A Natural Perfumers Journal

"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 Osma...

A fine specimen of white ambergris from the West Coast of Ireland - Courtesy of www.celticambergris.com High quality Ambergris like this can fetch upwardly of €99 per gram Ambra , also called Ambregris or Ambergris, is a substance of animal tissue, formed in the stomach or intestine of Physeter Catodon , the cachalot whale. It is conceivable that Ambra is the result of a pathological condition caused by irritation of the whale's stomach walls due to certain indigestible particles in the whales food. Consequently, Ambra is one of the few natural perfumery raw materials which cannot be "cultivated", not even in the same way that pearls, for example, are cultivated. Pieces of Ambra are either washed ashore on various temperate ocean coasts and islands, or they are found inside the whales when these great mammals are captured for their oil (spermaceti oil). There is no particular area where Ambra can be found or searched for with regular success. The "big...

1kg agarwood sells for up to $5,000 USD! According to Steffen Arctander true agarwood has been known for several thousand years and its use is possibly as old as that of sandalwood.  He describes agarwood essential oil as a pale yellow to brownish yellow or dark amber color; a viscous liquid of rich and sweet-woody, almost balsamic odor with a sweetness similar to that of sandalwood oil. Pearl of the Forest Agarwood is the most expensive wood in the world, with 1kg fetching up to $5,000 USD! It is also known as Oud (can be spelled Oudh), Aloes wood (more a generic name for fragrant woods in India) and Wood of the Gods. The tree is found growing in India and parts of China, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The fragrant wood is formed as a result of the trees' immune response to a fungal infection. As a response the tree produces an oleo resin which stops the growth of the fungus. This resin changes the color of the wood from light to dark brown or even black. The rest...

The ecstasy of love is not very far removed from religious ardor and fragrant wreaths of smoke in sacred rituals often help us to bridge the gap between the two. Since the Dark Ages, places of worship have been infused with various fragrances from odorous woods, balms and various essences intended to call upon the favor of the gods with their subtle fragrances. Cypress and cedarwood were burned in the temples of Mesopotamia, while the smell of incense and rancid butter hangs in Tibetan monasteries. In India, the air in sacred places is thick with the scent of the sandalwood from which the holy statues are carved, and the lotus flower unfolds its fragrant petals at Buddha's feet. Rose and musk essences are enshrined in the heart of mosques, while aromatic, peppery basil haunts Orthodox places of worship. Incense, whose purpose, according to Michel de Montaigne, was "to delight, arouse and purify the senses in order to make us more fit for contemplation," clouds the n...

My Grandmother, Ellen Gillespie, was petite in stature and came from an Irish Protestant family. She married my Grandfather who was nearly 2 meters tall. Here they are kitted out in their finery. She is wearing a beautiful and fashionable "Afternoon Dress". I wish I could see her shoes. My Grandfather Peter Ruane is also dressed very fashionably in a gentleman's afternoon suit, a shirt with a high detachable tubular collar and silk tie. I bet he is wearing spats. They are both wearing pocket watches and what look like matching chrysanthemum corsages. I'm not certain of the year this photograph was taken but I believe it was around 1908. My Father Malachy Ruane was born in 1911 and grew up on a country estate in Athenry, Co Galway. He met my mother later in life, apparently, a confirmed bachelor up until that time. My Mother always remembered the day when my father brought her home to meet his parents. They arrived up to the tall pillared gates of the big country...

Of all flowers roses possess a wider variety of perfume than any other species. The wild roses and the old shrub roses, possess a more distinctive perfume. Rose oil, or attar of roses is a costly commodity, taking 1 ton of petals to produce 11oz of oil and for this reason much is synthetically produced. Some 96 per cent of women's perfumes contain rose oil. Rosa alba is the white rose that was adapted by the House of York and has a very sweet smell. The double form is the symbol [the British] Royal Family. Rosa alba maxima is the Jacobite Rose . The Red Rose of Lancaster Rosa gallica officinalis has recently been planted along with Rosa alba for perhaps the first time since the Wars of the Roses in 1460, during London Garden Squares Day in London's Temple Gardens in an attempt to recreate a piece of history. The red and white varieties were famously plucked in the gardens by York and Lancastrian adversaries at the start of the wars but the bushes had died out. But...

