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Aftelier Natural Perfume Wheel©
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The Aftelier Natural Perfume Wheel©, created by perfumer and educator Mandy Aftel, organizes essential oils, absolutes, and natural isolates into scent families, making it an invaluable tool for selecting essences when blending a perfume.
Like the aroma wheels for wine and coffee, this grouping of natural essences helps you get to know the aromas of each one by what characteristics it has in common with its family and what aroma facets make it different from its family. For instance, when you want to blend with a spicy essence it is useful to look at all the sweet spices together and consider the ways they are similar to each other. Then within that group, you can focus on the individual aroma facets that distinguish each sweet spice from others in the group, to select the essence that fits best in your formula.
On the back of the Natural Perfume Wheel, each essence is classified by its register as a top, middle, or base note, according to its relative volatility -- the speed with which it diffuses into the air.
Mandy Aftel is an internationally known artisan perfumer and educator on natural fragrance and flavor. She was born and educated in Michigan and has been living in Berkeley, California since 1970. She is the owner of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California. The Archive is the first museum in the United States dedicated to the experience of fragrance, including her collection of one-of-a-kind antique artifacts.
Aftel has demonstrated and taught the art of natural perfumery across the nation, and regularly collaborates with top-name chefs and mixologists. She was named one of the top seven bespoke perfumers in the world by Forbes.com and her work has been widely featured by outlets including CNN, The New York Times, Vogue, Vanity Fair, In Style, Time, Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, W, Self, O: The Oprah Magazine, and Elle.
