Heavenly jasmine wafts through the peaceful studio of Ascent Natural Perfumes in Gibsons, along with tangy citrus, woody spruce and mood uplifting bergamot. I sit in a regal purple chair while the delicate aromas are released one by one from an array of little glass bottles. I am sitting with a perfumer, or "nose" as they say in the business, Rohanna Goodwin Smith, while we create my own signature parfum. I am careful not to spill as I sniff. It takes 1,000 petals of jasmine to make 1 ml of essential oil; they are precious drops, the soul of the plant. Art is all about inspiring the senses, but there is one sense that doesn't show up in a gallery of artwork - the sense of smell. That is, until Goodwin Smith told me about her new designation earned last summer as an artisan natural perfumer, one of only three in Canada who have studied to gain acceptance in the international Natural Perfumers Guild. After 14 years experience as an aromatherapist, a process that treats and heals using essential oils, Goodwin Smith wanted to take the experience to a whole new level.
"It was always beautiful, natural essences that interested me," she said. She studied with one of the world's foremost natural perfumers, Mandy Aftel, journeying to Berkeley, California, six times over two years to learn the secrets of an ancient art. It was not a lost art, Goodwin Smith said, it was only sidetracked when the synthetic perfumes made their appearance in the early 20th century. Coco Chanel introduced the first modern era perfume made with a new synthetic molecule that would make the perfume behave. The synthetics became popular with the big names of perfumery for their cost (they were cheaper to make), consistency (you could count on the fragrance being exactly the same each time) and because they were colourless - like white bread. The world of perfumery is still an art, Goodwin Smith stresses, but natural perfumery integrates several aspects of our lives: healing, spirituality and pleasure. Somehow, with synthetics, we lost that healing/ spiritual connection. I can believe this premise, since the scent of flowers and herbs is finding a deep connection with a very primitive place in my brain. I feel a zing when she uncorks a wee bottle of bergamot and wafts it about, while my face screws up in displeasure at the unadulterated medicinal scent of pure fennel.
In today's allergy conscious world, many hospitals, schools and public places have banned the use of perfume. "But you don't trail the scent everywhere with natural perfumes," Goodwin Smith said. "The naturals enhance our own fragrance and can only be smelled if you bring that person close to you."
A one-hour consultation with Goodwin Smith costs $100 and it involves sniffing 30 scents (longer consultations are a veritable banquet and can take up to 2.5 hours). The experience is well worth it for pure sensual pleasure, plus the good outcome - a tiny bottle of one's own unique scent. The process is a little like wine tasting. First, we sniff a top note - the first impression - for example, a good whiff of lavender. Then we sample the middle notes such as powerful, sacred neroli, then the base notes that will linger in the perfume. A robust black spruce is more bearable when dotted on a mixing wand and waved from a few feet away. I sniff a teeny touch of vetiver and it makes me reel. It reminds me of the heady evening I experienced when Goodwin Smith organized a party of 10 women in a private home to learn about natural perfumes. When she passed samples of several scents around the circle, the women, hitherto polite and quiet, became animated. We were intoxicated - not by a round of martinis but by the heady scents of frankincense and patchouli.
Using a combination of in-home perfume salon parties and the consultation sessions, Goodwin Smith hopes to follow her passion and create that experience for everyone. She can be reached at 604-886-7566.
