The Perfume Bee

Please join me as I continue my interview with Liz Zorn, founder of Liz Zorn Perfume. (To read Part I of this interview, please click here).

The Perfume Bee: Liz, have you considered teaching perfumery classes at your farm or boutique?

Liz Zorn: No.

Bee: You use the terrific term “Aroma Artist” to describe yourself. Can you tell us what that means to you?

Liz: That changes. Aroma Artist is merely an extension of the other arts in my life: painting, music and writing. To me art is art. It doesn’t really need a lot of description. You know it when you see it, or smell it, for that matter.

Bee: I imagine your graphic design background plays a large role in the aesthetic of your bottles and packaging. Do you do all the design work yourself?

Liz: All of the labeling, web site, etc. are from my own creations. But as far as my professional design work goes, I am not a commercial artist, but a visual / graphic artist. Working in areas such as printmaking and photography. I started out as a composition artist, but spent the next thirty years as a painter. My designs for the packaging etc. are more about personal taste. I like modern, clean designs. Solids instead of patterns, etc.

Bee: Liz, you are also a mixed media artist. Where can we see examples of your work?

Liz: Most of my work (aside from what I have in storage) is in private collections. I am not exhibiting now. When I decided to go full time with the perfumery, I ended many long term relationships with galleries and art dealers who carried my work. I still take appointments here at my studio, and have a revolving exhibit of artwork in the boutique. Occasionally I will accept an invitation to exhibit. With perfumery being such an influence right now. My next visual artistic venture is likely to be a photographic series inspired by scent.

Bee: I get the sense that you are a person who is always experimenting, exploring, and pushing the boundaries. All good attributes of a perfumer! To what or whom do you attribute these qualities?

Liz: I am inspired by positive action. Goodness, and a healthy dose of curiosity. I love my work. When you have a healthy attitude the possibilities are endless. I also admire people of great diversity and vision.

I am a total science junkie, and have been in love with Richard Feynman for many years. He was a brilliant man, and his interests were all over the place. My grandfather was an inventor, and had a Willy Wonkaish, workshop that I spent a lot of time in when I was a young girl.

Bee: What do you do to help keep you grounded, when you have so many projects going at once?

Liz: I hang out with my cats and Mr. Z. Read. Dance. Go for a swim (summertime). Take a bubble bath. Have dinner with a friend, Write a new song, or just play guitar. It can be anything really. I am pretty flexible.

Bee: What describes you best: High energy or Super-high energy?!?

Liz: Super High Energy and No Energy.

It’s a mix. I believe that the energy of inspiration is a gift. If it is flowing like a river, ride it out. It’s like waking up everyday with “Beginners Mind.” If you are open and clear headed, with a healthy sense of adventure, anything is possible. Whatever you need will come to you. If you need to be in high gear, you will be in high gear. If you need to be mellow, you will be mellow. It is all about what we set for ourselves, our intention. Being aware of how we think and how we act. The flow of energy can change many times throughout a day.

Bee: Is there anything else you would like to share with us?

Liz: Be Peace, Pass It On…….

Bee: Thank you, Liz. It has been a delight talking to you. We wish you and Liz Zorn Perfume all the very best!

To learn more about Liz Zorn Perfume, you may visit the website.

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Liz Zorn of Liz Zorn Perfume is a natural perfumer extraordinaire. Part artist, part musician and part visionary, Liz creates her beautiful perfumes in Morrow, Ohio. She has been making natural perfumes for several years and opened her boutique, Zz’s Petals Parfume Moderne, in 2006.

Liz and I spoke by phone and email. She is very articulate, refreshingly candid, and quite passionate about perfumery. Join me as we get to know more about Liz and her views on making perfume.

The Perfume Bee: Hi, Liz. How long have you been creating perfumes?

Liz Zorn: I became interested in essential oils and using them to create personal fragrances in my teens. I continued to read and study over the years. Creating scented gifts for friends and occasionally a custom perfume.

As with a lot of folks, I did some soul searching after 9/11. I decided to focus more seriously on my music (another love of mine) and to see where perfumery would take me. By then I had a pretty good working knowledge of the craft. I have been traveling down that road ever since.

Bee: What is the process of making perfume like for you? Do you get hit with sudden inspirations at odd times, or do you work more methodically?

Liz: For the most part I start with an idea, and try to build a scent around it. It can be anything, from trying to capture my grandmother’s laugh, to the scent patterns of a color.

Bee: How do you source your ingredients? What are the criteria you use?

