Exploration to Australian Native Botanicals Heritage
Australia’s varied climates and soils have shaped the unique qualities of its botanicals. Australia is home to more than 18,000 described native vascular plant species, many found nowhere else on Earth. Shaped by an ancient evolutionary history and the long isolation of the Australian continent, Oceania. These botanicals represent a living botanical heritage that reaches back to the landscapes of Gondwana which began around 140 million years ago. Australia subsequently separated from Antarctica around 50 million years ago, leaving its flora increasingly isolated. Their extraordinary diversity offers perfumers an exceptional palette of aromatic materials with which to tell the story of Australia through scent.

This is why Natural Perfumery is so vital, not only in fostering a new generation of creators but a generation of storytelling.
Australia is reshaping luxury perfumery by blending its rich native botanicals with refined craftsmanship.
Over the past decade, Australian natural perfume brands have gained international recognition for their distinctive use of natural botanical raw materials. Consumer interest in natural perfumery and natural cosmetics has grown through increased awareness driven by social media, marketing campaigns, and Australia’s long-standing relationship with native botanicals.
Consumers increasingly seek products perceived as natural, multifunctional, and environmentally conscious, including organic skincare products and innovative natural formulations.
A defining feature of Australian luxury perfumery is its dedication to natural ingredients and the exploration of botanical alternatives to synthetic materials. Native botanicals such as Boronia offer authentic and intricate scent profiles that are difficult to reproduce convincingly. Beyond their distinctive aromas, some of these botanicals are also valued in aromatherapy, skincare, and
traditional applications.

Eucalyptus, for example, is widely associated with refreshing and invigorating aromatic qualities, while Australian Sandalwood is valued for its warm, grounding character. This commitment to natural ingredients can enhance the sensory experience while encouraging sustainable practices and strengthening the connection between fragrance and Australia’s rich and
diverse ecosystems.

Australian growers and distillers collaborate to extract aromatic materials from distinctive ingredients such as Australian Sandalwood, Boronia, Wattleseed, Prostanthera, also known as Australian Balm Mint Bush, paperbark-derived raw materials, Niaouli, and Kunzea. Together, these scents help describe the plants and landscapes that form the unique olfactory identity of Australia.
Among Australia’s celebrated perfume houses and fragrance brands are Who Is Elijah, Roemy, Aesop Fragrances, Goldfield & Banks, Raconteur, The Labo Organics, One Seed, Mad et Len, Mutky Botanique, and Solid State. Other Australian brands working across natural perfumery, aromatherapy, natural
cosmetics, and herbal products include Wild Wood Oils of Australia, Petal and Wood, Rinascentia, Ere Perez Natural Cosmetics, Nhiru, ÆS Création Naturel, and Herbal Extracts of Australia.

The Challenges of Natural Perfumery
Natural Perfumery do not come without their challenges, like the production and selection of ingredients. ”Red List” provides a parameter in the selection of the least endangered botanical species. This list contains critically endangered and threatened ingredients. Ethical Natural Perfumers will use the least endangered ingredients from extinction or suppliers who utilise legal and ethical production practices.

Buying from brands that put the product over profit by creating a smaller batch with curated ingredients means a small production footprint and ultimately a more ethical product.
“Niche perfumery” or “Custom made perfumery” is about people wanting to have more unique experiences or products in their lives that match their personality and values or assist in expressing their identity through the choices they make.

Many Australian Natural Perfume brands are inspired by the “outdoors” having a fresh aspect with woody, smokey amber and vanilla facet notes. The use of Australian Native Botanicals in Natural Perfumery has been the key for achieving unique fresh fragrances.
Australian Natural Perfumery has been influenced by the European French Perfume traditional processes, adding innovation and the use of Australian Botanicals.

Australian Fragrance Preferences and Botanical Materials
Australian consumers are drawn to a variety of fragrance profiles, including Fig, Plum, Frangipani, and White Musk accords. Oakmoss, Cypriol Nagarmotha, Cistus Labdanum, Birch, and Tobacco have also been used as base-note materials in Fougère- and Chypre-style perfumes.
Some Australian perfume houses are taking the opportunity to incorporate Australian botanicals into their signature natural perfume formulations, including:

1. Boronia — Boronia megastigma
Boronia and its essential oil are renowned for their distinctive, complex aroma. The fragrance combines fruity, floral, and green nuances, with facets that may suggest raspberry, apricot, violet, and freesia. It blends particularly well with Sandalwood, Clary Sage, Bergamot, and floral materials and can be used in Chypre- and Fougère-inspired compositions.

