An Odoriferous Potion

The last week or so I've been craving a "stinky" note in perfume, not only to wear but also to include in formulations. This must be why I love Chaparral so much, it has it. What is the stinky note, called "rank" by perfumistas? Well, for moi it has an element of oud. It's earthy, musky, wild, indole-ish, sour, and grounding. GreenWitch has a bit of a ranky note, reminds me of kimchi, but that's note the one I'm after.

Vetiver, patchouli, labdanum, myrrh, spikenard are some of the botanicals with the right characteristics but not quite. As I mentioned oud is closer to it and will be included. Thus, to satisfy my olfactory fervor I'm going to make a "stinky" chord which will be included in various natural botanical perfumes but will also be made into a solid for me.

Now, off to package more orders and begin sniffing of all my aromatics to find the notes for this foul, odoriferous potion.

Image: Botanical illustration of Myrrh on parchment

In bee time

The new perfume I have been working on will debut on June 21st, the Summer Solstice.
I have chosen this date because of the affiliations with the SUN which is an important component to our little honey bees. As mentioned in last years post the honey bee is often referred to as "The Queen of the Sun" because the massive fiery star acts as their compass and is one of the important factors in their survival.

As one who respects and keeps bees I've chosen to impart a treasured scent to beekeepers with this perfume, the "smell of the hive." In my opinion this particular odor is comprised of many notes including the wood of the box and frames, beeswax, propolis, pollen, nectar, capped honey, caramel and a feral musky note. The scent is warm, rather than cool.

The hive we saved back in early March termed The Red Barn bees has now been renamed to The Warrior Girls because they are rather fierce determined creatures. Aromatically their hive emits the strongest "bee odor" I have ever experienced, perhaps it is because they are such hard workers. In this particular hive the feral, musky note is extremely sexual, more pervasive than other hives, perhaps due to a very healthy, fertile queen.

To impart this ambrosia of a scent I am using some of my own existing accords with one new accord and supporting essences to impart notes which have specific historical and symbolic references. The Leather accord which is a component in Rosa and the key element in the Faux Ambergris accord is used for the animalic component. There is a brand new Bee base accord, the Musk accord from the chocolate perfume Noir, the Aumbre accord for warmth and a bit of the faux Ambergris accord. The later adds a hint of smoke in the composition to impart a tad of what the bee keeper might smell from "smoking" the bees during maintenance.

I have also tinctured and infused left over bee comb which will act as the base for the solid and liquid versions of the perfume in combination with the above mentioned accords, beeswax absolute at the heart and honey myrtle in the tops notes.

Although researchers have found that at one time there was a native honey bee in the Americas, Apis nearctica. Our current honey bee Apis mellifera L. arrived to North America with the Europeans in 1600. Thanks to this introduction the US was able to prospered with an economy based on agricultural. Rather ironic that four hundred years later the US based Monsanto, with their evil GMOs as well as the Bayer Company to wiping out our little key pollinator.

This evening I and many of my fellow holistic, urban beekeepers will attend a meeting in Mar Vista with the intention of legalizing beekeeping in Los Angeles. Please join us if you are in the area.

I have also been interviewing fellow holistic bee keepers and intend to release a new LookBook for the new fragrance. Stay tuned on June 19th as Beth Schreibman Gehring will cast the for this perfume devoted to the honey bee.


References:
Ear to the Ground, information on Apis nearctica, the original native American honey bee.
History of the Honey bees arrival to America can be found at this site.

Aumbre

Serendity came by for a visit resulting in a new member of the illuminated tribe of perfumes. The new fragrance is titled Aumbre alluding to three other words: Amber, the Spanish word Hombre and the mystical Aum. Amber + Hombre + Aum = Aumbre.

Amber is one of many linguistically challenging words in the world of perfume. Most associate it with the fossilized resin often used in Baltic amber. The etymology of the word reaches back to the valuable substance produced by the Sperm whale known as Ambergris called Ambra. In perfume the word Amber refers to rich, balsamic fragrances.


In natural perfume ambergris is utilized most often to convey the Amber note while in botanical perfume we employ only botanical based ingredients such as Labdanum, Cistus, Benzoin, Storax, and Vanilla. There are many variations on botanical Amber accords some of which feature Patchouli, Rose and Oakmoss.

My palette contains many Amber accords which are featured in almost every perfume to a greater or lesser degree. When I first stepped into natural perfume from the domain of aromatherapy Amber was my very favorite note and I often wore a constructed accord as a perfume. Greg, my husband, wore it so often that the accord quickly became known as his signature scent.