Liz: I have no stone written formula for that. I buy materials from people who have the best of what I am looking for. It can be a small supplier, or a large distiller. My primary guide is my nose. Whatever the material, it has to meet my brain’s expectations of what a particular thing should smell like. Quality is always my first rule. Get that right and everything else will fall in line.

Bee: Have you ever made what you thought was a real clunker, and it turned out to be a winner? Or vice-versa?

Liz: Yes, this can happen more often that one might think. Particularly when working with natural materials, because they can take their own sweet time revealing their secrets. Not all perfumes age at the same rate, either. I have created perfumes that smelled quite raw after a couple months of aging, and just divine after a year or two.

Bee: What is your philosophy regarding the use of synthetics in fragrances?

Liz: I am a firm believer in balance. I believe that there is room at the table for all. I am very excited that there are so many independent perfumers working today. Creating beautiful perfumes that people love. This crosses all philosophies: from mainstream to niche, natural or synthetic and to a mix of both. Every time something good happens for a small perfumer like myself I take it as a personal success. I love to see others doing well, and enjoying their work. It makes my work so much more meaningful.

Bee: You and your husband own an organic farm called Peace Angel Farm. How does this impact your perfumery?

Liz: Actually, Mr. Z owns the farm, and is the grower. I take none of the credit for his hard work. As far as impacting my perfumery, this is my home, and I feel blessed to be living here.

Bee: Do you distill and tincture some or most of your perfumery ingredients yourself?

Liz: I have distilled some things in the past. But, I am doing less and less of that now. I purchased a new distiller last year and have yet to establish an area to set it up. I do tincture quite a bit. I use a lot of dried organic fruits, and herbs, most of which I purchase elsewhere. I use exotic and tropical things that are not grown in this area, or available as a natural aroma note.

Bee: What is the most unusual item you have ever tinctured?

Liz: I have tinctured a lot of things. But nothing really strikes me as unusual. Dirt maybe. Cat hair, all sorts of dried sea veggies, whatever peaks my curiosity, I will plop a bit of it into a jar of alcohol just to see what happens…….

Bee: Your boutique, Zz’s Petals Parfume Moderne, is located just north of Cincinnati. If we can’t make it to Ohio, are there other stores where we can find your perfumes?

Liz: We are working on that now. We had initially begun to accept inquiries from other retailers, but realized that we needed more preparation. I have a long list of folks both in the US and Europe who have been waiting for us to set up a wholesale plan. We are also looking into other areas where we would like to be represented. A lot is set to happen in the next few months, but I can’t really get into it all now.

In the meantime. The perfumes are available on our web site: lizzorn.com, and we do offer samples.

Bee: Which is your personal favorite fragrance in your collection?

Liz: The next one. I am always in love with whatever I am working on at the time. I wear it, test it and get personally involved with its energy and vitality. Then I let it go and move on to the next adventure. I am a process artist all the way. I have no problems letting my babies go.

But to be more accurate: When I want to wear perfume, I usually mix together a few drops from a couple of my pre-made diluted bases, and dab it on. I could wear something different everyday. Today I am wearing a blend of six different mosses, with a mixed wood/amber base. I smell like I’ve been rolling in the dirt.

Bee: (LOL at the image!)

Do you make bespoke fragrances?

Liz: The short answer is yes. But for the most part in a less involved way than you might think. Someone will come in to the boutique and ask for a Sandalwood and Vanilla, or something simple like a three or four note scent that contains common ingredients, like patchouli or lavender. If I don’t have that as a fragrance I will make it for them. This happens a lot. People like familiar things. Particularly scents that evoke memories.

Occasionally I will design a complex fragrance. But am doing less and less of that, due to the demands of the business as a whole.

…coming tomorrow, Part II: Liz discusses her art, the source of her inspiration, and the importance of being in the flow…

photo source: Liz Zorn

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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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After my recent review of Strange Invisible Perfumes, I wanted to know more about the perfumer behind these delightful creations. To do so, I had a nice email exchange of Q & A with Alexandra Balahoutis, the 32-year old founder and creator of Strange Invisible Perfumes.

Alexandra is passionate about natural perfume and has been creating fragrances professionally for the last seven years. She uses only organic, wild-crafted and/or biodynamic ingredients in her products. Strange Invisible Perfumes are available at the Strange Invisible Perfumes boutique in Venice, California, and online at SIPerfumes.com.

Join me as we chat with the talented and thoughtful perfumer, Alexandra Balahoutis.

Perfume Bee: Hi, Alexandra. At what age did you know you would become a professional perfumer?

Alexandra Balahoutis: At 21, I began to study. I started professionally at 25.

Bee: What led you to this decision?