2. Wattleseed — Acacia species
Wattleseed comes from species within the Acacia family. Roasted Wattleseed is known for an aromatic profile reminiscent of toasted coffee, sweet spices, raisins, and chocolate. It has applications in food and can also provide an intriguing aromatic dimension in natural perfumery.
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3. Orange Jessamine — Murraya paniculata
Also known as Orange Jessamine or Mock Orange, Murraya paniculata is found in parts of Australia and across South and Southeast Asia. It has an exquisite, intoxicating aroma, offering a sweet, honeyed, distinctly citrus-floral fragrance. Its complex character can be sufficiently expressive to function as a central element within a perfume composition.

4. Niaouli — Melaleuca quinquenervia
Niaouli has a floral, fresh, and camphoraceous aroma, adding an uplifting aromatic quality that can be used in perfumery and body-care formulations.

5. Kunzea — Kunzea ambigua
Kunzea essential oil, particularly associated with Tasmania and southeastern Australia, has a clean, fresh, and distinctive aromatic character. Its invigorating profile makes it suitable for natural perfumery and aromatherapy applications.

6. Australian Balm Mint Bush — Prostanthera teretifolia
The essential oil of Prostanthera teretifolia, also known as Australian Balm Mint Bush, has a eucalyptus-mint character with a fresh lime facet. This creates a clean, energising, and invigorating aromatic profile.

7. Eucalyptus — Eucalyptus species
Several Eucalyptus species, including Eucalyptus globulus, Eucalyptus radiata, and Eucalyptus citriodora, have long been used in healthcare, aromatherapy, perfumery, and household applications.
Their essential oils offer distinctive fresh, green, camphoraceous, or citrus-like aromatic profiles, depending on the species.

8. Tea Tree — Melaleuca alternifolia
Tea Tree, Melaleuca alternifolia, is widely known for its use in skincare, household products, aromatherapy, and other applications. In perfumery, its essential oil contributes a characteristic herbaceous, earthy, woody, and medicinal aromatic profile.

9. Rosalina — Melaleuca ericifolia
Rosalina, Melaleuca ericifolia, is another Melaleuca species whose essential oil has a softer, more floral and lavender-like aromatic character than traditional Tea Tree. It can contribute a calming and fresh facet to natural fragrance compositions.

10. Honey Myrtle — Melaleuca teretifolia
Honey Myrtle, Melaleuca teretifolia, has a delicate, honeyed, lemon-like, and refreshing aroma. Its essential oil is used in aromatherapy and fragrance applications and is valued for its bright, uplifting character.

12. Buddha Wood — Eremophila mitchellii
Buddha Wood, Eremophila mitchellii, produces an essential oil with a deep, dark, woody character often compared to Oud, with balsamic and incense-like facets. It can be particularly effective as a base note and in compositions intended to evoke depth, warmth, and meditation.

13. Blue Cypress — Callitris intratropica
Blue Cypress, Callitris intratropica, is characterised by a distinctive, crisp, woody, and grounding fragrance. It can blend well with materials such as Patchouli, Lavender, Clove, and Star Anise.

14. Jasmine and Jasmine-like Australian Cultivation
Several Jasmine species and Jasmine-like plants are cultivated in Australia.

• Star Jasmine, Trachelospermum jasminoides, is not a true Jasmine but is valued for its sweet, honey-like aroma, which becomes particularly noticeable in the evening.
• Pink Jasmine, Jasminum polyanthum, produces a strong, profuse, and heady sweet fragrance from its pink buds and white-to-pink star-shaped flowers, particularly during late winter and spring.
• Native Jasmine, Jasminum suavissimum, develops an intensely sweet fragrance during spring and early summer nights.

Australia’s Emerging Olfactory Identity
As we can see, Australian perfume brands have an extraordinary opportunity to draw upon the diversity of Australia’s native aromatic botanicals. These materials can contribute an authentic Australian dimension to fragrance while creating distinctive olfactory signatures inspired by plants and landscapes that are not widely represented in international perfumery.
This represents an important opportunity for Oceania to establish a stronger presence on the global map of aromatic raw materials for natural perfumery, natural cosmetics, aromatherapy, and herbal products.

Australian Natural Perfumery is not simply adopting an existing fragrance tradition. It is building upon European and French perfumery techniques while developing a distinctly Australian vocabulary of scent—one rooted in the country’s botanical diversity, landscapes, growers, distillers, and cultural heritage.
The future of Australian perfumery may therefore lie not only in creating beautiful fragrances, but in telling the story of a continent through scent.

