The Perfume Bee

Natural perfumery Scent Systems is a luxurious natural perfume house located in London, England. Founded in 2003 by Hiram Green, Scent Systems perfumes use the best quality natural fragrant oils sourced from around the world to produce high-end, entirely natural perfumes.

Scent Systems features the exquisite creations of perfumer George Dodd. In 2005, Dodd developed the Scent Systems bespoke perfume service. Most recently, he has developed Scent Systems first ready-to-wear perfume collection, the Floral Collection.

The Floral Collection is a range of five floral perfumes made from entirely natural ingredients:

Flowers have been used as the inspiration for many perfumes throughout the 20th century. Single floral note perfumes have been very popular as they are easy for us to understand: they simply remind us of a particular flower. However, none of the popular floral perfumes of the last century was made using exclusively natural ingredients.

Our floral perfumes use new distillation methods that are much gentler than traditional methods. The result is a range of perfumes that are a synergy of intuitive perfume-making and advanced scent oil technology. They form the summit of technical perfumery. (via Scent-Systems)

All five of these perfumes are quiet lovely. I found Wild Violet to be the most compelling and unusual of the collection. Wild Violet contains:

• Top notes: Indian Flowers, Rose
• Middle notes: Orris fractions, Champaca Absolute, Scottich Myrica
• Base notes: Mysore Sandalwood, Plant Musk

It opens with a very wet, green, earthy, pungent scent. It is very much like coming upon a cluster of wild violets in a misty alpine meadow.

In a short while, it loses its sharpness and turns much softer and more floral. In its final dry-down, Wild Violet yields delicate, slightly powdery notes, giving it a delicious velvety finish.

This is a beautiful perfume. It is complex and well-balanced with a hint of mystery. Wild Violet is a fragrance that is not overly feminine and should appeal equally to both men and women.

Scent Systems perfumes are available online at Scent-Systems.com.

Price: 17 ml natural perfume, £229.00.
It should be noted that web orders shipped outside the UK will be deducted 17.5% VAT (value added tax)

Website exclusive: A Sample Box of all five floral perfumes is available for £34.00. It contains 5 x 0.5 ml glass vials of natural perfume filled with enough fragrance to last a few days.

image source: Scent Systems

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Last Saturday night I attended a festive evening soiree and wanted to wear a suitably dressy fragrance. I chose “Whole Notes,” a floral oriental perfume from Canadian perfumer Lyn Ayre of Coeur d’Esprit Natural Perfume.

Whole Notes has notes of: Bergamot, Linden Blossom, Pink Lotus, Mimosa, Black Currant Bud, Oud, Clary Sage absolute, and Labdanum.

This beautiful fragrance turned out to be the perfect choice. Whole Notes is subtly elegant and does not overpower even on the sultriest of summer evenings. It opens with a light kiss of Linden Blossom and then deepens into the sweet, heady Mimosa and Pink Lotus notes. The woody, resinous labdanum pulls it together nicely, and contributes to a fairly long-lasting drydown (about 2 hours).

Whole notes is available online at ScentofNature.net.

Cost: 10 ml - $37.50; 33 ml - $65; 60 ml - $110.

image source: i-stockphoto.com, copyright Aleksey Telnov

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I am a self-avowed Orange Blossom fan, so when it was time to choose one of Natural Perfumer JoAnne Bassett’s beautiful fragrances to review, it was on obvious choice: Petit Trianon. Part of the Royal Collection, Petit Trianon contains notes of Orange Blossom absolute, Ambrette, Lavender vera, Black Spruce and others.

This well-blended and elegant fragrance is a delight to the senses. The Orange Blossom top note gives it a warm, sunshiney beginning. I detect a mysterious cinnamon note in the middle, and then it dries down to a very soft, delicious classic floral perfume. I found myself repeatedly sniffing my wrist on this one — it’s truly a happy and beautiful fragrance. Two thumbs up, JoAnne!

To read more about JoAnne Bassett and her line of natural perfumes, please check out this wonderful interview by Joyce on Noteworthy Fragrances.blogspot.com.

Petit Trianon is available online at JoAnneBassett.com.
Cost: Petit Trianon, 1/4-oz. parfum, $145; 1-oz. EDP, $75.

Orange blossom and oranges, Photo by Ellen Levy Finch, freely licensed under Wikimedia Commons.