On the Valentines Day blog post I made reference to an Amber accord which resulted in Karen, a fabulous patron, requesting it as a solid perfume. This is when Serendipity stepped in. The perfume devoted to the honey bee is an Amber perfume. When Karen made her request I wasn't keen on releasing two Amber perfumes within the same quadrant. However, March 13th was my beloved Greg's birthday and he was all out of his Amber accord.


Thus, off to the land of Serendip I went and have returned with a solid perfume titled Ambre for my hombre who chants Aum in the morning and at night. The fragrance contains a botanical synergy of about twenty different essences. The notes are warm, balsamic and sweet with whispers of tobacco and incense smoke. The feel is nurturing and exotic.


Get Aumbre at the E-shop or I can send you a PayPal invoice.
Individual sample
Within a sample in a set of three
Within a sample set of six
5 grams in a Honey Pot

Images: Interior Cathedral Illustration ©Greg Spalenka, Photos ©RoxanaVilla
c.1950

Faux Cuir

I'm in the process of making more of my leather accord, which is extremely complex and is present in a few perfumes including Rosa. This accord was created in May 2008 as part of a group blending project where several natural perfumers came together and created a leather. Mine is completely natural with the only non plant ingredients being Beeswax, Africa Stone, Seashells and Seaweed. No castoreum, no isolates, and no synthetics not now or in the future.

My journey started with extensive research first in my library of perfume books and then by sniffing all my ingredients. To my surprise quite a number of essential oils contain a leather note and my list was quite long.

When finally constructing the accord I used an ancient formula as the basis for my own. I wasn't striving to replicate the aroma of a cured hide but rather express the essence of the old leather perfumes like a Peau d'Espagne or Cuir de Russie.


The final formula contains twenty single essences, mostly essential oils but a few C02 extracts and absolutes as well. The original contained four other accords, three of which are also extremely complex, thus resulting in an incredibly complex and rich fragrance final leather accord. The latest formula now contains five accords. This fifth accord resulted rather spontaneously as I was out of an ingredient and decided to make an accord of it instead. The final number of actual essences in the formula is staggering.


I am completely infatuated with this leather accord and often wear it as a perfume. I'm working on a perfume where it will be highlighted as the star, in the meantime I'll leave you with this list of ingredients:

Oakmoss
Birch
Cedarwood
Cypress
Styrax
Benzoin
Vanilla
Cistus
Labdanum
Musk ambrette
Cabrueva
Buddawood
Sandalwood
Hibawood
Guaicwood
Balsam, Poplar
Balsam, Peru
Cabrueva
Araucaria
Beeswax
Seaweed
Choya
Fir
Pine
Spruce
Rhododendron
Mitti Attar
Myrrh
Oakmoss
Mate
Orris Rt
Spikenard
Africa Stone
Oud
Agarwood
Rose
Jasmine
Mimosa
Cassie
Cinnamon
Cumin
Saffron
Tumeric
Tarragon
Basil
Thyme
Geranium
Clary Sage
Citronella
Orange
Bergamot

Perfume Illuminated: Duets

"On hearing that sonata,
I could no longer tell whether I was breathing music or listening to scent."
~ Guy Maupassant

Perfume borrows much of its linguistics from music, the aromatic field blooms with words like accord/chord, note(s), orchestration, composing, organ, tone, harmony. Perfume is illuminated today by the concept of duets, another musical term. A duet is defined as a musical composition performed with two individuals or two instruments. For flavor and fragrance this translates into two individual ingredients paired together, like a good marriage, to form a whole greater than the sum of their parts.

FRAGRANCE

Artists often look toward patterns and connections when creating a composition. In the creation of botanical, natural perfume there are specific notes that I have learned work well together. Many times when I am sitting at my drafting table, working out the details of a perfume, I will take into account what materials pair well together. Coupling together notes, often in groups of larger than two, is referred to as an accord or chord. I am rather abundant with generating chords. The best way to begin is by paring two notes that work well in unison, here are a few based on allied aromatics, I encourage you to discover others.

Jasmine + Ylang Ylang
Vanilla + Tolu Balsam
Patchouli + Rose
Vetiver + Clary Sage
Cabrueva + Sandalwood

Some essences are like social butterflies, they are very friendly and blend well with most. Others are curmudgeons and can be tricky or need a little coaxing.