Fermentation is responsible for some of the world’s greatest tastes and smells: from croissants to chocolate to coffee and wine, we have fermentation to thank for their aromatic development. In perfume, the tradition of cold-soak fermentation of oud chips has also been passed down through the generations in Bengal. 

Ancient perfume has been credited with being made in a vinegar base, but flower wine was much more common and more likely used as a perfume base, most notably in blue lotus Egyptian wine. What is certain is that fermentation has accompanied human beings in the transformation and preservation of aromatic materials for thousands of years.

​Fermentation is the absolute expression of terroir, created with the very wild native yeast in the air, the perfect signature of place; this kind of biochemical alchemy has long been regarded as sacred across traditions. It contains the spark of life, and many believe that the story of the transubstantiation of Jesus as the alchemical transformation from grapes to wine is magical and profound. 

Finally, from an aromatic standpoint, fermentation when still liquid like in wine, creates something called a phenolic matrix. Terpenes, tannins, anthocyanins, volatile and non-volatile organic compounds express aroma through this matrix. While perfume pays little attention to the non-VOCs, they play an important part in the aromatic expression of wine or wine-based perfume. Part of the value of applying this for wine-based perfume is that it makes materials like organic saffron or local flowers more bioavailable and easier for the chemically sensitive, creating a truly "functional fragrance".
For natural perfumery we are seeing the rise of synthetic materials made with the application of fermentation and people labeling them as natural. But they exist outside of the phenolic matrix, aka the chemical structure of wine.
Citric acid is often added to mass produced food products or grocery store wines, or even sometimes to save a wine after a less than perfect harvest. It is created through a microbial process, but lacks the finesse of natural citric acid, or "racy acidity" we taste and smell in Chablis or in a Meyer lemon.
Lab fermentation used by major ingredient companies can similarly be designed to produce specific aroma molecules. This is fundamentally different from allowing a whole flower, fruit or other botanical material to undergo spontaneous fermentation and the complex aromatic result. The microbes in wild ferments exist already on the grape or the flower that begin the transformation. With a lab made isolate often it is a manipulated yeast strain designed to create a predictable result every time, one with less complexity and more focused on a single compound. In wine we refer to this different focus as "manipulative" instead of the "allowing" of nature. 

Part of the training to become a sommelier involves blind tastings where we can identify the alpha ionone, the geraniol, the linalool that make up aromatic notes in wine. It is from those blind smellings that I really learned the aromatic difference between the lab made and the nature made when I placed isolates nearby to help study for exams. The rose in Barolo transcends, whereas the isolated molecule inhibits the ability to fully smell the wine. It is made from a different philosophy of biochemistry than the Barolo or the Champagne. 
As a sommelier, I have seen this relationship between fermentation, place and time expressed profoundly in wine.  In Burgundy we see wine cellars covered in moss and mold that has been developing since the 1300s, a living microbial history that contributes to the beauty of the wine and its aging process. This is not biotech, this is culture, history and the result of many generations' sheer devotion to creating something beautiful in concert with the land.

​The biotech claim is that through lab ferments they can create compounds that smell like something new or even a flower or fruit. Compared to the real flower or fruit, they are linear, loud and not of the same aromatic quality of something grown on land. The process of creating this so-called isolate often involves between two and six other chemicals, reageants and solvents, the final result still often containing trace amounts of BHT.  As the health world calls for less ultra processed foods, we can see in real time that both ultra processed foods and this industrial approach to “new lab made molecules” is creating a world of people who identify as chemically sensitive. Are we actually chemically sensitive, or are our bodies simply reacting to a new foreign material that our bodies don’t recognize?

An ad campaign showing women romping around an orchard claims that “through fermentation we were able to recreate the smell of a pear”, without ever supporting a pear farmer or having a relationship with that orchard. In the comments you see customers so excited to buy a natural product. All the while they are being sold an ultra processed synthetic product with a small amount of naturals. “Natural washing” is all around us, and it is time that we recognize that synthetic things can be produced without being in a base of petrochemicals or other kinds of synthetic scents such as those produced from renewable feedstock.

As an artist who works with champagne technique  ("Method Traditional") to make perfume, the slow process of working with living perfume made with peaches and flowers, time, patience and faith is dramatically different than procuring a lab-made molecule that is identical every time and is not born of the land or seasons.
A real pear contains an extraordinarily complex mixture of aromatic compounds shaped by variety, soil, climate, ripeness, harvest and storage. The chemical composition shifts depending on ripeness. A molecule produced through biotechnology may reproduce one component or facet of that aroma, but it does not contain the botanical complexity of the fruit itself. It is still an impersonation of peach, as opposed to the peach itself.
In my opinion the fermentation of fruit and flowers is the highest expression of nature, the ferment being the most ancient preservation technique allowing these precious materials to live and evolve for many years to come. It is the only true way to capture a perfect summer season into a bottle that can be returned to a decade later so that we may feel the vibrancy of that one special season. 

