The Perfumer’s Essence: Crafting Fragrance at the NYBG
Posted in Adult Education on May 11 2012, by Education at NYBG
Ed. Note: Our delectable cooking adventures, botanical art primers, and flower arranging courses make the NYBG‘s Adult Education program one of the most robust horticultural experiences in the nation. True to form, we will soon offer courses for the amateur perfumer, introductions to what can only be called “plant alchemy.”
Read on for an interview with Julianne Zaleta, who brings her perfumer’s knowledge to the table in Natural Perfume Blending and Aromatherapy 101. Each is an upcoming part of this summer’s Botanical Spa course series, bringing the sensuous and luxuriant side of gardening home.
How did you start and how long have you been making your own scents?
I’ve been making my own scents for about ten years, but my love affair with plants started a very long time ago, in my mother’s garden when I was a child. When I look back I can see that my whole life has been about taking the next logical step to understanding and appreciating the plants around me. I’ve been a gardener, floral designer, herbalist and aromatherapist and I feel it’s all led me to this.
Describe the classes that you’re teaching.
I’m teaching two classes at NYBG. The first is a natural perfume blending workshop. It’s a three-hour class and I’ll start by talking a little bit about the history of perfume, the sense of smell, the advent of synthetic ingredients and the return to naturals. I’ll talk about the different perfume ingredients and how they’re distilled, while passing around testers of a wide range of oils. The basics of formulation will be explained and each participant will leave with two bottles of their own bespoke perfume.
The second class is Aromatherapy 101. Participants will gain a basic understanding of aromatherapy, essential oils, and their applications, including recommendations for an aromatherapy “first aid kit.” The oils I’ve chosen for this class are easily available selections that everyone should have access to. Each student will get the opportunity to create their own therapeutic bath salts and massage oil.
What does “natural” perfume blending mean?
At the turn of the last century the first synthetic fragrance material was developed in a laboratory. Originally the perfume community was skeptical of the synthetic materials, but soon they were lured by their cheap prices, availability, and colorlessness. Soon all perfume was made with these synthetics, with only a smattering of natural oils. Like a lot of things these days, we are enjoying a return to basics (think handmade paper and the Slow Food movement). There are a bevy of perfumers working now that work exclusively with essential oils and precious absolutes.
What impact do scent and aromatherapy have on people?
Essential oils are volatile, meaning that they’re explosive–literally. When you open a bottle of essential oil, the odor molecules burst out of the bottle and become airborne, entering the bloodstream purely by inhalation. Essential oils have many properties and uses. They are anti-microbial (meaning that they fight infection), anti-depressant, calming, stimulating, aphrodisiac, etc. Scent can also trigger emotional memories rather instantaneously, owing to the fact that the part of your brain that registers smell is so closely linked to the part that stores emotional memory.
What are ways that people can experience the benefits of aromatherapy at home? What will they learn in your class that will enhance this?
In Aromatherapy 101, students will learn the properties of a variety of essential oils and how to use them to benefit their health. Each student will have an opportunity to make their own bottle of massage oil and a packet of bath salts to take home. Hopefully they’ll be armed with helpful information to make further remedies on their own.
What do you like most about teaching?
In every workshop I’ve taught there’s always one student who announces, “This is so much fun!” That’s my reward! I get to share information about the things I love most to folks who want to know about it and I find that incredibly satisfying. It’s great fun for me to see and hear everyone’s reactions to all of the different scents being passed around. I also live a very green lifestyle and it’s a chance for me to hopefully influence people to think about what they’re consuming.
Natural Perfume Blending takes place on Saturday, May 19 at the NYBG’s Midtown Center. Visit our Botanical Spa listing to see each of the courses being held throughout May and June.
