The heat pack that he was shipped with torched his growing tip, and fried his few remaining leaves.  I potted him up in a cactus soil mix, put him on my kitchen windowsill and watered him with about a teaspoon of filtered water once or twice a week.  I'm sure my housekeeper thought I was overly optimistic, as he looked like a bare, dead twig. On March 18, Jeanne Rose wrote to me via my Anya's Garden Perfumes group on Facebook, asking how my tree was doing, as she believed hers, purchased at the same time, was dead.  Later that day I observed Little Frankie starting with the tiniest of leaves flushing out, and told Jeanne to have patience, perhaps her tree would come out of dormancy, too. I had been cautiously optimistic, because the dead tip, also the site of the apical meristem in the plant,

There won't be an Ask the Perfumer forum today due to a family medical emergency.

I believe I was the first perfumer in American to grow and harvest the Aglaia tree, aka the Chinese Perfume Tree, and I've been extracting the scent from the tiny flowers for about four years now. I've shown the flowers in other photos previously on this blog, but I don't believe I ever showed them with another object that would put them in scale.  Notice how tiny the panicle of flowers are, and how tiny each flower is.  The latest harvest is the first one where I've ever been able to clip a group of panicles, rather than just grab the individual panicles at the base and strip off the flowers.  This is because the tree has started to produce clumps of panicles, and I just snip off the clump, along with some leaves, as you can see.   The 3/4-full quart jar of aglaia flower tincture has been added to about three dozen times, the typical number for a traditional French enfleurage, even though, of course, this is not enfleurage.  It's just that

I'm totally right-brained when it comes to collecting perfume bottles. If something catches my eye, I have to have it.  No logic involved.  I have some bottles with dings that lower their market value, but that doesn't matter to me, the beauty of the bottle is what pulls me in. This antique perfume bottle is worn, so some of the 18-karat gold wash is missing, but to me that only shows that the bottle was used, and loved, by someone many, many years ago.  It stands about 3/5" tall with the stopper, so it holds (held) a good amount of perfume.  There is no scent left in the bottle.  Here are several views of the bottle.  The third one shows the pontil mark. Click on the images to see closeup details of the scroll work.  I believe the gold band leaves represent acanthus leaves, which may indicate the Art Nouveau era.  If anyone has an ideas about the gold band images, or the finer detail work above and below the gold band, please leave a comment.

Louching illustrated from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absinthe Pernod is a green liquor that turns milky white when water is added.  A lovely step-by-step illustration of louching. In Module 6 of my basic perfumery course's textbook, I introduce the student to the sometimes scary time when your dilution or blend louches. The textbook is almost encyclopedic in breadth and depth, because my beginner students are encouraged to hold themselves in the highest regard, and to that end, be able to converse with professional perfumers, even though they have not achieved that status yet.  Knowing the language and definitons of perfumery is paramount to a great education . Louching – a Blending Phenomenon Something that you need to know about before you begin any serious work on your blends is louching.   This is a phenomenon that you are likely to experience when you are finessing your perfume and you add water to it in order to increase diffusivity.   The word louching desc

I got a late start today, but I'll be here all day, until 10PM EST to answer your questions about perfumery.  Got one that you think will stump me?

When I opened my front door this morning, greeted by a rush of fragrance from my Chinese perfume tree, Aglaia odorata, I was pleasantly surprised when I looked to my left, and about 40 feet away, saw a large white crane sniffing the Confederate jasmine Trachleospermum jasminoides.  I rushed inside to get my camera, and when I quietly walked down the path to get a closer shot, the crane slowly moved away.  So, all I have is a photo of the solitary crane, and a shot of the jasmine, but put his beak into the flowers (in your mind) and you'll see what I saw :-)

The Chinese Perfume Tree is full of fragrant flowers, each the size of a matchhead, with a scent intensity that is HUGE.  This little tree can scent the entire garden. The peach-scented frangipanis are in full bloom, bursting out of dormancy. The big round shrub in the background is Jasmine azoridum, covered with flowers. A closeup of the end cluster of frangipanis on the tree pictured above.  We had a lot of rain this morning, and the flowers are loving it.  See the little spider web on the right?  I'll bet the spider is having fun in the rain.

I've been searching for over a year.  I hate to shop.  I scoured stores in Dade and Broward counties looking for the perfect display cabinet for my perfume bottle collection, my vintage vault bottle collection and perfume accessories.  Nada.  Dark wood is all the style here in South Florida, which confounds me.  It was just impossible to find anything in a light wood. My floors are red oak - stunning.  I love golden oak, and I found this cabinet on sale, online, and it's perfect.  I love the sliding doors, the halogen lights and it locks, too.  It'll take six weeks to get here, but I'm a very patient person, and I'm happy about the cabinet.  When you open my front door, it'll be on the opposite wall, the first thing you'll see upon entering my house.  What do you think of this beautiful cabinet?

It's a late start today, not just because of the time change in the USA, but I'm just feeling lazy - which is much better than feeling stressed!  Ask away until 10 PM EST, USA, I'll be here on and off throughout the day to answer your perfumery questions.

Trygve Harris of Enfleurage sent me a series of photographs of frankincense trees from different locales in Oman.  Very intriguing are the ones she calls "Old Lady" trees.  Below are some photos of them, and a photo of some recently-harvested resin from them. Here's what she wrote about these Old Lady trees:  These trees are over the hill from the first pictures I sent. It's still humid--still gets the mist in the summer, but less so. It's protected. These are the Old Lady trees. These ones are strong and fierce   From her first frankincense newsletter, sent on Feb. 22, 2012:  Fresh and oozy Mughsayl (Black) frankincense from the coastal mountains west of Salalah. This is my personal favorite. If you are distilling your own, this is probably your best choice.   It's got a rich snappy sparkle, and glittering pinenes with just a dash of orange.   It's the one I'm talking about when i talk about the Old Lady Trees. This

An aromatic group of spices before they are distilled and turned into essential oils.  As speices, they're related in smell, but still very different, and have different uses in perfumes.  You will learn how to systematically record the similarities and differences, which is critical to your perfumery education. Knowing how to conduct an organoleptic evaluation is critical for a perfumer.  You will use this foundation from the basic course for your entire career. You will learn how to look at, properly sniff and notate, in writing, what the aromatic oil is, both undiluted and diluted.  You will associate descriptive names and places with the oil to help build your scent memory.  In Module 1, the students learn how to evaluate single oils.  In Module 2, they move on to evaluate aromatic groups, thus broadening their recognition of related, yet different, oils.  Below is an image of part of the Module 2 organoleptic evaluation form.  It's provided as a "fill in" W

There won't be a forum of Ask the Perfumer today,a s my priorities are elsewhere:  my mother has been in the hospital for three weeks, and now the hospital is discharging her, and the nursing hope is refusing her back, in a practice called "patient dumping", according to the hospital case worker.  Wish us luck!