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Organic Perfumery Rich Hippie has released a new perfume called Flower Child. This fragrance is described as:

Light, airy, sexy and sweet floral with Albanian Orris Root, Bulgarian Rose, Turkish Rose, Madagascan Rose Geranium and Croatian Lavender Flower.

I found this to be a very apt description. Flower Child is very sweet and light with a “walking on air” quality that I can only describe as “floaty.” The Madagascan Rose Geranium and Lavender notes lend it a slightly herbaceous edge, while the Rose heart notes balance delicately above the Orris Root base. The image it brings to my mind is that of soft white dandelion tufts dancing on unseen currents as they get carried along by the wind. Perhaps the lightest of the Rich Hippie scents I’ve tried, Flower Child is perfect to wear on a balmy, sunny day.

Flower Child is available at Rich Hippie. Cost: 1/2 ounce @ $285.

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Today we are looking at two vegan botanical fragrances from natural perfumer Sevi Kay of Baltimore, Maryland.

The first fragrance is Anatolia Parfum, an oil-based scent described by Sevi as:

A divine blend with floral and bright citrus notes kissed by dark chocolate

It has notes of: Turkish Rose Otto, Chocolate, Jasmine, Vanilla Bourbon, Orange, Tuberose and Osmanthus.

This sweet, feminine fragrance is very beautiful. The white flower notes blend wonderfully with the rich chocolate, rose, and vanilla notes to yield an elegant, sensuous parfum.

The second fragrance is Acacia eau de parfum. According to Sevi,

It is floral and sweet, sprinkled with a dash of spice [topped] with a breeze from the woods…

Its notes include: Turkish Rose Otto, Jasmine , Vanilla Bourbon, Petitgrain, Neroli, White Rose, Tea Rose, Myrrh, Vetiver, Pink Grapefruit, Clove, and Wild Sage.

This is a greener, yet still very soft, fragrance. On my skin there is a powdery note which is brightened by the clove and wild sage notes. Of the two fragrances, Anatolia lasted longest on me due, I’m sure, to its higher concentration of essential oils.

Both of these fragrances are vegan, earth-friendly, cruelty-free and free of synthetics, including phthalates.

They are available online at sevi cosmetics.com.

Cost: Anatolia parfum: 10-ml/$65.
Acacia EDP: 30-ml/$45.

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“Fairchild” perfume is a beautiful fragrance created by natural perfumer Anya McCoy. This perfume contains three different jasmine blossoms: grandi, sambac and aruiculatum. These are blended with the lush ylang ylang and champaca flowers, which are combined with citrus notes and ambergris (and sea shells!)

Fairchild opens with a bright, lemony-citrus accord. After about 20 minutes, it transforms into a soft, white floral embrace. As I am finding to be the case with natural perfumes, the transformation from initial top-notes to final dry-down can be quite dramatic. I believe it has a lot to do with the synergy between the natural ingredients and the wearer’s own body chemistry. In this case, the dry down yielded a delicious, hypnotic, sensual fragrance with terrific staying-power.

As with all of her products, Fairchild is made from rare aromatics and unusual tinctured essences. It is blended in organic alcohol, uses beach-harvested ambergris, and is tested on people, not animals.

Fairchild is available online at Anya’s Garden.com. Anya is currently having a first-ever sale: Parfum extrait 3.5 ml - $36.00 sale price, eau de Parfum 15 ml spray - $72.00 sale price, Eau de Parfum sampler 2 ml Spray - $15.00 sale price.

photo source: Anya’s Garden

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About this time every June, my dear mother-in-law invites me to join her at her club for the annual Mother/Daughter luncheon. It is a very genteel, panty-hose-and-pearls event that takes place in a lovely garden setting. While white gloves and hats are no longer required, a certain amount of decorum is called for.

What fragrance does one wear to such an event? My eyes scanned my collection this morning and quickly landed on a recent sample from Liz Zorn Perfume. I took off the cap, sniffed, and knew I had a winner.

With the enigmatic name of Jazz Trio #1, this is the perfect fragrance to wear to a garden party. Her description reads:

This is a classic jasmine scent, based on a natural Jasmine Absolute, full, rich and a bit earthy, grounded in a warm lush Indian Sandalwood and topped with the essence of Mandarin. Additional notes of Ginger, Benzoin of Siam and Musk Ambrette Seed lend a touch of amber and musk to the dry down.

