Creating Wood Based Natural Perfume

Into the Woods: Creating Wood Based Natural Perfume

Autumn is the time of year for woods fragrances, recalling memories of crisp leaves, curls of wood smoke, and the bracing green of pine. Woods fragrances may include sandalwood, cedar, oak, pine, cypress and oud (among others), and also include for classification’s sake patchouli and vetiver.  Some woods fragrances smell like the outdoors, while others smell like an antique treasure chest and still more use wood as background support.

The scent profile of woods ranges wildly across the different trees.  Some are more reminiscent of a case of new pencils: think cedarwood.  Others still are creamy, milky, nuzzling and deeply soft, like sandalwood.  And there are those wood notes which are so individual that they can characterize the whole composition:  Agarwood/Oud, rather the byproduct of the Aquillaria tree’s fighting of a fungus disease, is so rich and complex that it encompasses nutty, woody, musty, even camphoraceous scents.  Or think how pine or fir reminds us of specific seasons, thanks to their associations.

In this class we will be discovering the Woody category of perfumery and all of it’s variations. A selection of precious woods will be available to work with including Australian Sandalwood, Agar Attar, Incense Wood, Himalayan Cedarwood and Palo Santo to name a few. We’ll have an array of perfume samples from vintage classics to niche gems to explore the many applications for wood in natural perfumes.

This advanced class is for students who have taken Natural Perfume Blending, Part One and preferably (but not absolutely necessary) Part Two. This class will be a real exploration of the wood materials and their versatility. You will create two perfumes in class; one first attempt and one revision. It’s a good idea to bring a notebook and pen to class. All other materials will be provided.