Aromatic profiles : Lavender

AROMATIC PROFILES : LAVENDER

The much loved lavender never disappoints. Unfailingly it manages to transport me to the lavender fields of Provence France, and to the little markets on the village squares where all manner of lavender produce is sold.

We have lavender fields in the Franschoek region of South Africa too, and they make for a glorious photo op when driving by before the harvest removes the flowers and leaves the grey rows of bushes.

Steam distillation is the extraction method used to coax the fragrance from the flower into the bottle.

Not all lavender smells the same. It has a chemical constituent of camphor in it and depending on the soil type and the weather conditions, and the harvest techniques etc, this camphor can be subdued to a barely there kind of smell, or it can totally overwhelm the lavender aromatic, and believe me , the camphory version is not nice at all.

Of course there are many species of lavender , and each one will resonate with  a different chord.

Angustifolia is what I am smelling today. It gives a light woody herbaceous smell , with ash and crsip clean sundried laundry. it has a gentle edge - soft like a baby.
it is a heart note on the perfume pyramid and is grouped in the aromatic family and not with the florals. While the smell of flowers is vaguely there - it is not a typical floral, but a herby woody sandy floral.

Aromatic Profiles : Coriander

AROMATIC PROFILES : CORIANDER

Well what a complete surprise !

Coriander for me, is synonymous with South African biltong and Boerewors - so it carries meaty foody connotations

not on your nellie

it is glorious and sunny - it is like walking through a citrus orchard on a summers day, with hidden geranium floral notes which jump out and delight you. It does not smell gourmand at all - not even vaguely.

The Indian and Moroccan cuisine makes extensive use of coriander and in food, somehow, it definitely has a spice smell.

but in the lexicon of perfumers , the seed oil , which is steam distilled, sits in the aromatic fragrance family next door to Lavender and Clary Sage.

it's orgin is Hungary ( which seems to go with its foodie spice status - hungry ..... sorry - could not resist ).

There is a flexibility and an adaptability in this oil - it is also a modifier note and can swing an accord in a new direction as I recently found out when playing with a new concoction.it warmed my accord and made it baser- in contrast to Clary Sage which made it greener and cooler.
On the skin, the oil reveals a little of its spice nature - slightly clovey with a dash of pepper.
i am unable to smell the camphor note which is somewhere in there with the ketones.

I am in love with this oil and see a great future for the two of us

Aspirations of a natural perfumer

I have always thought that my nose was pretty sharp - it isnt very pretty in profile ... but then that isnt the kind of sharp I was referring to. I have a pet hatred for the smell of cigarette smoke and have been able ot smell it a mile away , even from the car driving in front of me when my car windows are closed.

The nature of my work as the product developer for my small body and bath product company called RAIN, has neccesitated that I jolly well jack up my act in the field of perfumery so that I can formulate original fragrances for the company - and specifically natural formulations , and even more specifically - African Natural Fragrances.

To this end, I have enrolled at the Perfumery Art School in the UK for a two year correspondence course in perfume creation.

Super exciting , but also pretty challenging studying such an abstract art all alone and far from colleagues to bounce ideas off.

Of course, I am lacking confidence, and concerned that my abilities wont be good enough. I am pretty sure I dont have natural talent for blending like the so called "noses" do, but I am hungry to learn, keen to try and passionate about the raw materials which the countryside around me offers in abundance.

I plan to write this blog more for myself than anything else. As a discipline to record what I am doing and observing and also to cement the findings and exercises into my mind. At my age ( 52 ) learning is more challenging and things have to be repeated a few times before I remember them.

So, join me if you wish, on my journey of olfactory discovery.