This beautiful perfume opens with a rush of jasmine that draws you in and doesn’t let you go. It blooms on the skin in a soft, inviting manner as the warm ginger and sandalwood gently unfold. It lasted on me for several hours, and did not compete with the flavors of the meal in the least.

Happily, at the luncheon I managed to use the right fork and wear the right fragrance. All in all, a delightful day!

Jazz Trio #1 is available at Liz Zorn Perfume. Cost: 4-ml Parfum Extrait, $60 (current special includes free perfume-mini with purchase of extrait, $18 value); 1/4-oz. EDP spray, $30.

I invite you to stay tuned for my upcoming interview with perfumer Liz “Zz” Zorn!

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Strange Invisible Perfumes is a wonderful niche perfumery founded in 2000 by Alexandra Balahoutis. Located in Los Angeles, California, Strange Invisible Perfumes offers a line of completely natural, botanical perfumes that are handcrafted using the finest ingredients. Alexandra uses the gentle process of hydrodistillation to obtain the essential oils from the plants. This procedure maintains the subtle nuances of the oils.

Strange Invisible Perfumes are either

• organic
• wild-crafted
• pesticide-free
• or biodynamically cultivated.

The gentle care combined with the high quality ingredients and Alexandra’s poetic artistry result in very unique and beautiful fragrances. I sampled three of the newest perfumes in the Signature Collection; they launched in 2006.

The first was Moongarden. This lush, heady floral perfume contains notes of tuberose, jasmine, pikake and African resins. The name, Moongarden, evokes the white, night-blooming blossoms which are so opulent. This fragrance was very indolic when I first applied it, but after about 30 minutes it began to bloom into an elegant, rich fragrance. It lasted several hours, and continued to become more delightful as time went by.

The second fragrance, Magazine Street, captures the brazen, romantic energy of New Orleans. Its notes are magnolia, vanilla, patchouli, vetiver and botanical musk. It started out very musty and sweet, with the vetiver and patchouli notes dominating. And then, fifteen minutes later, it turned into a soft, woodsy, floral wonder. Of the three fragrances I sampled, I think this would appeal equally to both men and women.

An added bonus: Eight percent of retail sales from every 1/4 fl. oz. bottle of Magazine Street supports the Katrina relief work of Common Ground Collective, a non-profit organization providing immediate aid and long-term support to sustainably rebuild devastated communities in New Orleans.

The third fragance was Prima Ballerina. It has notes of Egyptian and Turkish roses, Greek sage, lime, and botanical musk. This is a rose-lover’s delight that smells like genuine, old-fashioned, fragrant roses. And this happy, soaring fragrance really does conjure up the graceful image of a Prima Ballerina in Grand jeté, floating above the ground. It is my favorite of the three, one I could easily enjoy wearing on a regular basis.

Cost: 1/4 fl. oz. flacon of perfume can be purchased for $185 at select Barneys New York locations, the Strange Invisible Perfumes boutique and perfumery in Los Angeles (tel. 310-314-1505) or online at www.siperfumes.com. Sample vials can be purchased online for $7.

perfume image source: www.siperfumes.com

Ballerinas: Photographer, Jeff Medaugh, 2006. This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0 License (cc-by-sa-2.0).

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Vancouver, B.C.-based natural perfumer Ayala Moriel has created an exquisite fragrance in the complex, rich Razala. Released in the fall of 2006, this alluring perfume is perfect for a dressed-up night on the town.

Razala, which is Ayala’s Arabic nickname, is classified as oriental spicy/oriental woody. One of its most interesting notes is the very rare ambergris. Ambergris is a precious, beach-harvested natural product which is renowned for its fixative qualities. It contributes to the lovely lasting-power of this fragrance. Other notes include:

• Top notes: Blood Orange, Pink Pepper, Saffron Crocuses
• Heart notes: Rose, Jasmine, Orange Blossom, Magnolia
• Base notes: Ambergris, Myrrh, Patchouli, Oud

I was immediately struck by the elegance of this perfume. The warm, spicy top notes warmly meld with the beautiful rose and jasmine floral notes. The woody, resiny base notes, with the inimitable ambergris, lend it a remarkable depth of character. I found myself repeatedly smelling my wrist and inhaling deeply as the scent changed and deepened on my skin.