Alexandra: I cared so much about advancing my knowledge and skill. I could see a very clear future as a perfumer from the very first day I started my education. There was an unstoppable drive to master the art and business of perfumery. I hadn’t experienced that level of clarity or drive with any of my other interests.

Bee: Can you describe your background and training in perfumery?

Alexandra: I am self-taught for the most part. However, botanical perfumer John Steele is my mentor. He studied mainly in India. He is also an anthropologist and archaeologist. His guidance and teachings have been invaluable to me. He is a true aromatic visionary.

Bee: What are your guiding principles in making perfume?

Alexandra: Sincere inspiration, precious botanical ingredients, and diligence in formulating are what lead me to what I call ‘authentic perfumery.’ No synthetics. Only premium ingredients.

Bee: What is the process like for you when creating a new fragrance?

Alexandra: I listen to my intuition and embrace whim and romance, but I work hard and I question my work intensely. I am not easily satisfied with myself. There is a standard and people have expectations, myself included.

It isn’t simply about worshiping essential oils and throwing them together. Botanical perfumery is hard work. Discovering new ways to achieve much loved notes without using synthetics is a lot of work.

Bee: If you had to describe your perfume-creating process, would you consider yourself to be a) a mad scientist! b) a dreamy dreamer or c) none of the above.

Alexandra: A mad dreamer. My vision is delicate but my process is intense. I pull very elusive energies and impressions from the ether into the physical world and then into a very new market place.

Bee: You use 100% natural and botanical ingredients in your perfumes. Was this an easy or difficult choice for you?

Alexandra: The choice was easy. My convictions had become so strong without even my own consent. I knew that I couldn’t leave violet, gardenia, leather, lily of the valley, et cetera out of my compositions but I couldn’t use their synthetic representatives.

I worked day and night to crack these codes by combining essences and aromas, not by manipulating them. Reaching the standard with such criteria has been a challenging route but a very rewarding one.

Bee: Do you find any limitations when using botanicals?

Alexandra: There are some but I don’t accept them and it has always worked out for me. I hit a wall and then at some point, I make an incredible discovery. Achieving notes this way is so much more exciting.

A perfumer should interpret aromas and their impressions, not merely deliver their industrial profiles yet again to the public. A perfumer must have a point of view.

Bee: You favor the hydrodistillation of essential oils. Please tell us about that.

Alexandra: I love this method because it captures many of the delicate, energetic top notes that often escape the distillation process. Hydro-distillations also have a very distinctive, crystalline quality that I love. But I also use essences that result from different methods of extraction with the exception of Co2 extractions.

…coming next, Part II: Alexandra shares advice for new perfumers, discusses what is on the horizon for Strange Invisible Perfumes, and describes what it takes to be a green company…

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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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The May 2007 issue of Perfumer & Flavorist magazine features an article titled, “Topics in Perfumery: Creating Effective Natural Fragrances.” Writer Helen Feygin looks at how large fragrance companies are responding to the public’s desire for 100% natural fragrances. Acknowledging that “natural personal care is no longer a small niche business,” Feygin points out that using an entirely natural scent palette poses challenges for modern perfumers. She states:

There is no blueberry essential oil available to make a fragrance smell like blueberries, nor are there grape or raspberry oils. Matching these fruits with a palette of synthetic materials such as methyl anthranilate and raspberry ketone would be achievable, if not easy, for most perfumers. But limiting oneself solely to naturals, this process becomes a true test of creativity [emphasis added].

I love that she highlights the importance of creativity needed to work with natural essences. Of course it would be easier for a perfumer to add a few synthetic drops of this and that to achieve a particular scent (as you may recall from an earlier post, Lily-of-the-valley’s beautiful scent, for example, cannot be captured through distillation. Lily-of-the-valley is a synthetic note in perfume). But to create something similar to this fragrance using natural ingredients requires ingenuity of the highest order. This is where the joy and artistry of natural perfumery shows its true colors.

Feygin adds:

The complications in working with natural materials are well compensated by the sparkling elegance they impart to fragrances. Wonderful fragrances can be created using only naturals, the way it has been done since perfumery’s dawn.

But she then states:

Synthetics, on the other hand, are essential as well—they extend perfumers’ palettes, adding complexity and diversity…In truth, there is room in the marketplace for safe synthetics and naturals, often complementarily blended together in the service of a fantastic fragrance.

Until those last few lines, I was in agreement with Feygin, who is the founder and principal of a fragrance development company. But nonetheless, I see it as a good sign when the major perfumers are taking an interest in naturals. May this be the beginning of a long and fruitful dialog.

The full article may be purchased from Perfumerflavorist.com or read in GCI magazine.

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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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