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Boronia


Boronia, originally uploaded by Helen Boronia McHugh.

Boronia, originally uploaded by Helen Boronia McHugh.

Boronia is one of the rarest and most magical natural raw materials. It grows on the shores of Tasmania, in western Australia, and has a scent that is unusually complex and alluring: it is floral, sweet and peppery, reminiscent of yellow freesias; green and suave like violets (due to the high precentage of beta ionones, some alpha ionones and other carotenoids - which is not surprising given its orange-brown colour); and also reminiscent of raspberry, green tea and the sea shore and has a hint of hay and wood at the dryout phase.

Boronia notes are rarely found in mass-market perfumes because of its prohibitive cost; but also because it is susceptive to much adulteration, and the world production is extremely limited (Arctander mentiones under 1 metric tone per year but that was quite some time ago - I don't know if the production has gone up or down since than).

The only one perfume I could actually detect the boronia in is Diorissimo in parfum extrait (I bought a flacon some 8 years ago and it's pure heaven). Although Folavril lists it (along with mango) I can't say I've noticed it there.

Boronia serves an important role in the flavour industry more than in the fragrance, especially in berry flavours such as raspberry and strawberry and even peach - but most importantly cassis (black current). A little Boronia absolute goes a very long way in creating berry and fruit flavours, so it may be more popular in flavouring than in formulas for fine fragrance.

In my line I've used it in three perfumes - all very unusual as a result of the unique presence of this precious raw material:
Indigo, where it contributes to the mystique of cool vs. warm: violet, anise and orris against the warmth of amber, incense and spice.
l'Ecume des Jours, where it serves as the last catalyst to create a waterlily accord - the one that grew in Chloe's lungs and brought the doom on the entire cast of this surreal tale.
And Grin, where Boronia's eternal sunshine brings a stream of light into a forest clearing blooming with wild roses and smiling jasmines. I have to admit this one was largely inspired by Diorissiomo in the extrait.

Boronia is extremely rare and in fact the world supplies have reached bottom low this year already. So much so, that a supplier won't sell you more than 50gr until 2010, when the new harvest will be processed. The current price is $8,600 per kilo, the highest amount for any raw material I'm aware of other than agarwood essential oil. As a result, I had to increase the price of all of my perfumes containing Boronia - l'Ecume des Jours, Grin and Indigo.

Intro to Natural Perfumery: Raw Materials


Raw Materials 03, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Yesterday night was the first "Intro to Natural Perfumery" presentation at my studio. We went through the materials used in natural perfumery, how they are in their raw state (with some samples as pictured above), how their essences are extracted, and how the essences are than being put together to make a perfume.

We went through some representative building blocks from most groups (i.e.: citrus, herbal, floral, earthy, animalic, woody, spicy, etc.) and also talked about the fragrance pyramid (top notes, heart notes and base notes).

We concluded the presentation with a breakdown of one of my perfumes, ArbitRary. I pulled apart the notes that make it, and we smelled them together on blotter stripes, pulling apart the horizontal accords and vertical accords, and than smelling them all together and comparing them to the finished perfume.

We had a full house of 6 participants, which gives everybody just enough time to sniff the essences and ask questions and so on. I try to make my presentations as "hands-on" and interacntive as possible. I think it's more interesting this way than just listen to someone talk for two hours :)
It was fun for both myself and the participants, and I am looking forward to more presentations like this one in the future!

Next Thursday (June 21st) will be a Limoncello making workshop (an Italian lemon liquor), and the last workshop this month will be a solid perfume making workshop. We only have space for 6 people in each workshop, and spaces are filling up fast - so make sure you reserve your spot now if you'd like to participate!

A full calendar of workshops will be posted here (as well as on my website) shortly. Also, starting July, I will be offering the Foundations of Natural Perfumery course - a basic course of 8 sessions for all those who want to learn how to make perfumes on their own. In the fall, I will be also offering more courses on the topic, starting with beginner level and working up to intermediate level Natural Perfumery. Classes will be offered on Mondays and Thursdays, with some one-on-one sessions and possibly weekend sessions as well.

Back to the Roots


Vetiver Roots 03, originally uploaded by Ayala Moriel.

Yesterday I got my shipment from Penn Herbs, including dried, chopped Vetiver roots. The main objective of the order was to tincture dried deer tongue leaves for the rich coumarin sweetness for another project I am working on (which you will hear about very soon!). I glanced through the website and spotted vetiver roots, and added them to the shopping basket with no hesitation.

What I found when I opened the ziplock bag is the incredible richness of the full plant roots – cleaned from the soil, of course, and with an earthy, grassy, bittersweet scent, and that familiar dry woven basket aroma. All I could do is chug the ziplock with my nostrils, and suck in all the fragrant air. I want to do so many things with those magical roots – put them in a pillow for easy inhale around bedtime, make a bathing sponge out of them (don’t ask me how, because I haven’t figured it out), grind it into body scrubs – you name it.

Penn Herbs labels this as a stimulating tonic, and recommends to drink it as a tisan (1 cup of boiling water to ½ or 1 tsp. of the dried roots, steep for 4-7 minutes and drink as is or with honey and/or lemon), and counter indicates it for pregnant women.

Floral Waxes

This interesting material is a by product of the absolute industry. To produce an absolute, the plant matter first gets treated with (usually) hexane. This separates all the fragrant materials as well as the waxy mass from the flower or plant. This mix of essential oils and waxy mass is known as concrete - and the texture can vary from liquid (as in Ylang Ylang concrete) to a waxy paste (Jasmine concrete, Lavender concrete, etc.), which is, of course, highly fragrant. The next step is washing the concrete with alcohols in order to separate the fragrance of the plant from the waxes. This is how the absolute is made - and it is a very dense and rich version of the plant's aroma. A few drops go a very long way, and when diluted, they often reproduce exactly the essence of the plant in a more complete way than the essential oil.
However, after washing the concrete - there is still some scent left behind. It is contained in what is known as "floral wax". The consistency, colour and texture of the floral wax varies tremendously from one species to the other. They are far cheaper than the absolute or essential oils, particularly those of previous flowers. Therefore, they are partiuclarly valuable in adding scent for cosmetic preparations such as body lotions, body butters and facial creams - and can be also used to add a precious floral aroma to candles and soaps.

I have just received my first shipment of floral waxes samples from A Little Olfactory for experimenting with, and I felt I had to share with you the sensual aspect of these materials. If not in scent - than at least with pictures. You can see that the texture is completely different for each floral wax. I'm really excited to work with these materials - especially knowing that they have excellent beneficial properties. My favourite of all is the tuberose floral wax. It smells like a dream - more creamy and deep than any tuberose I've ever smelled really... The violet leaf is also very interesting. Quite intense, actually, and very true to the violet scent - green cucumber-like and powdery not only in scent but also in appearance.
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