This site’s design is only visible in a graphical browser that supports web standards, but its content is accessible to any browser or Internet device. Please UPGRADE. Microsoft - Netscape - Opera

Aftelier Perfumes is proud to offer the Natural Perfume Workbook Level One, a comprehensive self-guided tutorial in natural perfume creation for beginners.

The tutorial is compiled from the lessons that Mandy Aftel has been teaching privately for years. It provides a foundation in natural perfume and is a prerequisite to advanced face-to-face instruction with Mandy.

The tutorial material and exercises are laid out in the Level One Natural Perfume Workbook. At this initial stage, the emphasis is on becoming deeply familiar with natural ingredients, refining olfactory abilities, and hands-on experimenting with combinations of ingredients. The student is guided through the process of making many, many accord experiments, the novice perfumer's equivalent to the beginning pianist's scales. Core concepts such as fragrance classifications (top, middle, and base notes), fragrance families, vertical and horizontal chords, and accessory notes are introduced, with exercises to explore and experience each. A basic philosophy of blending is imparted, and common mistakes in blending are discussed. Recipes for several easy, appealing blends are included, along with instructions on creating solid perfumes and personal care products, but the focus of the Level One tutorial is not on creating a particular finished product, but rather on intimacy and ease with the materials, alone and in combination.

The tutorial materials also include the Natural Perfume Wheel, a visual guide to articulating the nuances of scent.

In addition, an Essence Kit containing the eighteen essential oils, absolutes, and concretes used in the Level One workbook is available for purchase.

The tutorial is built on the premise that the experience of scent is deeply personal and subjective; therefore, it does not cumulate in any kind of exam. Aftelier does, however, offer a certificate of completion to show the student has applied themselves, finished the coursework and workbook to satisfaction of a Level One student.

Level One Graduate Comments:

"Invaluable were the lessons which taught how a difference of just a drop or two of one particular essence could completely change a blend - either make it or break it."

"The structure of the book is excellent and provides a model upon which I can explore other essences and become intimate with them. The work making horizontal and vertical chords was very helpful. Then slowly building blends with very few ingredients enabled me to recognize the different essences in the blend. After about 7 - 8 attempts at making a solid perfume, I began to think like a perfumer. it was like the transition a musician makes from playing notes to finally playing music."