How I Make Natural Perfumes: Art, Aroma, and Alchemy in a Bottle
Each Alchemessence™ perfume is art, aroma, and alchemy in a bottle. They contain magical essences, transmission of spirit, and masterfully composed symphonies of fragrance.
My formal training (and lifelong practice) in perfumery, aromatherapy, energy medicine, and shamanism provides a foundation for perfumes that not only delight the senses but act as catalysts for healing and awakening.
These perfumes are primarily dedicated to deities, animals, and plant spirits. Before I begin, I journey to the spirit of the being I’m working with for guidance—sometimes this will come in the form of specific ingredients, and other times it will be more general aroma notes. I’m highly clairolfactory (psychic through smell), so I will also smell the perfume in my journey before it exists in ordinary reality.
My collection of over 400 different botanical essences includes essential oils, absolutes, CO2s, floral waxes, resins, and handcrafted tinctures and infused oils. Unlike many natural perfumers, I do not use any isolates or animal ingredients (with the few exceptions of burnt seashell essence, honey absolute, and beeswax) in my perfumes.
I select ingredients for each perfume based on several factors, including…
The Journey—what the deity specifically requested:
Aphrodite wanted her perfume’s ingredients to come only from the place of her birth—and the birth of perfume—Cyprus
Magpie insisted on juniper berry and jasmine (which I have since learned is a powerful and common combo in Toaist aromatherapy)
Horse requested fresh hay or course, which I complemented with fields of lavender
Geography—essences to honor the primary location of a deity:
Kuan Yin has notes of green tea and ginger
Pele is honored with rare frangipani absolute
White Buffalo Calf Woman contains true white sagebrush
Symbolism—symbolic plants and essences associated with each deity:
Diana, also known as Artemis, contains the artemisia that is her namesake
Freya contains true fossilized amber, her favorite stone
Oshun is blessed with honey absolute for the honeypot she wears
Energetic Qualities—the way an essence’s energetic properties support the gifts of the deity:
Persephone contains cypress, which helps with transitioning between life and death, just as she so gracefully moves between Hades and Earth
Many moon goddesses contain a touch of clary sage, which enhances women’s natural cycles
Aroma—what truly makes each blend a perfume in the purest sense:
I carefully balance base, middle, and top notes, adding accents and fixatives so each perfume reveals surprises as it unfolds and lasts
I match the perfume family requested by each deity as well, be it floral, spicy, chypre, or woody, among others
All of these factors come together to create rare, alchemical botanical perfumes.
