Currently we are witnessing an explosion of interest in Natural Perfumery by both perfume creators and their clients. In broad terms, "natural perfumery" refers to making perfume without using synthetic aroma materials — a tall order because modern perfumery has evolved to its current state because of the addition of synthetic aroma materials to the perfumer's palate.

The first synthetics to be developed simply gave the perfumer less expensive substitutes for the natural materials they mimicked. Later, chemists provided the perfumer with odorants which had never existed in nature but were strictly products of the chemist's research and the perfumer's imagination in putting them to use.

So to wind the clock back 150 years or more and eliminate several thousand potential materials for perfumery requires the perfumer to rethink perfume creation and learn to create using but a handful of odorants — those derived from natural sources. This leaves the perfumer with, at most, around 200 materials.

But the limits of what, today, is called "natural perfumery" are even more restricted than this. In addition to rejecting 150 years of chemistry, Natural Perfumery rejects odorants that, while natural, can only be acquired by harassing, killing, or profiting from an animal's discomfort, or by harvesting endangered trees or plants.

Today major commercial fragrance houses follow this same rule and have, for the most part, ceased to use odorants derived from all animal sources and endangered plants and trees. The commercial fragrance houses, however, strive to replace these naturals with eco-friendly synthetics. (Some who call themselves "natural perfumers" make limited use of these eco-friendly synthetics; others would withhold from them the designation, "natural perfumer".)

So, in the strictest sense, "natural perfumery" can be defined as a branch of perfumery that works with an odorant palate limited to materials of natural origin derived from eco-friendly sources.

The chemistry and safety of Natural Perfumery

Before you decide that you want to explore natural perfumery hands on, you should be aware of two fundamentals, the understanding of which are essential for your own safety and that of anyone who might make use of a fragrance which you have created.

First, it is essential that you understand that all perfumery (and natural perfumery is, as we have said, a branch of perfumery) involves the use of chemicals. The aroma materials used by natural perfumers are just as chemical as those used by commercial perfumers and differ only in that they are limited to chemicals which are naturally derived. Most natural aroma materials are made up of a large number of chemicals (molecules), many of which have, today, been synthesized by chemists. The difference — the beauty of — these natural materials is that they are highly complex blends of chemicals — so complex that, in most cases, it is difficult or impossible for the chemist to recreate recreate them in the lab. The desire to use these natural materials is not limited to Natural Perfumers. Commercial perfumers make use of them too but are often restricted by economic considerations as to when and how much natural material they can use. A rose absolute might cost $8.35 per gram while a synthetic rose substitute might cost only $0.13 per gram. For a mass market fragrance, the commercial perfumer has no choice but to use the cheaper substitute and try to use it skillfully enough to give the impression of "genuine" rose.

The second essential point regarding natural aroma materials is that, since they are chemical in nature, they must be subjected to the same safety testing as synthetic aroma materials. A number of common natural aroma materials present health hazards. Some must be used with caution and in limited amounts. Others should not be used under any circumstances. "Natural" does not mean "safe."

Most of our knowledge of hazards from certain natural aroma materials has been provided by research chemists working for major commercial fragrance houses. They, more than you, are concerned with product safety and have banned or restricted the use of a number of natural odorants due to safety issues. You would be irresponsible not to be aware of these warnings. (Current listings can be found at IFRA Code.) You might also be interested to know that even in the pre-synthetic era of perfumery, professional perfumers were aware that certain (natural) materials should not be used in perfume due to safety considerations.

How you can explore Natural Perfumery and start
making your own naturally scented products

In 1857, Lindsay and Blakiston of Philadelphia published a book by master perfumer, G.W. Septimus Piesse, called "The Art of Perfumers, And Method of Obtaining the Odors of Plants". The book's subtitle reads, "with instructions for the manufacture of perfumes for the handkerchief, scented powders, odorous vinegars, dentifrices, pomatums [pomades], cosmetiques, perfumed soap, etc." — in other words, the book was full of detailed instructions for making scented products using natural aroma materials.

Now Piesse is not a "natural perfumer" in the sense that this term is used today. Why? Because his work — and his book — are not guided by eco-friendly principals. Issues of cruelty to animals or harvesting endangered plants are not part of the consciousness of his generation. Moreover, Piesse welcomes the advent of synthetic aroma materials and the book itself makes reference to food flavorings already in use. (In fact, the flavors and fragrance industries evolved together and today, the largest of the fragrance houses, also provide flavorings for the food industry.)

But while Piesse's book, today, would not qualify as a treatise on natural perfumery, in fact Piesse knows and teaches a good deal more about the use of natural materials in fragrance creation than many who today call themselves natural perfumers. The many recipes given in this book are examples of perfumery using natural ingredients and, as such, they provide an excellent starting point for anyone who wants to explore perfumery with natural materials and create naturally scented products.

How natural perfumery materials are obtained

For anyone interested in creating perfume from the aroma of flowers and plants, the first "problem" encountered is that in order to gather the scent up into a usable form, the original natural material must be processed. Processing involves changing. The essential oils, absolutes, powders and resins that we use in natural perfumery are already a step or two away from the material as it was found in nature. To make these "naturals" suitable for perfumery, we must transform them into a format that we can work with. Piesse takes us through a range of plant and animal materials, shows us the original — in line drawings — and describes the processes by which these materials are transformed for our use in perfumery. Piesse also illustrates and describes the equipment that is used to process these aroma materials.

An opportunity for you to gain a solid foundation
knowledge of perfumery using natural materials

The best of today's natural perfumers have studied the classic treatises on perfumery. Some of these books are available through antiquarian book dealers, almost always at considerable expense. "The Art of Perfumery" by Piesse, published in a number of editions, generally brings around $100 or more when you can find a copy. It has been out of print for many years. Other classic texts on perfumery can run from $200 to $800 or more, if and when you are able to find them.

You can get a copy of "The Art of Perfumery" by G.W. Septimus Piesse without spending $100. The complete text of "The Art of Perfumery" — with all its many illustrations and formulas — is available as a pdf file download, FREE to members of the Perfume Maker's Club.

Other classic references for your library

Today the "must have" reference to natural aroma materials for professional perfumers is Steffen Arctander's "Perfume and Flavor Materials of Natural Origin", published in 1960. Second hand copies sell for around $750 to $900, when you can find one. Another classic is Ernest Guenther's 6-volume text, "Essential Oils." This currently sells for around $700 (second hand) when you can find a copy.

But before you add these more expensive texts to your library, it makes sense to start with "The Art of Perfumery" by G.W. Septimus Piesse.