Can You Train Your Brain Through Your Nose?
For the last 7 years there has been much more scientific interest in recognising the importance of the sense of smell or “Olfaction” in our lives as well as in applying the Olfaction Training methodology for reversing several conditions like “anosmia”, the loss of the sense of smell. The partial or total loss of sense of smell can be due to injury or infection creating an olfactory dysfunction.
The Olfactory Neural System is complex and is able to replace olfactory dead cells with new olfactory cells from the Olfactory Bulb to the Cerebral Cortex and the Limbic System every few months.
Olfaction Training also has been proven to boost brain health, activating brain regions
that govern emotion and memory, bypassing the Thalamus. This training of the sense of smell assists in the increment of grey matter in the Hippocampus and the Orbitofrontal Cortex, by using short, daily sessions of intentional scent exposure to protect the brain from the risk of cognitive decline in ageing populations.

New generations, influenced from the social effects from the COVID-19 and post viral
controls, have experienced a life intimately linked to computers and screens constantly.  They spend more time secluded in offices or home watching screens browsing social media on their phones, than experiencing real sensory reality, like going to the bush, a park, a garden, re-connecting with Nature, and relating physically with people and animals. This generation requires attention, as some of them already suffer “anosmia” and have not been appropriately treated for this condition.

What could be the effects of not having Olfactive stimulation?

• Loss of Sense of Smell: Not being able to detect something that can be poisonous or dangerous, so our sense of safety and alarm warning does not get activated.
• Not able to enjoy pleasant smells and flavours in the food. Feeling depressed.
• Food tastes different or bland.
• Not be able to relate well with other people or not be able to feel what other people feel (meaning, lack of empathy), having low or unbalanced moods.
• Loss of Cognitive Capabilities: Without a proper Olfaction Training, Verbal capabilities deteriorate.  As the Scent Smell training works on Memory, Semantic and Verbal fluency, this can activate some neural connections related to those areas.

There have been Olfaction Training studies on patients with Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases bringing some measurable improvements in Olfactory, Memory and Cognition areas.
So, there are still people suffering from an Olfactory Dysfunction that do not consider
the effects of losing the sense od smell partially or totally important and take it for granted as an irrelevant sense compared to Vision or Hearing. All senses are important, but the Sense of Smell, Olfaction, since the last century has been completely culturally erased from the senses’ priority list not knowing that indeed Olfaction is an important and primary sense.

When we were born, before we could see and recognise visually, we smelled and tasted.
We related through the sense of smell to our mother even when being in our mother’s womb. We used our taste buds to recognise the taste of our mother’s milk.
Having previous Olfactory experiences can open a door to re-training our brain and re-
connecting with our memory and olfactory sensors in our brain and body, so we can compare what was in our memory of that smell, how we actually smell, and what associated feeling or emotion we had. We need to activate neural connections through a routine of Olfaction Training.
Some other people are fearful about Scents or Aromas in public spaces, cosmetics like
creams and soaps, candles, diffusers and the use of detergents as they have been exposed to allergens experiencing skin irritation, asthma attacks, dermatitis or psoriasis, rhinitis or sinusitis. It is true that there is a population affected by the environment. In these cases, it is recommended to only use the Scents of Nature going to to these places. This will also be true regarding the scent of foods.
Avoiding synthetic and strong concentrated fragrances in the environment will be key for the detoxification process as well as having proper ventilation.

Key Health Benefits and Neuroplasticity​
When smelling scents, it is recommended to smell Nature, Food, and Essential Oils as they are in Nature, since we have the advantage of smelling the healing properties of Scent molecules.
Our brains have the ability to continuously change in response to the experience, called “Neuroplasticity”, and this ability may be key to the way in which smell training works.
Neuroplasticity involves the generation of new and/or strengthened connections
between neurons (brain cells), which may in turn lead to changes in thinking skills or
behaviours. We can see evidence of Neuroplasticity when we practice a skill like playing an instrument or learning a new language.
The olfactory network in our brains is particularly neuroplastic. When we frequently use the many parts of the brain involved in the process of smelling through repeated exposure to odours, this process may lead to increased olfactory abilities and cognition. It’s possible then that we could ‘train the brain through the nose.’