Ylang-Ylang  The name is of Filipino origin and means Flower of Flowers. The perfume from Ylang-Ylang has euphoric qualities, and is known for it's powerful effect on the emotions. It is said to be an anti-depressant and aphrodisiac because of its ability to relieve anxiety and tension.  Ylang-Ylang is one of the first natural essences I ever encountered. A friend added a few drops to a bath for me and I was immediately enchanted. I remember the amazing, calming, relaxing effect it had. Today I have in my possession two types of natural extract of the flower, Ylang-Ylang Complete and Ylang-Ylang Concrete.  The Ylang-Ylang Complete is a result of water and steam distillation. It has a powerful sweet floral odor with somewhat spicy woody undertones. A single drop of the undiluted oil on a tissue quickly fills the room with perfume. It is relatively inexpensive and is very versatile in perfumery as it blends well with almost any other floral essence. The on...

When I am studying perfumery materials I try to imagine what type of personality the essence would be if it was a living character.   Here is what I think of Hyacinth. She is always late. Hyacinth is a distraction in herself and is also distracted by the smallest thing. Like a child, focusing on a serious issue is not something she is good at. Flitting from task to task, she is a butterfly woman. Say to Hyacinth "would you hold on a moment ma'am and I will see if we have that in your size" and then come back 2 minutes later to find her *gone*. Giddy beyond belief, at school she was constantly being told to sit still , which was an impossible task for the girl then and still is now. Hyacinth always seems to be in a good mood, smiling and cheerful all the time . She wants to be your VERY best friend after only knowing you for 5 minutes and "best friends" comes with all the perks, like hand holding or arm linking, hugs for good bye and hugs fo...

I received a gift yesterday that blew me away totally. A Bottle of Molecules 01 : I have never smelled anything like this. EVER! My first impression was cedarwood. A beautiful cedarwood too, it reminded me of a Lebanese cedarwood perfumery essence that I have. It's dark, deep and incredibly velvety. But then I realised that I wasn't smelling a perfume per se, because normally cedarwood is a middle to base note and doesn't come through immediately after applying a perfume and more importantly, at that moment when I expected to smell a different note, what I was smelling simply wasn't there anymore. It did a vanishing act. I became rather perplexed and very curious. Twenty minutes later I felt as though I was sitting in a cedarwood forest on a warm sunny day. Wow! The perfume seemed to be all around me rather than on me. When I smelled my skin I had to bury my nose before I got the delicious warm clean scent that reminded me of rain on skin. How incred...

Watch out for the new floral solid perfume from White Witch for release this winter.  Roísin and Jasmine & Chocolate perfumes are also now available in this stunning hand turned yew box .

There is something about violets. The little purple gems that to me represent spring. It is difficult to create a natural violet perfume composition because there is no actual violet flower absolute. There is a violet leaf absolute but it's green and dark and not a sweet delicate floral the way violets are. So...what to do? I am getting somewhere. First of all what is the profile of the perfume of violets? The notes of the flower are tender and sweet, with the complexity of the exotics like jasmine or ylang ylang. The perfume of a violet flower sort of draws you in in a beguiling way and before you know it it's imprinted on your memory never to be forgotten. As I say I am really getting somewhere. As usual getting the top notes stumped me. The question was how do I make something delicate and tender come out on top in a way that will lure a person in. Notes of carnation absolute, violet leaf and orris butter are key elements in the composition, using rose, jasmine and yla...

We have a new addition to the Natural Perfume Academy's year long Natural Botanical Perfume course starting in May. Shelley Waddington is going to teach a unit about Isolates. "The use of natural isolates is a new cutting edge trend in natural perfumery. This course is designed to allow the perfume student to take advantage of this new trend by providing a basic understanding of what an isolate is, how it is produced, and how to incorporate isolates into their own perfume compositions. The student will also receive a comprehensive bibliography for personal reference. Upon completion of this unit, the student will have a basic understanding of natural isolates and will be ready to begin blending using these fragrance materials. A kit of natural isolates will be available at the store and is highly recommended for the course." About Shelley Waddington Shelley Waddington is the President of Beau Soleil, LLC, and the Chief Perfumer for The Carmel Perfumery, locat...

