Introduction to Artisan Perfumery

This is a well-written introduction to perfume-making as a hobby. This book does a good job of defining perfume-making terminology & things we should know when blending our own recipies. (The authors have an attractive Internet website, Vetiver Aromatics which sells perfumery supplies & all sorts of interesting fragrance oils. They seem to know their business.) This book is a useful, concise handbook for beginning perfumers. My only criticism is that it could use some pretty illustrations & photos. The present format is somewhat visually dull, but the price is right & the cover photo creates the right mood. (Maybe the authors could write a longer, more visually attractive perfumery book with a snappier title in the future.)I recently bought several thin books on perfume-making from Amazon which appear to be self-published. Some of them are really not books, but extended articles on perfume-making, not very well-written & not worth the money, but "Introduction to Artisan Perfumes" isn't one of them.

This is a great little reference guide for both novices and hobbyists looking for a simple history and ‘how-to’ on getting started in simple perfumery. Having scoured many perfumery books, I like that this guide is direct and to the point, unlike many guides where you need to wade through a lot of information...everything you need is right there and easy to access without copious note taking required. Great dilution charts and tables (again- straightforward). Makes it easy to just get started...which is the point of the information given. I bought this book mainly because I was curious about the accuracy of the more critical reviews, but I have found a little gem for my perfumery reference library! Good work, ladies!! Thanks for simplifying and condensing this information in a clarified way for beginners. 👍🏻

I recently bought some essential oils and wanted to start making my own. This book really is a great starter guide as far as basic fundamentals!!Then towards the end of the book you are also given a list of suppliers to buy from. I would DEFINITELY recommend this book if you want to make your own perfumes or soaps.Very easy to read understand and apply. There are a few blends mentioned in the book but really comes to trial and error.

Sorry to say, this was really a disappointment. It's obvious the authors have done some work in this area; but from the way it is presented I'm guessing they are primarily soapmakers, not perfumers. NOTHING wrong with that; many in both fields overlap successfully and accurately. These writers seem to have a good smattering of information but no depth; and they wabble back and forth in their designations of "fragrance oils" and "essential oils" and in general presentation of information. They freely mix commercial (lab created) fragrance material with natural essential oils and essences in their discussions. This indicates a minimal, or cursory, knowledge of artisanal perfumery and what it really is. And what it is NOT. It isn't just grabbing a vial of this, a bottle of that, and mixing some from each.I'd call this a fairly decent beginner's effort, but the information is so inconsistent, and incomplete, it is sometimes misleading for a beginner or novice just wanting to learn more about the topic. Acquiring the materials for perfumery is time consuming (as in the study needed to procure the best for the project) and can become quite expensive. "Artisan perfumery' becomes a passion (this from one who knows!) and if one wants to get into it, one must study the work of the true artisan perfumers: the natural perfumery movement has a strong presence and is VERY distinct from the commercial fragrance industry. One should decide which side of the road to travel: the cheaper and often diluted or inaccurately presented "fragrance oils" route or the more costly, time consuming and often complex natural perfumery.I just wish they had taken more time to truly learn about this subject before publishing.For me this little book was an hour's read and much of that was spent shaking my head at the inconsistent and sometimes misleading information. It's probably okay as a book for a casual hobbyist; but for someone truly wanting to learn more about perfumery it just doesn't do it. There are far better sources out there. And it's a wonderful thing to get into.

I am a guy who just get into fragrance community. And I belive this book is most read for those ppl who love essence. You like to know more about fragrance notes and you want a small book that did not get you bord?! Here is it " Introduction to Arttisan Perfumery"Big thanks to:Angie AndriotAlyssa Middleton& Amazon.com

Well it is what it is. And that is a very basic primer in the field of perfumery. It introduces key concepts and terms, and provides enough knowledge for one to begin to noodle around with scents. Leaves me thirsty for more, but that's just usually how I roll. Thumbs up!

An overpriced pamphlet for those who have not heard of the internet.I think it has: 4 tables ----essential oils by note and supposed benefit-33 entries, nothing new---a substitution table for those who cant do the work to find the ---"expensive or hard to find oils ie. Lemon, Peppermint, Jasmine, Patchouli, Clove- give me a break!--Carrier Oils by benefit - 20 or so listed, again nothing new or secret--Table of Fragrance Concentration vs "Type of fragrance", ie body splash vs eau de colone, Eeu de toilletee, Eau de parfume, and Eau de extract15 or so very simple blends. Again, nothing groundbreaking here.A glossary, for those who have never heard of the internet8 completely blank pages, 6 numbered.Save your money or find this for like 1$. Its worth a few bucks at most. Stick it in a notebook with other rag tag notes on perfumery. Makes me think I should start writing, I would certainly not publish this type of "book" without the Title reading " FOR ABSOLUTE BEGINNERS WHO HAVE NO EXPERIENCE, ages 12 and up"

Absolutely loved reading this. A great book that is easy to understand, contains lots of important information. I have purchased this book both on unlimited and then full price for keeps as I know I will refer back to it often.

For beginner an excellent book, I recommend it

I enjoyed this book, it has great information on fragrances and essential oil blending. Great information about carriers and solid perfume too.

I had hoped to find a comprehensive introduction, but found this book light-weight - at 35 pages, it's more like a pamphlet than a book, though it's priced like a book. I'm sure the authors know their subject, but this is woefully inadequate as a learning aid. Nor do I agree with their formulations (too little base compared to the other notes): although choice of formulation is a question of personal preference, they present it in an absolutist way (no pun intended). Some of the products they mention are also questionable. 'Fresh cut grass'? What is that? It can only be a proprietary fragrance compound, probably synthetic, which can be of no conceivable use to a perfumer, unless she makes her own compound. Best stick to tried and tested ingredients (natural and/or synthetic).Finally, they don't explain at all one of the most important things in modern perfumery, which is how to work in IFRA guidelines and EU law into the formulas so as to stay clear of problems with allergens, while remaining creative. For anyone living in Europe, this is an important skill to learn.All in all, I was disappointed by that slim fascicle. It contains nothing of use that can't be found easily on the internet, and some of what it contains is questionable. If you are learning artisan perfumery, do yourself a favour and get Mandy Aftel's book, Alec Lawless's book (available from his website Essentially Me, rather than on Amazon where it is second-hand and really expensive) and join Basenotes where you can learn a heap of things, including the IFRA and EU rules and how to work with them. Also, have a look at Chris Bartlett's excellent Pell Wall blog, and search for a post called 'a method for blending' - it contains a very useful downloadable spreadsheet.

Very easy to read but nonetheless with very clear instructions for beginners. Great little book