Another important factor that is not widely discussed is having a good, healthy diet.
What we ingest, can alter our digestive system and our sense of smell. It has been recently acknowledged in science that there are olfactory sensors in our digestive system. These sensors send signal information to our brain. It is now recognised that certain cases of Anxiety and Depression and other sensitivities have origins coming from problems in our Digestive System. Taste is related to Smell.
The Vagus Nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body and is intimately linked in the
regulation of our gut, cardiovascular system, respiratory and endocrine systems.

So, what does the Vagus Nerve have to do with our sense of smell and taste?
The Hypothalamus and the Vagus Nerve communicate in a highway exchange fashion
between the gut where the vagus nerve entangles its way through, and the brain that provides feedback. When the distension of the gastric wall changes during the intake of food, the sensitivity of olfactory neurons changes to induce and almost repulse food odors in order to signify that we are satisfied and do not require more. This is fascinating!!

Most recent studies are starting to integrate AI and collection of data from databases to enable personalised treatment for Olfactory Dysfunction.
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The International Perfume Foundation provides an in-depth Olfaction Training Certification Course on re-training our Sense of Smell.  This course is not just for people interested in Natural Perfumery and Aromatherapy, but also for those interested in improving their own or other people’s health.

REFERENCES:
1. Dr. Wolf - Anna & Bahar-Fuchs, Alex - “HEALTH & MEDICINE - How smelling can help
your brain” - 14 March 2019 https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/how-smelling-can-help-your-brain.
2. Nazareth, Lynn - “CSIRO - You can train your nose - and 4 other surprising facts about your sense of smell” - 23 January, 2025 https://www.csiro.au/en/news/all/articles/2025/january/train-your-nose
3. Liu, Xialei , Yin, Junjei et al - “ The potential of Olfactory Training and dietary interventions in the treatment of Olfactory Dysfunction: A review” - Trends in Food Science and Technology - Volume 167 - January 2026 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224425005965
4. ATP, Science - “Olfactory - The First Steps of Digestion” July 30, 2020 https://
atpscience.com.au/blogs/blog/olfactory-the-first-steps-of-digestion
5. Matiashova, Lolita; Hoogkamer,Anouk Lisa; Timper,Katharina - “ The Role of Olfactory
System in Obesity and Metabolism in Humans” Metabolites 2024, 25 December 2023

Why Smell Has Always Guided Humanity

The history of perfume is, above all, the history of our sense of smell.
Long before perfume became associated with luxury or personal beauty, fragrance was one of humanity’s first languages. It was a language without words, capable of communicating directly with the heart, awakening emotions that could not be explained, and creating invisible connections between people, nature, and the sacred.

Every civilization discovered that fragrance possessed an extraordinary power.
It could calm fear before battle.
It could awaken memories of loved ones long gone.
It could prepare the mind for meditation and prayer.
It could accompany births, marriages, and funerals.
It could comfort the sick and bring peace to the dying.
It could purify homes and temples.
It could celebrate life without saying a single word.
Whether in Ancient Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, the Arab world, or among Indigenous cultures across the globe, aromatic plants were never considered mere pleasant scents. They were gifts from nature carrying both physical and spiritual virtues. Incense rose with prayers toward the heavens, fragrant oils honored kings and queens, medicinal herbs restored the body, and flowers became symbols of beauty, healing, and renewal.

What these civilizations understood intuitively, modern neuroscience now explains.
Among all our senses, smell occupies a unique place. Unlike sight, hearing, touch, or taste, olfactory signals travel directly to the limbic system—the ancient part of the brain responsible for emotion, memory, motivation, instinct, and survival. There is no complex intellectual filter before an odor reaches our emotional centers. We do not think about a scent before we feel it. We simply experience it.
This remarkable pathway explains why a single fragrance can instantly transport us back to childhood, remind us of someone we loved, or evoke a place we have not visited for decades. A scent can bring comfort before we even understand why. It can create feelings of safety, joy, nostalgia, serenity, or inspiration within a fraction of a second.
Scientists call this the “Proust phenomenon,” after the French writer Marcel Proust, who beautifully described how the aroma of a simple madeleine cake dipped in tea released an entire world of forgotten memories. Yet thousands of years before neuroscience gave it a name, perfumers, healers, priests, and herbalists had already learned to work with this invisible doorway to human consciousness.