This is an evening fragrance, to be worn when you are looking for something seductive and exotic.

And you can feel good about wearing it. Perfumer Ayala describes her natural perfume philosophy (via Ayala Moriel Parfums):

We use only top quality essential oils, absolutes, CO2 extractions and concretes, all derived directly from their botanical origins. These precious botanical essences retain the original qualities of the plants they were extracted from. What remains is the true scent of the plant, as well as its therapeutic qualities and all the trace elements found in the living plant. This enables the authentic beauty of the natural plant to shine through in all of our perfumes, and adds depth and dimension to our perfume creations.

We do not use any synthetic chemical derivatives, nor do we use synthetic, petroleum based chemicals. We also banish animal-derived aromas, except for honey, beeswax and beach-harvested ambergris, and do not perform any sort of animal testing.

Razala can be purchased online at Ayala Moriel Parfums. It is available in parfum extrait, 9ml parfum flacon for $99.99; as a flacon + 15ml refill bottle for $179.99; perfumed pendant (creme parfum) $149.99; and as a 1-ml sample, $5.99.

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I’ll admit to wearing Birkenstocks in college. The classic brown suede ones with two straps and no pizazz. I’ve also been a yoga-doing, mantra-chanting vegetarian for nearly 30 years. So, in all fairness, I was predisposed to like Rich Hippie organic perfumes based on the name alone. It’s a great juxtaposition of terms that caught my fancy from the get-go.

Then I saw the price tags on Rich Hippie products. Ouch!

Then I saw the description of all-organic ingredients used in making these fragrances. Yes!

And then I smelled the samples Rich Hippie sent me last week. Double yes!!

Rich Hippie perfumes are made with organically grown or wildcrafted plant and flower extracts. Even the alcohol base is made from organic grapes grown in California’s lush wine regions. Each batch is made in very small quantities with careful attention to quality and concern for the wearer’s health and the safety of the environment. The simple, apothecary-style bottles of Rich Hippie are the perfect flacons for these natural fragrances.

Rich Hippie Creator and Perfumer Nannette Pallrand has developed fifteen perfumes in the collection: Bliss, Maharishi, Devotion, Rock Star, Rich Hippie, Bohemian Wedding, Spring, The Kiss, Purple Haze, Marrakech, Wild Thing, Kalachakra, Utopia, Nirvana and Psychedelic. The last three are classified as unisex fragrances.

My three favorites are:

• Rock Star: Racy, dangerous, sensual tropical floral with extracts of rare Indonesian flowers, Madagascan Vanilla Bean and Clove Bud;
• The Kiss: Lush, romantic and sensual with rare organic Indian Jasmine extract, light notes of French and Chinese citrus, and Indian Frangipani petals; and
• Hoochie Coochie: Sweet, tropical, sexy and romantic floral featuring Indonesian Massoia Bark, Madagascan Vanilla Bean, Ylang Ylang flowers and light notes of Tunisian Neroli, Sweet Orange and Tangerine.

The one I least-resonated with was Psychedelic, with extracts of organic Madagascan Vanilla Bean, organic Madagascan Ginger Root and organic Sweet Orange Peel.

Perfumer Nanette states:

“There is nothing more beautiful than an all-natural perfume where you can actually smell the real flowers as opposed to a man-made chemical perfume that uses synthetic versions of flowers concocted in a laboratory. Studies have even shown that a real and all-natural perfume actually creates a chemical reaction in the body that uplifts the senses whereas a man-made, synthetic perfume brings the senses down.”

She makes a good point. I find, for example, that I feel better when I eat organically-grown fruits and vegetables as opposed to non-organic. There is an ineffable life force present in organically-grown produce that enhances one’s well-being. So, too, I detect a qualitative difference in organic perfumes. I feel a certain lightness when I wear them, like my spirit has lifted and my aura has brightened.

The lasting power of these fragrances is what one might expect from something so sheer. On my skin, after three hours I could detect only the merest trace of a scent. They are more complex than I had expected, but never over-powering.

Rich Hippie organic perfumes can be purchased in chic boutiques around the world, as well as online at Rich-Hippie.com.

Prices range from $125- 1/2 oz. ($325- 2 oz.) for many of the fragrances to $535-1/2 oz ($1355- 2 oz.) for Kalachakra.

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