About the Wholeness of Natural Perfumery

Wholeness is about complexities. It's about taking the rough with the smooth. When using natural essences in perfumery it sometimes happens that there are certain notes that we might think we could very well do without. Rose essence in it's whole natural form possesses beautiful delicate rosy notes but it can also have notes that smell dense, or waxy, or sometimes even sharp. Some rose essences can have indolic, heavy notes. The same heaviness can sometimes prevent the more delicate floral notes characteristic of real roses from shining through.

As a natural perfumer I am learning to how to work with the wholeness of natural essences. This takes acceptance and imagination as well as a great deal of time, experimentation and sometimes painstakingly hard work. I have sampled synthetic rose essence, and a good quality one at that. I was struck by the clarity and the basic simplicity of what I was smelling. It was as though all of the might be 'unwanted' notes were stripped away leaving a vibrant, light, delicate rosy note. However it lacked far more than I have the words to describe. What I noticed was the absence of complexity, mystery and most of all wholeness.

With skill the natural perfumer can work with her materials, blending them with other whole essences. I think a good perfumer knows what an essence needs to bring out it's best qualities and what to use to neutralize or balance the heavier notes.

Wholeness speaks to us in volumes rather than in words. We are working with nature's masterpieces rather than individual pigments. We are performing using mother earth's symphonies instead picking separate notes.