Yesterday was a lovely evening, and I enjoyed the opportunity to talk about what happened to me the last 11 years, in front of about 30 ladies and gentlemen, all new to the world of artisanal perfumery. To be honest: I enjoy talking about myself and the story of how I started creating perfumes. Initially, most of you might know this already, I was hooked up by the book “Essence and Alchemy” by Mandy Aftel. And thus, I was making my very first steps towards creating perfumes using all natural ingredients, essential oils, absolutes, resins, but no isolated natural molecules. Looking back to the first two years – I think I started employing single molecules, synthetics, about 2 years after my first perfume creating steps – looking back I feel that this was a perfect school for me and has influenced everything scented that I created so far.

For me it was the natural way. I remember the strange look on many friend’s faces when I started creating perfumes. Creating Perfumes? Really? It was odd and special. These days,  more than 10 years later, it seems to become more common as a leisure activity and hobby. Interesting!  A lot of things shift and change these days. And I bet: It is due to the internet. A world in constant accelerated change due to a highly disruptive (information) technology. I like it that way.

But back to my thinking about perfumes and what happened these last years. After my talk, on my way back through a dark night, with a lot of stars twinkling on a beautiful sky, I wondered why I still think in naturals when creating scents, although by now, my formulas are 50% synthetics. Why so? I do not really know, to be honest. I appreciate the beauty and the endless possiblities of synthetics, but I love and think in naturals. Every perfume that I create in my mind has a core structure of naturals and the synthetics follow afterwards, filling up holes, adding context, depth, another dimension. But I feel that the way how I started my creative venture still guides what I do. (Pentachords are an exception!)

Thus, after my speech, yesterday, about how it all started, I was reflecting a bit for myself about the journey I was on the last few years. Amazing. Simply amazing.

So I showed, during my speech, for instance, the first bottle that I used to fill the air du désert marocain. You can still find a picture of it on basenotes. I do not say “flacon” but rather “bottle” and this IS a bottle. Not that I am ashamed of this part of my brand’s history. It is how we started. But it is really….well: Simple. And looking back, from a safe 7 year’s distance: It was simply not enough.

When starting this creative venture, I was so naiv. Lucky me: Otherwise I would have never started it.

In a certain sense, I still am, pretty much, naiv. I like it that way.

Today’s picture: Candles on an oriental table, seen yesterday.