“The Alchemy of Taste and Smell” is a weekend of events exploring the use of essential oils in cooking, at the Astor Center in New York City on November 12th and 13th. There are eight separate events; tickets can be purchased at the Astor Center website…
The Perfume Road
If you missed Mandy Aftel's talk at the American Museum of Natural History last month, you can listen to it on a podcast here.
Mandy Aftel at the American Museum of Natural History
Mandy Aftel of Aftelier will be at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City for two events this coming January.
First, on Wednesday, January 20th at 6 pm, she’ll be giving a talk on Aromatics Along the Silk Road…
Clean Well Ginger Bergamot Foaming Hand Wash ~ scented body products
Clean Well’s Foaming Hand Washes are nature-based, germ-fighting cleansers that make use of botanical essences in a two new, intriguing ways. First, they feature scents created by the well-known natural perfumer Mandy Aftel of Aftelier. Second, they introduce a component called Ingenium, “a patented formulation of essential plant oils proven to kill 99.99% of the germs that make you sick.”
According to Clean Well’s website, the primary antibacterial ingredient in Ingenium is thyme oil, a natural substitute for triclosan or other chemicals. The other ingredients in the Foaming Hand Wash include aloe, white tea, and oat extract as skin conditioners and — oops! — a dash of sodium lauryl sulfate as lathering agent. The Hand Wash’s fragrance, however, is completely natural…
Synthetic vs natural perfumes
The Canadian magazine Flare recently published a feature on the "synthetics vs naturals" debate in perfumery; the article features interviews with Mandy Aftel of Aftelier ("There is a place for both naturals and synthetics, and I think the consumer has a right to know which is which.") and perfumer Christophe Laudamiel of IFF ("In the minds of the public, natural means better. That's not true."). You can download pdf files of the two page article at Artisan Natural Perfumers Guild. Thanks to Anya for the link!