FLAVOR

Some flavor duets that immediately come to my mind are:

Salt + Pepper
Peanut Butter + Jelly
Cumin + Red Pepper Flakes
Basil + Tomato
Kalamata Olives + Feta Cheese
Chicken + Orange

I discovered this website which has a food pairing tool which is fun, some of the flavors they are putting together seem really unusual and worth exploring. Who would have ever thought of combining Mango with Peppermint?

Images:
Music, Heavenly Maid by Sir Edward John Poynter all other images Roxana Villa.

Perfume Illuminated: Nasturtiums

The nasturtiums along the south side slope of our yard are finally returning with vigor. A few years back when the other neighbors lived there they decided to replace the fence and in the process the brutes pushed loads of dirt and stomped the nasturtiums and Santa Barbara daisies to death. Steadily, despite the gophers, both sweet flowers are once again gracing the slope with their magnificence.


The first nasturtiums I planted were when Eve was a tiny infant at the Encino house. I decided to create a medicinal and culinary garden in the back yard. A book suggested planting nasturtiums for children because they have nice big seed pods for tiny hands and the child is able to quickly see the results. In the garden I had planted flowers amongst the herbs and vegetables. Later I learned that Nasturtiums make good companion plants because they attract beneficial insects while repeling unwanted visitors.

Nasturtiums, or as my friend Rebecca once referred to them "Nasty Urtiums", are easy to grow adding beauty to the garden and a peppery quality to meals. The genus tropaeolum is native to South America, like me. First cultivated in the Andes of Peru the plant was referred to as Indian cress by the Europeans and later deemed Tropaeolum majus. The original flowers were yellow in color, although now they exist in a splendid variety.

A relative of the nasturtium flower is watercress which goes by the botanical name Nasturtium officinalis, sometimes causing confusion. The Latin root of the word nasturtium may have come from nsus/nasus meaning nose and tortre/tortus referring to torture or twist. This term "twist of the nose" refers to the expression on the face of the individual tasting the spicy edible.

This gleeful climber or bush with it's bright trumpet flowers is the topic of Perfume Illuminated today.

FRAGRANCE

The peppery taste of Nasturtiums is partly due to the amount of sun and heat the plant is exposed to. In varying shades of yellow to red, the little trumpet flowers and the disc like leaves act as solar panels absorbing the suns thermal energy. The result of this intake is the chemical component glucosinolates, which are also present in mustard oil.

When one stands amidst nasturtiums the aroma is a blend of green, fresh floral notes with a a bit of pepper. If you poke your nose into the flower the primary note is floral followed by a bit of musk, green and spice. The aroma of the leaves and stems has the same pungent quality with the floral component removed.

The little sample of Nasturtium absolute I was gifted by a distiller has none of the fresh green floral notes. The essence is a yellow mustard color and slightly viscous. The fragrance when first inhaled is slightly irritating to the eyes and nose with an extremely strong burnt, spicy vegetal musk. To my nose it reminds me of the smell of a Japanese restaurant when you first walk in the door. Where I perceived fresh green patchouli, galbanum and pepper notes in the musk of the green leaves, the musk component of the essence is as if it is weighted down by garlic. None of the luminescence of the plant appears in this absolute. Perhaps diluting the material would render a less pungent aroma.


Years ago when I first attempted a nasturtium perfume I tinctured the flowers. Regrettably the fresh, green floral notes were not harnessed. Perhaps it requires the daily swapping and replacement of flowers like a violet tincture, definitely worth a go.

***

Nasturtium Tincture

1/2 cup of leaves and or flowers, if you are using flowers remove the reproductive portion.
1 cup of perfumers alcohol or a high alcohol content brandy or vodka
Clean glass container with a tight fitting lid.

Begin by placing clean, dry, plant matter, the prima materia, inside the jar then proceed to cover with your alcohol. Make sure that all the plant matter is completely covered by the liquid to avoid challenges with mold. Steep your prima materia shaking daily if possible. After four to six weeks strain the material and use this as the base for a Nasturtium liquid perfume.

***

Nasturtium Vinegar from Herbal Gardens

1 cup nasturtium leaves, flowers, and buds
1 pint champagne or white wine vinegar

Place the ingredients in a clean clear glass jar or bottle. Tightly seal. Let sit for at least 3 weeks before using. Place a new nasturtium in the finished bottle for decoration, but you should make sure the vinegar always covers the flowers or they will mold. Makes 1 pint vinegar to use in salads, sauces and flavoring in other dishes.

