The art of perfumery is as old as civilization.

Fragrance families

      THE BIRTH OF modern Western perfumery as we know it today occurred during the 14th century with the discovery of alcoholic extraction techniques. Before that time, perfumes had been based on fatty or oily materials which did not allow the finesse afforded by alcohol or synthetics. Many modern perfumers consider that it is impossible to make a good perfume without the use of synthetics or alcohol. This is because these ingredients can impart lift, radiance, and diffusion to an accord. In their view, only eau-de-Colognes can be made wholly from simple, natural ingredients (known as naturals).

      On the other hand, synthetics can have a flat and two-dimensional quality, whereas natural essences are more full-bodied and complex. In addition, many people are sensitive to certain chemicals used in modern perfumes and toiletries, which can cause skin allergies, headaches, or other side effects in sensitive individuals. Some modern perfumes contain well over 100 different ingredients or compounds, but for the purpose of aromatherapy, it is enough to blend as few as three oils to produce an interesting result. This is because pure essential oils, unlike synthetic chemical fragrances used in modern perfumery, already contain many different components, each being made up, in some cases, of hundreds of different constituents, including trace elements. Rose oil, for example, contains over 300 constituents, which is why it is so difficult to imitate it or to construct a “nature identical” rose scent.

      Many essential oils are a complex blend of fragrances in their own right. Using this perfumery dial helps in analyzing the individual elements and building up a fragrance profile for a particular oil. The dial is shown marked up for rose oil.

      MANDARIN

To gain familiarity with the different essences and to develop your sense of discrimination, test oils individually. Do not smell essential oils directly from the bottle. Always use a strip of blotting paper. Ideally, dilute the oil to 50 percent, using a bland base. Dip the paper into the essence, then study the odor immediately. After a few minutes smell it again, then periodically over several hours. You will see that the most volatile components will rise quickly up the blotting paper and disperse, while the more viscous elements will remain at the tip. Mark the strip clearly at the other end and record your results on the perfumery dial shown below, starting at the top with the floral notes and then moving round the face. For example, if floral notes are absent, put a dot in the center; if predominant, put a dot in the outer circle. Continue around the circle, trying to detect each note in turn, to complete the profile.

      Fragrance families and their effects

      The following table is based on the Austrian perfumer, Jellinek’s concept of relating perfumes to skin and hair type.

      Fresh (blond)

      GREEN Reviving (e.g. thyme)

      HERBACEOUS Stimulating (e.g. basil)

      MEDICINAL Clearing (e.g. eucalyptus)

      Soothing (brunette)

      SPICY Warming (e.g. nutmeg)

      WOODY Appeasing (e.g. sandalwood)

      EARTHY Grounding (e.g. vetivert)

      Sultry (black)

      MUSKY Aphrodisiac (e.g. patchouli)

      ORIENTAL Comforting (e.g. benzoin)

      HONEY Heady (e.g. ylang ylang)

      Exalting (red)

      FLORAL Uplifting (e.g. geranium)

      FRUITY Enlivening (e.g. petitgrain)

      CITRUS Refreshing (e.g. lemon)

      Trying to identify or verbalize a particular scent is difficult, yet odor classification is most important for developing scent discrimination and perfecting the art of blending. In modern perfumery work, this discrimination includes knowledge of all the synthetic fragrances now available. Indol, for example, is a natural component of jasmine absolute, now produced chemically. In concentration, it smells strongly camphoraceous, but in minute proportions it adds sweetness and volume to heavy, floral-based accords. In psycho-aromatherapy, however, the groups of aromas are wholly natural in origin, as in original perfumery classifications.

      

Aromatherapy massage

      Massage is one of the most fundamental forms of therapy, and has been utilized by many diverse cultures for thousands of years. The need to be touched is itself an essential and primitive human instinct, for without physical contact, the overall health of the individual suffers. Recent research has shown that a lack of tactile contact is associated with immune depression, and positive touch with immune stimulation.

      Over the course of time, many different massage techniques have been developed, each having its own individual therapeutic approach. The oriental art

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