About this item

The “Alice Waters of American natural perfume” (indieperfume.com) celebrates our most potent sense, through five rock stars of the fragrant world.  Mandy Aftel is widely acclaimed as a trailblazer in natural perfumery. Over two decades of sourcing the finest aromatic ingredients from all over the world and creating artisanal fragrances, she has been an evangelist for the transformative power of scent. In Fragrant, through five major players in the epic of aroma, she explores the profound connection between our sense of smell and the appetites that move us, give us pleasure, make us fully alive. Cinnamon, queen of the Spice Route, touches our hunger for the unknown, the exotic, the luxurious. Mint, homegrown the world over, speaks to our affinity for the familiar, the native, the authentic.



About the Author

Mandy Aftel

Today, almost every perfume is created from synthetic essences. Although synthetics approximate the odors of natural ingredients, they have none of the complexity, mystery or emotional depth. We bring an inexplicable emotional intensity to the experience of an authentic smell and the memories it sparks and creates. My approach to creating artisan natural perfumes is based in the quality and integrity of the ingredients. I hand blend each perfume from my collection of extraordinary essences, which I have gathered with uncompromising standards for only the finest quality 100% pure and natural materials. I seek out exotic, unusual essences from hidden corners of the world, often smelling a dozen versions of the same oil, searching for the one that surpasses the rest. Finding the essences is like a quest, and I enjoy it as much as the act of creation. Through years of searching I have amassed a comprehensive and strikingly beautiful palette from which to work. In each perfume, I try to capture a feeling and aesthetic experience. I start with a concept for the perfume, and work to create something modern and luxurious. With some perfumes, the first iteration is almost perfect. Others take endless revisions and weeks of blending until everything comes together in the ideal balance. Once the formulas are developed, I hand blend small batches of perfume, and bottle it in the same studio it was created in. I am connected to the whole process, and it makes me very happy when people incorporate my perfumes in their lives. It is my hope that people have a feeling of luxury, well-being, beauty and excitement when they wear Aftelier Perfumes. In addition to my work as a perfumer, I am the author of six books, three of which are on natural perfume. has been translated into seven languages and was the winner of The Sense of Smell Institute's Richard B. Solomon Award. , a cookbook (co-authored with chef Daniel Patterson) , focuses on the essential link between food and fragrance and includes recipes for both. guides the reader through the history and creation of solid perfumes. My three other books are and In early 2009, Living Perfume: The Natural Alchemy of Mandy Aftel, debuted at the Fifth Avenue store, Henri Bendel. The exhibit focused on education and the history of perfumery. It showcased my perfumes as well as my extraordinary collection of perfume memorabilia. The event was commemorated in a catalogue, which can be viewed here. As the curator for an exhibition on the history of natural perfume The Foul and the Fragrant: Creating Natural Perfume at the Doheny Memorial Library, University of Southern California I displayed turn-of-the-century perfume books and vintage memorabilia from my private collection. My artistry with natural perfumery was the subject of the exhibit, Constructing Perfume: Scent, Space, Color at 3A Gallery in San Francisco, which included architectural renderings of my fragrances, and an interactive experience of



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