Natural Perfumery Institute

The image is that of an old Frapper map of the students. I think Frapper is going to be gone within the year, and I'll miss it. It hasn't updated for a while, and while it was, it was fun to see where all the students of the Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute were located all over the world. We have had four from Australia since this map appeared, one from Singapore, Germany, Kuwait...the list is truly international. I'm going to find a new way to map the students, "watch this space" as they say ;-) About the course and the website - you know, when you build something from the ground up, with your own knowledge, your own creative ideas, and your own hours of dedication and hard work, it means so much. It's your baby, nobody else can claim it, you made it. It's very rewarding, very rewarding. When I was prodded into teaching back in 2007, I put the coursework together as quickly as I could, to meet the student's demands. So I...

The next basic perfumery course offered by Anya's Garden Natural Perfumery Institute will commence in late February, 2010. The exact date will be announced soon. The homepage for Perfume Classes.com has been updated and the latest information for the newly-revised curriculum can be found there. There are now three options for study: Web-based: 1. An interactive, fast-paced course that is six-months long and 2. A self-paced option for those who wish to study on their own. Distance learning non-web-based: 3. Textbook and kit supplied, no website access Since the opening of the school in 2007, about one hundred students have enrolled, and dozens have received their certificate of completion. Since some students fell behind in their studies due to family, work or other issues, it was decided to open the self-paced option. Students can enroll at any time for that option, but the interactive course starts in February and requires a commitment to stay apace of the studies. If the student...

Anya’s Garden Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course Syllabus, Goals and Objectives revised January 21, 2009 This course is for those who desire comprehensive basic training in: - Natural Perfumery - to become a Professional Perfumer - Education in a natural art - General interest in exploring a career in natural perfumery The course is one year in length, and consists of twelve Modules. Materials Provided for Study: Physical: - An aromatics kit of 25 absolutes and essential oils, labeled with botanical name, country of origin and amount. The bottles are 4ml in size, and four of the rare essences are diluted to 10%. - A Natural Perfumery Primer that is the main handbook for the course. The Primer is 80 pages in length and is heavily supplemented by online materials, charts, forms and links. The online material includes over 100 pages of topics, discussions and expansions on themes, numerous record keeping charts and forms, and hundreds of links. Also the stu...

From the latest issue of Anya's Garden Newsletter, July 2008: Anya's Online Basic Natural Perfumery Course - Registration Beginning Currently there are 40+ students enrolled in the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 course. Enroll now for the Fall 2008 session . Whether you want to study perfumery for fun or with the goal of becoming a professional perfumer, you'll enjoy and establish a firm foundation in perfumery basics by taking this course. Imagine - a full year of interactive, professional education from a teacher with thirty years experience working with natural essences! Read on... Your Tuition Helps Others! $50 of every student's tuition is donated to a worldwide charity on Global Girlfriend. Donations so far have included providing goats to a Rwandan family, sending two girls to school in Afghanistan, and buying a cookstove for a refugee family in Darfur, providing vaccines for 10 animals in a shelter, Hurricane Katrina rebuilding assistance and much more. The online in...

On Saturday, June 28th, students in both the Fall 2007 and Spring 2008 online class were able to ask an expert in the field of natural aromatics numerous questions in a "live chat" session. From Australia to Denmark, through numerous time zones, the students were able to ask Will Lapaz, one of the most respected suppliers in the business questions on everything from the price of patchouli to the availability of organic products. Will's company, Eden Botanicals, is based in Northern California, and Will was not sure at first if he could make the chat, since wildfires have been smoldering in his area for several days, and the smoke was forcing him to get out of the region. Coordinating with teacher Anya McCoy, he was ready to relocate to an internet cafe to conduct the chat, and everyone was very appreciative of his efforts to keep the appointment. There were so many questions, Will stayed online for three hours, helping the students gain deep insights into various subject...

I had a lot of fun writing this article looking back on the past three years that natural perfumery has had a presence on the Internet. I hope you enjoy reading it and look forward, as I do, to the ongoing development and acceptance of our naturally-fragrant art. Later today I'll post a great letter that Steve Earl wrote in response to Mr. Subrenat's caustic comments at the World Perfumery Congress in 2007. Such a big ruckus a one-year-old Natural Perfumers Guild caused for Mr. Subrenat - it's actually quite an honor that we were on his radar with only minor press and even less distribution of our perfumes as we struggle for a corner of the market. The world of perfumery is changing, and thus the concept for my article was born - enjoy!

Monica and Gloria hit their alarm clocks to make them stop ringing at 5 a.m. in their respective homes in Taipei. Viv and Wendy struggled to find their coffee and limber up their typing fingers at 6 a.m in different towns in Australia. On a Sunday. On the other side of the world, Lisbeth in Denmark logged on at midnight on Saturday. Everyone else was joining the monthly live chat in time zones spread out between Taiwan and Denmark. Occasionally we switch the time around, and admittedly we're still trying to find the best times for the Spring 2008 class. The Module 3 discussion was lively and a lot of fun. Questions came at me fast and fabulous, with the topics ranging from how to fill in #4 on the evaluation sheet to requests for clearer definitions on the order and significance of the aromatics family list versus the fragrance family list. I enjoyed every single moment of it, and the students posted their satisfaction and comprehension levels were high after the chat. All of the c...