Perfumer's perversion - Natural Perfumery

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 is incredible.

For 2 days my workplace and the next room have been invaded by the fragrance of this strange mix of bubble gum and cat’s pee, although I have cleaned everything and thrown out far away the empty package and the inside wrapping.

You know when you walk into a room and say: can I smell a mouse?

This is the smell of the pheromone that these animals leave with their urine. It is very close to the smell of a cat’s urine as well.

The only essence of the perfumer’s palette which has a similar note is a good and real Black current absolute, although much more fruity in the body.

This olfactory pollution of my working place has had the good result of allowing me to understand better the smell because from the bottle it is so powerful that it stuns the nose.

It has a definite undertone of Clary sage, which is as well a hormonal essence whose structure is similar to a pheromone.

It also has a slight tobacco note and understanding all of this gave me an idea about how to start working (playing) with it.

Although I know that this will not please my wife and co-workers who always criticize my “perverted attraction” to all animal scents and for some of the “strange stinking” botanical raw materials.

Every profession has its perversion, said yesterday my right-hand man, yours is about these stinking stuff.

My wife said also: “Do you really like them or is it just for joking? Your eyes start shining and you look always so excited when you discover one of these stinking things”.

Who will understand the nose of a perfumer? It smells much more than odors. A perfumer in some ways thinks with his nose, he can conceptualize smells and build with them coherent constructions that appeal to the emotional memories and imagination of others.

It is just a question of training and education, not a great deal in fact, but it is mysterious and with the aura of sacredness to all but him (or her, of course, seeing that most of the new generation are women).

Well, this Betulin essence is really something, I could smell that not only with my perfumer training but also with my Aromatherapist nose.

It is difficult to believe for most people, but a person used to cure with essential oils is able to understand many properties of an essence he never knew before just by smelling it.

Before asking the producer about the traditional use of the plant in South Africa I googled it and, not at all surprisingly I discovered that Betulin cats pee smell is used traditionally to increase urine production, cure kidneys, and bladder, and heal the urinary tract.

I shall now research about the hormonal effect, probably on women’s problems.

Next news about Betuline when I will start making a perfume out of it.