Archive category from earlier years; perfumery topics, awards, reviews, regulations, events.
The European Commission is accepting comments about restrictions and labeling of allergens in perfume. The following link takes you to a post that provides more information and gives the email and snail mail addresses for public comment. This is your chance to make your voice heard. Mark Behnke wrote a very interesting blog post on…
Latoya Miller just posted an inquiry on another post on my blog (the one on perfumery classes), and I thought I would re-post her inquiry here. She is a SkinCare/Fragrance Specialist at Sephora in Manhasset, Long Island, and she says they are looking to fill an open fragrance consultant position. She says feel free to…
I’m still testing various tweaks of the ylang/tuberose/jasmine and want to narrow this down to one or two mods. It’s always hard at this stage to choose the final adjustments to the formula, but I’m almost there. Yesterday we had our first day of real rain for this winter. We really need it here in…
First I wanted to say thank you to Ida for her lovely review of Ambre Noir on Fragrantica yesterday! I’ve heard from a number of people over the years that they like to use Ambre Noir as a layering fragrance, which makes sense to me. I’m still testing the new floral scent and tinkering a…
First I wanted to say thank you to Ida for her lovely review of Ambre Noir on Fragrantica yesterday! I’ve heard from a number of people over the years that they like to use Ambre Noir as a layering fragrance, which makes sense to me. I’m still testing the new floral scent and tinkering a…
I saw an announcement today for a new beauty product sample swap site, Edivv. Makeup Alley used to be a popular place for swapping, and then when blogs sprang up the swapping seemed to move from MUA to friendships made through interaction on blogs. This new site Edivv is aimed at beauty products in general…
Today I’m talking with Dabney Rose, a fellow perfumer, a gardener/distiller extraordinaire, and a wonderful example of an indie artisan staying true to her vision and ideals. She is a life-long plant lover and currently has a custom greenhouse at her home that holds an amazing array of beautiful flowering plants from which she extracts…
I’ve been talking about this for years on my blog based on my experiences with testers during the process of creating scents, and the studies keep coming in to support what we perfumistas have suspected for ages: our different sets of scent receptors in our noses make us smell scents differently. A study by Monell…
I may have found a new assistant and hope to put the cart back up next week. I will keep you posted! And I wanted to say thank you to Perfumeshrine for including To Dream and Wood Violet in yesterday’s list of best woody violet scents! Elena of Pefumeshrine also posted an interesting interview with…
Today I’m talking with someone who has worked in many segments of the fragrance industry: Miriam Vareldzis of 40 Notes Perfume. She has worked as a fragrance evaluator for major companies, has started her own indie perfume line, and currently also works for an outstanding natural ingredient supplier. Miriam has been interviewed by Cafleurebon and…
For those who can get to Washington D.C. on November 13, there will be a fragrance event with a chance to meet perfumers Calice Becker, Christopher Diienno, and Heather Sims. The event is open to the public, but you need to RSVP (I will follow up to ask how they want you to RSVP). The…
Several articles have been published recently about a relatively new technology for creating perfumery ingredients (as well as flavorings and some drugs); yeast, fungi, and bacteria can be genetically altered so that they synthesize perfumery ingredients such as vanillin. Although the yeast is a GMO substance, the ingredient it synthesizes is not GMO and is…
I wanted to check in with a little update. My arm is doing quite a bit better. It’s not up to normal strength, but my flexibility has improved and I’m able to use it for light tasks now. I’d like to get back to some blending this weekend. I’m taking a few orders via email,…
Testing for Alzheimer’s by sniffing peanut butter: Researchers have noticed a correlation between Alzheimer’s disease and deterioration in the ability to smell odors, and now they have documented a difference between the left and right nostrils in Alzheimer’s patients. The patients have much poorer sense of smell in their left nostrils than in their right…
I am frequently asked what types of classes and schools are available to learn about perfumery. I decided to post about this topic since it seems to be of interest, and now I can refer to this post whenever I’m asked the question in the future. I learned perfumery on my own through self-study and…
Sonoma Scent Studio had a mention in the October issue of Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine in an article by Amy Marks-McGee titled “Forward Thinking: Crafting Beauty With Nature’s Resources.” The article discusses the trend toward using more naturals in fine fragrance and skincare, with a surge in indie brands that place an emphasis on naturals….
Since I have time on my break, I decided to start a little tincturing project with New Zealand beach-collected ambergris. I bought a couple of pieces, two grams each, and I purchased an automatic stirrer to run a few hours each day. It will take quite a few months (2-6) before I’ll know if I…
I wanted to check in — I’ve been taking time off while healing my arm, but I’m here if you need to email me. I’m looking forward to getting back to blending as soon as I can. The Purple Paper Planes blog just started a special series today on perceptions about beauty; various people in…
I’m still on break but wanted to check in. My left arm is not back into action yet. That will teach me not to try to get large items down from over my head in the supply closet… I do feel progress, but it’s slow. I needed a lightweight laptop and a back-up to my…
I’m sorry I’ve been scarce lately. I’ve been busy getting ready for next week’s event at Jessup Cellars in Napa as well as keeping up with orders. The photo above shows the making of carded sample sets for the Jessup event (before sorting into sets of five). I’ve seen a few interesting reads in the…