***

Another route is to recreate the aroma with single notes and accords. Begin as I have suggested in previous posts, by experiencing the aroma and energetics of the plant first hand. Have faith in your scent perceptions even if they differ from others, including authorities in the industry. Pay attention to what the impressions of others are keeping your own in mind.


As mentioned above the main notes I perceived were floral, spicy, green and musk. When I create the nasturtium perfume I will begin by making a tincture as mentioned above and then creating four accords for each of the main notes: floral, green, musk and spice. The floral aspect is more like Mimosa than Ylang Ylang, Jasmine or Rose, thus consider using a Mimosa accord. For the Green accord I suggest essences like Violet leaf and Galbanum among others. The Dandelion accord is a definite candidate. The main spice note is in the realm of Pepper with Ginger and a heavily diluted Garlic essential oil. Be mindful if you are going to use garlic, the essential oil is one of the strongest on the planet, no kidding! Patchouli the ideal place to begin for the musk component.

FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring
Please continue reading about Nasturtiums at the Windesphere Witch blog

IMAGES: Opening Nasturtium and Nasturtium photo postcard ©RoxanaVilla, Nose and Mouth are old engravings that I have cleaned up and modified.

Perfume Illuminated: Dandelions

Roses are red,

Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do.
~Slim Acres

The above than normal rainfall this year has produced splendid hues of green throughout the Santa Monica Mountains. The native Quercus agrifolia remain green all year while the other species of oaks commonly found here, Quercus lobata, lose their leaves and regain them in Springtime. For the most part the only other constant green throughout the year are the Rhamnus shrubs, also termed Coffeeberry and the holly like shrub Toyon. The very green non natives begin to appear in January and about now are in full abundance. Among these European immigrants are the dandelions, the topic of today's illuminated post.


Arriving to America in the 1400's the plant was named after a lions teeth due to the look of the sharp serrated leaves. Through the herbalist David Crow I became aware that these plants we term weeds are excellent for cleansing the liver and contain an abundance of nutrients. The entire plant is edible and has been consumed as both a food and medicinal herb throughout history. Dandelions are mentioned as far back as the 10th and 11th century in the texts of Arabic physicians. Read more on the medicinal history of this plant here.

FRAGRANCE

As far as I am aware there is no dandelions essential oil, absolute or C02 extract for sale. I imagine if there was the essence would be similar to the aroma of the very green Galbanum or Violet leaf. The sharp bitter green taste would probably translate as a sharp, bitter aroma with perhaps a hint of spice. So, how would we go about recreating the scent of dandelion for perfume? First begin by going to the market, or garden, and fully experiencing the plant. The color, the texture, the aroma and the taste. Here is my suggestion for creating a dandelion accord
that you could build upon based on your own observations and adding some tincture or infusion of dandelion.

Dandelion Accord for Botanical Perfume

Vetiver
Jasmin Sambac
Rose
Galbanum essential oil, C02 or absolute
Violet leaf absolute
Tagetes
Neroli
Pink Peppercorn

FLAVOR: Beth Schreibman Gehring
Please continue reading about Dandelions at the Windesphere Witch blog

IMAGES: Opening image is a Dandelion print by Etsy seller Sarah Miller from her shop Crackedpale. The second beautiful dandelion print is titled I Dream by Etsy seller Maleah of Urban Design and the third print of the toy car amidst the dandelions is called Vroom by Mindy Strauss. Thank you to all these talented artists who generously allowed me to use there work!! The botanical print of the Dandelions, the Nose and Mouth are old engravings that I have cleaned up and modified.

The REAL Dirt

“A healthy social life is found only,
when in the mirror of each soul the whole community finds its reflection,
and when in the whole community the virtue of each one is living.”

~ Rudolf Steiner

I have a dirt accord, it was created for a bespoke (custom) perfume. The notes include those associated with the scent of the earth as well as a bit of REAL dirt, Mitti Attar from India.

For the last couple nights my husband Greg has been trying to get me to watch a documentary. He loves documentaries. I love long, epic, period films, ideally with romance. The idea of watching a documentary on what I thought was a sausage farmer didn't interest me one bit. Boy, I was wrong!


The film is The Real Dirt on Farmer John. John Peterson is an organic farmer and artist from Caledonia, Illinois. I am completely smitten with the film and John, so much so that I don't want to send it back to Netflix. Guess I will be getting my own copy and most likely purchasing it for everyone for Christmas. I am giving it my thumbs up and highly recommend seeing it. It's fun, wacky, historical, made me sob with inspiration and sorrow, wonderfully shot and informational. The film also ties into what I am doing as a botanical perfume artist and want to support. There is even a Steiner / Anthroposophy connection! From a critical point of view it follows all those good story arcs that McKee speaks of.


