A Natural Perfumers Journal

"The course is excellent, it's in depth and very comprehensive, since it covers creative as well as scientific topics. This is very important for me as a botanist and scientist. It's a very good opportunity to extensively develop one's intellectual and practical creativity. You are guided by a marvellous expert, Justine. It is amazing how she is always there to explain and help. It is an incredible support she provides all the time. It warmly would recommend this curriculum to everyone who is passionate about nature and scents. Gudrun Hugelshofer, Switzerland" Now accepting applications. Available through English and Portuguese COURSE FAQ: https://npacertification.com/natural-perfumery-diploma-faq/ ABOUT DIPLOMA COURSE: https://npacertification.com/cpd-certified-natural-perfumery-diploma-course/ APPLICATION FORM DIPLOMA COURSE: https://npacertification.com/npa-natural-perfumery-diploma/ PAYMENT PAGE - DIPLOMA COURSE: https://npacertification.com/cpd-certified-dipl

Sometimes finding the quiet time I need to focus on my perfumery work is the greatest challenge of all. This afternoon that perfect time presented itself and I eased myself into it. I opened my notebook and found my finished perfume design for Róisín (meaning little rose) from 2008. The day before I'd made sure I had everything I would need. I had to buy fresh bergamot essential oil and jojoba oil and clean my droppers so I would be all set. As I was placing the bottles of required essences on my desk the night before I was certain I got a whiff of the finished Róisín and realised that the tiniest amounts of the essences must be escaping and combining together in the air around me. In the morning I decided that first I would test all the essences for quality before I used them, in case I needed to make any last-minute modifications. I tested the two coriander's I had selected first and made an easy choice. One was sharp and the other beautiful, warm and smooth. Then I teste

Oh, True Apothecary! : New Course Begins September 18

"The Florentine iris is one of the oldest flowers in cultivation. It is said to be the model for the Fleur-de-Ly's of heraldry. When dried and ground, orris root (really the underground stem) produces a powder possessing the fragrance of violets, used by the Victorians as face powder. It is one of the chief ingredients of the famous perfume Frangipani and used in many other perfumes, cosmetics and in pot-pourris. It is used as a fixative in the manufacture of perfumes." A Garden of Herbs by Agnes Walker Aged Orris Root  Orris Absolute This, one of the most expensive of all natural materials, is on a steady retreat from the perfumers shelf. This fact is due not only to the high price of orris absolute (about three times the cost of Jasmin absolute, or 50% higher than Bulgarian "otto" of rose), but also because of the appearance of a number of fine synthetic chemicals which either reproduce the principal notes in orris absolute, or are actually prese

The five petals of the Frangipani flower represent five qualities necessary for Psychological Perfection: sincerity, faith, aspiration, devotion and surrender. One of the most beautiful trees and shrubs of the tropical and sub tropical regions is Plumeria Rubra or Frangipani. They are often used as decorative plants around official buildings, in private gardens and parks. They can be found all over Africa and The West Indies. They grow prolifically in China, and other Eastern countries. Like most tropical flowers they emit their most powerful perfume at night. They release a such a powerful fragrance that the cut flowers cannot be left overnight in one's room. The odor is similar to neroli and gardenia, very sweet yet fresh, sophisticated, and extremely tenacious. The absolute of the flowers is expensive, around 145 US dollars for 5mls, and is a versatile floral ingredient for honeysuckle, gardenia, tubrose, lilac, muguet or heavy oriental floral perfumes. http://natural

Osmanthus ( Osmanthus fragrans ) flowers are used to produce osmanthus-scented jam (called guì huā jiàng).  An incredibly unique, fruity floral, with notes of milky apricot and ripe plums. It has a beautiful soft and leather-like dry down. Because of it's natural white floral aspect it goes particularly well other white florals such as orange blossom, jasmine, and gardenia. It takes 3,000 kilos of flowers to make one kilo of concrete and therefore Osmanthus absolute is very expensive, around $4,000 per kilo. I have 2 types in my possession, both of which are from China. Traditionally it is favoured as a flower symbolizing love and romance. There is an ancient legend involving Osmanthus, a giant and the moon, it goes like this: A giant named Wu Gang committed a serious mistake out of jealousy and was sentenced to the moon by the Jade Emperor. His task was to find the Palace of Guanghangong and chop down the huge Osmanthus tree that was growing there. However the Osmanthus tree