Our ancestors understood something we are only beginning to rediscover: fragrance does not simply decorate life—it influences it.
Natural aromatic plants evolved over millions of years, producing complex molecules that allow them to communicate with insects, protect themselves, attract pollinators, or adapt to their environment. When humans encounter these same aromatic molecules, our own biology responds. We breathe them, remember through them, and often find emotional balance because of them.
Perhaps this is why perfume has survived every civilization. Empires have risen and disappeared, languages have changed, religions have evolved, yet humanity has never abandoned fragrance.

Perfume is more than a cosmetic product.
It is an invisible art.
It is a messenger of memory.
It is a bridge between nature and emotion.
It is one of the oldest forms of human wellbeing.
Today, in a world increasingly dominated by synthetic environments and digital experiences, our sense of smell deserves renewed attention. We educate our eyes through museums, our ears through music, and our minds through books, yet we rarely cultivate the sense that may be the most intimate of all.

Learning to smell is learning to become present.
It is rediscovering the richness of flowers, forests, spices, resins, and woods. It is reconnecting with the living world through one of the oldest senses evolution has given us. Perhaps this is why perfume continues to fascinate us after more than five thousand years. Because every fragrance reminds us, however briefly, that we belong to nature—and that some of our deepest memories, emotions, and moments of beauty are carried not by words or images, but by scent.

Continue Your Olfactory Journey
​Our sense of smell is one of the most powerful—and often the least educated—of our senses. Like a musician trains the ear or an artist trains the eye, perfumers train the nose. The Natural Olfaction Training Course at the Natural Perfumery Teacher’s Academy is designed to develop your olfactory memory, sharpen your perception, and help you recognize and understand the language of natural aromatic materials.Whether you dream of becoming a natural perfumer or simply wish to deepen your appreciation of fragrance and find a way to Reconnect with Nature, your journey begins with learning to smell consciously.

The Natural Olfaction Training course is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Chinese and Arabic languages.

For those Natural Perfumers who are attending or contemplating attending the trade event in Houston, Texas August 14-16, here are three event strategies that can make your participation a complete success!

1. Develop a pre-event plan

• The number one strategy for event success is the use of business cards, both yours and everyone you speak with at the event. Bring plenty of cards and don’t be shy about handing them out.
• Find out as much information as you can about who will attend the event. Consumers?  Media?  Students?
• Develop distinct messages for whomever you think will be there. 
• Develop a plan that will allow you to have a successful event even if you talk very few people there. More on this later.

2. Maximize the use of time spent at the event

• Remember, you are at the event for business and for no other reason than supporting your business’s success.
• Qualify everyone you speak with before you begin your presentation. Why are they there?
• Give your business card to whomever you speak with. 
• Get a card from every business or media person you connect with inside or outside the booth. If they say they have no card, write their name and contact information on one of your cards. Make quick notes on the back of their cards about what was discussed.
• At the end of each day, review each card and make notes on what follow-up will be needed.

3. Complete the after-event follow-up
The most under-appreciated but necessary key to event success is the strategy of after-event follow-up. It always amazes me that this most important event strategy is nearly always neglected or entirely forgotten. It probably has a lot to do with people returning from a trade event having to catch up with things put off by their event attendance. Even so, proper follow-up has to be immediately scheduled and completed within one week of returning, since the effectiveness of proper follow-up rapidly declines over a very short period of time. Here are a few suggestions to get the most out of your follow-up strategy:

• Keep every business card you get. Decide which people should be immediately contacted, but don’t throw any cards away. You never know when someone you spoke with at an event will become important to you later on.
• Follow up every event sale with a personal note thanking them for their purchase.
• Write a “Sorry we missed you letter” explaining how great you did at the event and what they missed. It doesn’t matter if they intended to attend the event or not.
• Write a blog or article about your event attendance, which is an act of leadership that will build consumers’ trust if you let them know.
• Now, about having a successful event even if you talk very few people at the event: what most people fail to realize is that more sales can be made after the event than at the event. At an event, people are pressed for time since there is a lot for them to see. After the event, you can contact or message not just those that were there, but those that weren’t there as well.

These are proven strategies can make your event attendance less stressful, knowing that you will be immediately following up and making your event a complete success!
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Please email me at tj@perfumefoundation.org with any questions you may have on successful event management. IPF is here to help!

The Olfactory Experience of perceiving scents and the use of language for describing
scents have been present in all Ancient Civilisations and in this era. This means that Olfaction has been the most important sense used for survival, communication, protection, healing, and beauty, used in sacred rituals ceremonies and connection to the Divine.

Since pre-history, human beings discovered fire, and then, the fascinating experience of smelling the particles of wood and resins being burned through smoke.
The word “Perfume” comes from this concept in Latin “Per - fumum” that literally means “through smoke”.