I found myself clapping during the film, I have never done that here at home. This story obviously taps into my heart virtue Authentic Self Expression. Cheers to John for honoring his Art Spirit and sharing his inspirational story with all of us. A real gem.



Angelic Organics

Interview with John Peterson on NPR

Equus caballus

The most Equine, horse-like, fragrance note in my palette as a natural, botanical perfume artist is Amberi Attar. Other notes that impart an overall impression of horse are those found in the following groups: leather, agrestic, grassy, coumarin, balsamic and animalic. The perfume I am developing with Michelyn Camen based on my birthplace of Buenos Aires, has an Equine accord. I created the accord to weave in the hay notes of the Pampas and an important part of Argentina's rich history and culture. Originally when I began this perfume several years ago I was focused on incorporating the rich, earthy aspect of the Pampas. As I teamed up with Michelyn and thought about the concept being focused on Buenos Aires and A Tale of Two Cities I expanded the idea. The Equine accord extends the reach a bit more and incorporates the game of polo, which Argentina dominates as the World Champion since 1949. The history of polo stems from the same region as that of perfume. The excerpt below is from a the Argentina Polo website: (Originally published in polonews.com, from: The Vancouver Sun)

"The King of Games" Let other people play at other things. The King of Games is still the Game of Kings.

This verse, inscribed on a stone tablet beside a polo ground South of the fabled silk route from China to the West, sums up the ancient history of what is believed to be the oldest organized sport in the world.

The name for this accord is Equus caballus. The notes of this accord will appear predominantly in the base with the notes from the Fruit accord making an appearance more in the heart and top notes of the fragrance. Read more about the upcoming perfume with the theme of Buenos Aires here at these links:

The Tale of Two Cities Forbidden Fruit

Knock on Wood

On this Wednesday I am working on the Forest accord which is contained within the Sierra liquid perfume. Sierra liquid perfume is the most complex out of all the fragrances I have created. So complex in fact that the formula is contained within a binder devoted souly to her.

Sierra's early form was a bath salt and scrub I created back in 2000 titled Forest. Due to customer demand I modified the original blueprint to develop the liquid perfume. I began by utilizing the original Forest accord for the bath salts. This accord is what I am preparing more of today, for the perfume as well as the bath and salt scrubs.

For the updated version of the bath and salt scrubs I am also infusing some of my jojoba oil with benzoin and frankincense. Now is a particularly good time for infusing and tincturing due to the position of the Moon.

Read more about Sierra liquid perfume at these links:
+ Memory and Desire blog post: Entirely Green
+ Here at this journal: A Secret in the Forest

The term "knock on wood" may have been derived from the Celtic peoples belief that trees have the power to heal humans. The Celtic tree alphabet called the Ogham was a secret a ritualistic language. I have referred to the Ogham extensively here with entires corresponding to the Celtic Tree Calendar. Currently we are in the middle of the fifth month associated with Saille, the Willow.

"Willow and the Rowan Tree, Were tardy in array."
~ from the ancient Celtic poem The Battle of the Trees

The etymology of the word willow is rather complex but appears to stem from "withy" meaning to bend. Wicker furniture was originally created utilizing willow switches.

The Willow is part of the Salicacae family which includes two genera Salix and Populus. In botanical perfume, we have a Poplar essential oil that could be utilized if one were creating a magical perfume attributed to the Willow. Poplar is contained in our Sierra liquid perfume.

Willows are found near water and thus symbolically are connected with knowledge and spiritual growth. Other associations include: protection, healing, and cycles. Most often these cycles appear in relationship to mysterious associated with women, like the moon. The white willow tree is also referred to as The Tree of Enchantment and connected to the White Lady. If you have a willow tree nearby, give the tree an offering, select a shoot and tie a loose knot while intending your wish. Once the wish has been granted, express your gratitude to the tree and untie the knot. Tonight I'll be delving into water element and partaking in a bath with my Fresh bath salts as I invoke the White Lady.

The leaves and bark of this tree have been utilized by the Assyrians, Sumerians, and the Egyptians for aches and pains. In fact the origins of aspirin are preparations with white willow bark. The main chemical component in white willow bark is salicin which was isolated in 1828 to create the synthetic, patented version we all now refer to as aspirin. Willow is also utilized for the charcoal many artists use for drawing. Willow nectar is especially appreciated by the apis kingdom, the bees, for making honey.