In coconut oil the sort that doesn't smell of anything and that is light. Atlas cedar over black pepper and blue lavender concrete give soft warm breezy top notes. Orange blossom alongside boronia is a summery and floaty floral. Hay, vetivert and orris gives a really comforting yet lively finish It needs time, but it has real promise. I am amazed at how wonderful this is. Even for an oil it is summery and light. I will do a modification tomorrow and report back. I am thinking of reducing the base notes even though they are in a very low concentration already. I will up the blue lavender and reduce the cedar leaving the black pepper at the concentration it is, maybe. I will increase the orange blossom and decrease the boronia. Then it will be wow I am sure.

Environmentally conscious men and women are finding themselves in a bit of a quandary. Everyday there are more and more companies jumping on the "natural" and "organic" bandwagon, giving consumers and alternative to artificial & chemically laden products and increasing choices. I suppose it is a step in the right direction but is it really? What's the point in buying natural, organic products that are packaged in plastic? We care for our skin and our bodies both inside and out and we care for the planet. We want to make a difference. Somehow we feel comforted by the little recycling symbol on the bottom of out shower gel bottle or water bottle. But do we really know the facts? What really happens to all those empty plastic bottles? Well, the sad fact is that most of the plastic that is recycled is actually from the factory floor. It is not consumer waste at all, and at that it can only be recycled once, into fence posts, garden furniture or synthetic fleec...

Using plant essences for health and beauty | Greenme: Sustainable Living Blog I just started writing for GreenMe sustainable living website. Have a look at this for my first blog. Please leave a short comment on GreenMe to show your support : ) Thank you!

I am running the final tests on a new product line, 100% Natural Scented Bath Crystals. There are three different perfumes; Rain Forest , with notes of Honey Myrtle, Sweet Marjoram and Antique Patchouli. Garden of Eden with notes of Neroli, White Lavender and Atlas Cedarwood. Temple of Luxor with notes of Coriander, Ginger, Rose and Vanilla. These are all about the experience of bathing in perfume. It is recommended that the mood is set in the bathroom before hand with candles and music. The bath temperature is important too. Have it just right before you add the Crystals. That way none of the precious perfume is wasted before you are ready to step in. I want to tell you of my experience with the first in the line: Rain Forest I didn't have the luxury of having the music or the lighting but the perfume alone was enough to take me to another world. The honey myrtle top note had the effect of being uplifting and clearing at the same time. I could feel my lungs openin...

I received a delightful email the other day informing me that I was awarded a One Lovely Blog Award-- by Sheryl Karas who is a spiritual counselor, healer, organic flower essence aromatherapy perfume designer and artist . Thank you!, Sheryl and, in keeping with the tradition of the One Lovely Blog Award I'm posting the Rules of Blog Award Acceptance: 1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link. 2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award. So...White Witch Natural Perfumers Journal proudly passes the 'One Lovely Blog Award' on to (I've chosen almost all my favorite perfume blogs). Sorcery of Scent Little Flowers Roxana Illuminated Perfume GreenMe Liz Zorn Perfumes Smelly Blog Oh True Apothecary The Aromaconnection Blog Tea Sympathy and Perfume Inner Ki Journal Memory and De...

Just right for summer. I know I know a floral amber...how safe. I started off with the base and used a blend I have used before but I left out the benzoin as I think it holds down the scent a lot and with an oil based perfume that can't be afforded. I sound like I really know what I am taking about don't I! Well whatever... For the base, I used Labdanum, beeswax absolute, vanilla absolute and ambrette seed Co2. I love the result. It is well balanced and perfect for the floral notes I am planning to use in the heart of the perfume. I did use dilutions and I may have to go back and redo it as I don't know what the longevity of the perfume will be like at this point. Without the benzoin to hold it down it might not last though the labdanum is a very good quality absolute and even when it was diluted down to 20% it was still very thick. The formula I used for the base notes are thus: Labdanum absolute 20% dilution 10 drops Beeswax absolute 20% dilution 3 drops Vanil...