In Literature, the language of scent has been used to describe events, places, persons,
gardens, palaces, dresses, the country-side, the misery and the richness, the sacred places, the abundant places, the simple places that trigger our memories, all in  descriptive, poetic, and historical ways.

We have used Language to describe the reality around us and pass the experience to
others, by categorisation of plants and flowers, olfactory properties, health properties, and uses in other aspects of our lives, like traditions. Additionally, we have used Scents as well as Body Language for Healing and Sacred Ceremonies to communicate with our inner-self and align better with Nature.

In pre-history and ancient history, humans had a bigger Limbic System in our brain
than today's human beings.
The Limbic System is responsible for managing our Memory, Emotions and Identification. In this era of immediacy, screen interaction, isolation, scent restriction or phobia, we are evolving with the risk of developing a smaller Limbic System and this is already bringing a society that does not retain concepts or places or historical factors, and also a society that has less empathy and less need for identifying with others and identifying risks by themselves without the use of technology. Society is been driven by Visual Communication mostly, while one sense is being on demand, this eclipses the other senses.

Aromatherapy has been part of a millenary wisdom and it is very much linked to the
Connection with Nature, using this wisdom to identify healing plants and flowers and different methods of healing. Natural Aromatherapy is defined by the use of Natural Raw Materials, not synthetic fragrances. The best Natural Aromatherapy starts by going out to a Garden, the Bush or Countryside. Experiencing the smell of the actual plants and flowers makes Olfaction a powerful tool, as the aromatic molecules will go to the Olfactory system in our brain and Limbic system, but also will act on our Sympathetic and Para-Sympathetic Nervous Systems in our body.

There are various methods of Natural Aromatherapy applications like:
aerial diffusions, baths, oil applications through massage, food, patches, creams or lotions, shampoos, and clay compresses. The scent and properties of each raw material,  plant or essential oil will manifest in their own healing language.
By using the different parts of the plant, sometimes the roots, sometimes the leaves, and sometimes the flowers, the healing therapeutic properties and methods may change.

Understanding the use of essential oils, their potency, contra-indications and application methods is paramount for producing synergies that will act on specific area of our body, organ, or enhancing mood and emotional wellbeing. Plant maceration is also a method for creating oils that are not that potent as essential oils, but provide therapeutic synergies. Essential oils have to be treated carefully, always dilute before application, otherwise, only smell from the bottle. Essential oils are not meant to be drunk; they can irritate our throat and internal organs. Only specialised oil capsules can be used for internal use.  Always consult your medical practitioner.

Another aspect of Natural Aromatherapy is the use of reputable quality of essential oils
that are neither adulterated, nor mixed with other blends or fragrances without indication for the guarantee of high degree of healing properties.
Nowadays, we are blending the experience of Natural Aromatherapy with Natural Perfumes. In the last century, the focus of Perfume was aesthetic, was part of fashion and was no longer made of natural raw materials, but with synthetics and isolates.

Natural Perfumery plays two roles:
1. Expressing beauty, transporting you to a place or emotion; and,
2. Bringing the therapeutic role of each accord of the Perfume construction.
This blend of these two disciplines and Olfaction Training is called Natural Perfumotherapy, a new way to go in Perfumery bringing Scents to Emotions, Wellbeing and aligning us to Re-Connect with Nature.

More info about Perfumotherapy 

There is a quiet intelligence in the horse that every rider comes to recognize.
Before the rein is shortened, before the leg gives a cue, before the body speaks, the horse has already felt the room. It has read the breath, the tension, the intention. Horses do not respond only to movement. They respond to presence. To atmosphere. To the invisible language that surrounds them.

This is what makes scent such a remarkable bridge between horse and human.
For centuries, horses have lived close to the aromatic world of plants. Wild herbs under hoof. Resin in the wind. Dry grasses warmed by the sun. Bark, roots, leaves, and blossoms carried through the landscape. Long before modern stables, horses knew nature through scent, and still today, their instinctive relationship to aroma remains deeply intact.

A horse does not analyze fragrance. It senses it, it chooses. it reacts, and it remembers.
Aromatic botanicals can influence the equine nervous system with surprising subtlety. Certain scents may encourage calm in moments of tension. Others may support focus before work, ease transitions during retraining, or help create a more harmonious atmosphere in the stable. For sensitive horses, scent can become a language of reassurance. For performance horses, it can support concentration, confidence, and emotional balance.