The Scent for Today is Sierra liquid perfume or GreenWitch, devoted to the White Lady.

Forbidden Fruit

In the kitchen the other day I remarked, "Something smells fruity." My teenage daughter rolled her eyes answering, "Mom, everything smells fruity to you lately!"

Well, not everything, although I have been picking out the fruit note in a number of items that normally I would not have. It's as if my olfactory antenna is tuned to that fruity note. Our local farmers markets and CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program is abundant with fruit lately, amplified by the fact that I've been working on a fruity Chypre perfume.

As I develop other perfumes and accords I've become keenly aware of the note. Each time an essence crosses my olfactory terrain that has a semblance of fruit I add it to my expanding list. Some essences are obvious like those in the Citrus family and Osmanthus. I've got some Apple blossom concrete which is within the right family but has more agrestic qualities than fruit. Will see what transpires with the aroma when I dilute it in alcohol.

Why fruit? The addition of the fruit accord for this fragrance is at the request of Ms. Michelyn Camen. Read some of the back story about this fruity chypre by following this link.

The odors of this major fragrance family are of edible fruits such as apple, apricot, banana, berry, citrus, peach, pear, pineapple, and prune. For the botanical / natural perfumer we have plenty of aromatics are our disposal from the citrus subfamily and a few from the berry grouping. However, we rely on other materials which impart fruit notes, like Osmanthus for example. Osmanthus is an evergreen shrub/tree producing fragrant flowers native to China that is often referred to as The Jasmine of the Orient. Boronia and Champa are other exotic, rich floral notes that can be utilized for imparting fruit. Chamomile has a strong apple aromatic note while Ylang Ylang can sometimes convey the banana note. Absolutes from the conifer family contain fruit jam notes that will be part of this bouquet.

Essences which impart "wine" notes (referring to grapes), include Ambrette, Pomegranate, Davana and Cognac. The two later have the ability to impart fresh, fruity notes to the top of the composition when utilized with mindfulness. Sea Buckthorn is an extract from berries commonly used in aromatherapy that has sweet berry notes. I have not used it in a composition as of yet and am sensing it may work well in this accord.

With this fragrance I am also interested in essences with warm, honey notes like Genet, also referred to as Broom, Mimosa, Beeswax and Hay are possibilities. These will work well with conveying the Pampas, which plays an important aspect in my connection with Argentina. I'm just not sure if I will add them to the accord or the overall composition. We will see as this accord progresses and matures....just like fine wine.

Read part three of this segment here: Equus caballus.

Scent of the Day: Amber

The weather here has been wildly dynamic. In one day I can shift from yoga pants and a spaghetti strap tank to several layers of wool. Late last night Madame Wind Element decided to make her presence known. She moves through the canyon, announcing her arrival as we here her dance through the trees. The sound is very much like the ocean waves.

This Moonday morning beckons for something warm, I've already got a ridiculous amount of wool on from cashmere fingerless gloves, two cardigans, thermals, a crochet skirt, a scarf around my neck and a second larger one draped over my shoulders. Who would guess I am in sunny California! However, within a few hours I may be peeling it all off.

One of the very first accords I ever created was Amber. I now have several different varieties of Amber accords. The material "Amber" within the realm of botanical/natural perfumery is either a fossil resin from the fir tree, Pinus succinifera or most often an accord. There is quite a bit of confusion with the term because it is used to define many different types of scented items. The etymology of the word stems from the Arabic anbar, referring to ambergris. Ambergris is a substance produced by the cachalot whale. In modern times many fragrance developers have created incense and perfumes called Amber, which are composed of a variety of ingredients including many synthetics aroma chemicals.

As a botanical perfumer I have created several Amber accords utilizing resinous materials such as Labdanum, Benzoin, Conifer, Frankincense, as well as Woods, Patchouli, Vetiver, Oakmoss, Clary Sage and Vanilla. Some of my accords are so complex they venture into the terrain of a full fledged perfume.

This is what is on the drawing table for today. Greg has asked me to make more of his signature Amber, friends are asking for the release of the perfume I have been calling Amber and there are accords that need to be made for existing perfumes.

Amber accords are found in Lyra, Aurora, Sierra, Vera and Greenwitch. I've selected to display Lyra as our Scent of the Day poster child, since of the the five mentioned, her Amber accord is the most prevalent.