by Anya McCoy

Part 5

The Aromatics – The Reason We Are Natural Perfumers

Lush, Redolent, Sultry, Fresh, Frivolous – we find all of this and more in the Flowers, Woods, Resins, Leaves, Roots, Bulbs and Rhizomes, Seeds, Fruits, Barks, Beeswax, Seaweed, Seashells, Soil and other luscious lovely aromatics.

Now aromatherapists can expand their repertoire to include the concrete and absolute of rose, the absolute of petitgrain and patchouli, the concrete of ylang ylang, the yummy absolute of chocolate. Additionally, the gorgeous base note of beeswax absolute is now available to help “fix” the scent, to make it last longer on the skin. High, middle and base notes are just limited to music anymore, they are the framework that the Natural Perfumer uses to build a fragrance, and part of the new vocabulary and discipline.

Typically, a perfumer will begin a blend after defining the theme, or classification, such as Oriental, and choose aromatics that will accomplish that goal. The major “types” of perfume are: Floral, Woody, Green, Foody, Oriental, Chypre, Fougere, Marine, Citrus, Amber and others.

The perfumer’s palette can include upwards of 300 natural raw ingredients. Many modern Natural Perfumers are taking it upon themselves to create their own extracts of raw materials. They do this by infusing (in oil) or tincturing (in high-proof alcohol) beehive scrapings, cucumbers, fruits and other materials not typically processed for perfumery. Cucumbers and fruits, for example, do not lend themselves to distillation or solvent extraction. The Natural Perfumers love the results of these experiments and are creating very personalized perfumes with them.

What aromatherapist ever thought of using seaweed or burnt-smelling seashells for a scent? Yet seaweed absolute and the essential oil known as choya nakh fulfill this scent palette. Often the strong scents have to be diluted before use, as much as 90%, leaving only 10% of the original essence in the alcohol or oil. Some rare ones like kewda absolute, reveals itself at 1% dilution. It’s all a learning curve, and that curve is deliciously fragrant.

Animal-based fixatives, now outlawed or banned by international agreements, are no longer readily available for perfumery. Some still use these products, despite ethical and humane reasons to the contrary. The best approach for Natural Perfumers may be full disclosure on their websites and products regarding whether or not their items are "cruelty free". That way the customer may make an informed decision about their purchase." In the world of synthetic perfumery, they have chemicals that “fix” the scent, that is, allow it to last longer on the skin. The Natural Perfumer has to study and get creative to formulate perfumes that will last, since the nature of the essence is usually to vaporize quickly. That’s why they’re called volatile oils; they diffuse and evaporate quickly in the presence of heat and oxygen.

Aromatherapists have a head start in blending perfumes that are safe for the consumer. Already aware of many issues such as photosensitization, irritation, sensitizers and potential allergic reactions when using aromatics, they have a handle on many aromatics and their properties. Used to blending using very low percentages of oils to carrier, to avoid causing any of the above-mentioned possibilities, they soon learn that Natural Perfumery allows a much higher percentage of aromatics, depending upon the ultimate goal:

Approximate Percentages of Aromatics to Diluents in Blends

Type	% of aromatics	Balance	Ration of alcohol/water
Perfume	30-50	70	95/5
Eau de Parfum	20-30	85	90/10
Eau de cologne	5-10	90	80/20
Eau de toilette	2-3	95	75/25

How exciting – to break out of the confines of low-diluent blends, one-note blends, into the world of multi-layered, complex formulas. How exciting to have a whole new world of fragrant possibilities open to aromatherapists. And how wonderful that we are using natural ingredients, trying to reintroduce and reinvent Natural Perfumery for our world, so that we might escape from the harsh synthetic fragrances that counteract aromatherapy.