Natural Perfumery

ABDESSALAAM ATTAR BLOG POSTS

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22. Aromaterapy in Timbuktu: the earache

Earache is so widespread in Timbuktu that I had it after a month. It must be the desert wind that carries the poisoned dust from the roads into people's ears. Fortunately, I had already gained experience treating the population before this happened…
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23. Aromaterapy in Timbuktu: the toothache

Five months of antibiotic treatments When he came to see me, Ibrahim had been like this for five months. One of the most frequent problems for which the people of Timbuktu came to me for treatment is toothache. It seems like a minor…
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Thoughts from Timbuktu: olfactory jewels

I really did not  choose to become a natural perfumer or to make exclusively natural perfumes. I noticed from the beginning that I could  successfully use natural essences to cure myself while chemical ingredients, which I also used to wear…
Olfactory theories

Olfactory theories, Luca Turin speaks…

Two different olfactory theories. Do we smell the shapes or the vibrations of molecules? Explained in a brilliant humoristic way by Luca Turin himself.
freedom

Sniffapalooza Interview on natural perfumery

Sailing towards new horizons For the English interview just click  HERE The interview features Natural perfumery aims, ethics and philosophy. AbdesSalaam Attar interview with Raphaella Barkley
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786 アブデスサラーム　インタビュー

786 アブデスサラーム　インタビュー ウェブマガジン "Sniffapalooza" ０８年１２月１５日号掲載 インタビュアー：　ラファエラ・バークリ
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Spirituality of the sense of smell

Love for perfumes and spirituality go together, at least in the tradition of Islam. Very much unlike the idea of Serge Lutens for whom perfume is an expression of decadence and sensuality, the prophetic traditions of the three monotheistic…
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New essences from Australia

New essential oils are just arriving to me from Australia, Eco Sandalwood and Fire Tree. Australian Sandalwood is precious to me as a substitute to Mysore Sandalwood. Not only a minor quantity is enough to have the top and heart note of…
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Perfumer’s organ

The mysterious and mythic instrument of the perfumer, how to build it, explained step by step and illustrated with pictures. Foldable, easily transportable for working travels, this organ totally innovative is likely to become the model…
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King’s folly

I received a request of help for a TV shows: what about cooking eggs with Ambergris? An English cook (are the 2 words compatible for a French man) "recreates" dishes from the past and the show "culminates in a lavish feast". I do not like…
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Male perfume, tips for conquest

Men usually prefer woody or spicy or "grassy" accords, while flowery ones are considered to be feminine scents. My experience with perfume customers has shown me that there is a clear division between men and women scents, but many women…
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Ambergris

It is not easy to buy Ambergris even for one who knows it well. The business is in the hand of very few people who are ready to throw millions of dollars for really big lots. They control the prices and are very fast in travelling to the…
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Selling perfumes

Amman, 1990 We were looking at the yachts and sailing boats from the high, it was near Palermo in Sicily. My small daughter told me: "Papi, I want to buy a boat when I am grown up". "It is easy" I replied, "you just have to sell perfumes…
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REAL PERFUMES FOR REAL PEOPLE

A perfumer who looks for inspiration inside himself is not only very limited, but he also risks ending up into an ego trip completely incompatible with true inspiration, as by definition inspiration transcends the person who receives it. I…
Perfume by Fujishima Takeji

The Perfume and the Medias

We tend to believe that it is sufficient for a company to appear on a major magazine to pick up customers. My long time experience matured with the press has shown me that this is not at all the case. The funniest example is the last…
psycho-aromatherapy

Mechanism of olfactory memory

Psycho-Aromatherapy chart of Robert Tisserand A perfumer has people smell his perfumes. He never has to ask if they likes them: It is enough for him to observe and read the faces. Facial expressions are infinite and they speak like words: liking,…
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Mystic of Perfume Making

There are different ways to initiate the composing of a new fragrance, but the spirit of it should always be one; "Kodo" the Zen of perfume. In the Hebrew mystic, it is taught that all senses give pleasure to the body while the sense of smell…
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Perfumer’s perversion

I just received from South Africa a new essence that is not yet available on the international market of raw material for perfumers. The bottle had leaked a bit and the wrapping of the parcel was perfumed. The power of this essential oil…
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Tri-dimensional Perfumery

My search for the real musk deer scent has carried me to some of the farthest reaches of the Hindu Kush, but at last I found it at its fount. I fully understand the need for all perfumers for a sustainable musk scent substitute, but the…
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Olfactory education

There is a clear parallel between music and perfumery, between olfactory and musical melodies, and we shall use this likeness in order to understand better the "why" and the "how" of olfactory education. Just like music, perfumery is an art…