This is not about perfume for horses.
It is about understanding the horse through its most instinctive sense, and learning how botanicals can be used with intelligence, precision, and respect.
For riders, trainers, and caretakers, this opens a new dimension of communication.
One that does not force, but invites. One that does not dominate, but listens. When used correctly, scent becomes part of the environment around the horse—supporting wellbeing, trust, and connection.
This course was created for those who wish to work more intuitively and more consciously with horses. For those who understand that performance begins with regulation. That trust shapes response. That true horsemanship is not only physical, but emotional, sensory, and deeply relational.

Whether you work in dressage, rehabilitation, retraining, therapy, or daily stable care, the intelligent use of botanicals offers a refined and natural way to support the horse’s wellbeing while deepening the quality of your relationship.
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Discover the art and science of using essential oils to support the emotional and physical well-being of the horse. ​Scents Loved by Horses explores how thoughtfully selected botanicals can be incorporated into training and daily care to encourage calmness, improve focus, support retraining, and enhance performance. Students will learn the principles of safe aromatic application, the horse’s instinctive response to scent, and the foundational techniques for crafting their own individualized equine blends.

Eucalyptus has 3 species:
Eucalyptus radiata (Peppermint like gum scent, NSW, QLD, VIC, 
TAS, Australia)
Eucalyptus citriodora (Lemon like gum scent, Queensland, Australia), Eucalyptus globulus (Woody camphoraceous like gum scent, Tasmania, Australia). 
Each of these 3 different species of Eucalyptus will have a different aroma profile and therapeutic use. Eucalyptus radiata is used to treat congestion in the upper respiratory tract (nose, throat, pharynx), while Eucalyptus globulus is used to treat congestion and infection in the lower respiratory tract (lungs, bronchi, trachea, bronchioles). Eucalyptus citriodora has been used as an insect repellent, also it is decongestant in the upper respiratory tract, use in pain relief as an anti-spasmodic treating arthritis, muscle pain; and it is an antiseptic used for treating wounds and cuts. 

The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN) and the International Code of Nomenclature of Cultivated Plants (ICNCP) have 114 classified existing botanical families, including: 

• 40 prominent botanical families of medicinal plants 
• 20 prominent botanical families of perfume plants 
• 12 prominent botanical families of essential oil plants 

Aromatherapy is based on the 12 prominent botanical families of essential oil plants. 
These families’ names are in Latin: 

• Abietaceae (Conifers, Resins)
• Apiaceae (Angelica, Coriander, Fennel)
• Asteraceae (Chamomile, Daisy, Helichrysum, Tarragon)
• Cupressaceae (Cypress, Juniper); Ericaceae (Wintergreen, Lemon)
• Geraniaceae (Geranium, Pelargonium)
• Lamiaceae (Lavender, Mint, Marjoram) 
• Lauraceae (Cinnamon, Laurel, Ravintsara)
• Myrtaceae (Myrtle, Tea Tree, Eucalyptus)
• Poaceae (Grasses like Vetiver or Cymbopogon) 
• Rutaceae (fruits, citrus like Lemon, bigarade petitgrain, sweet orange)
• Zingiberaceae (Roots like Turmeric, Ginger and Cardamom). 

Essential Oils used for Aromatherapy must be “pure essential oils” and high quality. 
This means that it is a genuine botanical source and contains no fillers, additives or other impurities or adulterations. 

The Chemotype or Chemical Race  is like an ID card of a plant.
The “chemotype” makes it possible to distinguish two or more essential oils of different chemical compositions produced from plants of the same species. For instance: 

Basil Chemotypes: 

• Exotic Basil : Ocimum basilicum L. - Extracted from flowering top - Contains Chavicol methyl ether, linalool - Used as a tonic for the central nervous system, revitalizing and anti-stress, powerful antispasmodic, digestive tonic.
• Holy Basil : Ocimum basilicum L. - Extracted from Leaf - Contains metyl-eugenol, beta-caryophyllene - Used as a stimulant of the nervous and physical system, anti-infectious, used in acne treatment, or antioxidant.

A Chemotype is defined, either from the country or region of origin, or from the part of the plant being extracted. 

For Cedarwood, there are four Chemotypes: 

• Atlas Cedarwood
• Virginian Cedarwood
• Himalayan Cedarwood, 
• Texas Cedarwood.

The most used are the Atlas and Virginian. 
Both have lymph-tonic and draining properties, significant lipolytic skin regeneration and scalp tonic. Beware, these varieties have abortive and neurotoxic properties in the long term. 
Each country grows local, ethnical aromatic plants, and this is important to know  regarding diversity and the use of essential oils sourced locally. ​