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Eden Team Spotlight: Meet Robin

Written By: Eden Botanicals

We are thrilled to introduce you to Robin*, our staff aromatherapist who brings a wealth of knowledge and passion to our team. Not only does Robin answer your advanced aromatherapy questions, she also crafts many of the educational articles and product descriptions that you see on our website. We’re excited to spotlight Robin as we sat in on her immersive course on Natural Perfumery with Essential Oils at the California School of Herbal Studies in Forestville, CA.

Crafting Perfumes: An Enchanting Class with Robin

Robin’s Natural Perfumery class was held during a beautiful sunny day in the outdoor classroom, perfect for connecting with nature. Her knowledge and passion for the subject were evident as she guided us through the sensual art and science of perfumery based on the Slow Scent® method of perfumery developed by Mandy Aftel. We learned about perfumery history, composition and blending (using Eden Botanicals premium ingredients), including basic guidelines for top, middle, and base notes, dilution ratios, odor intensity, and the use of fixatives to add staying power to our creations.

Students had the opportunity to formulate two unique solid perfumes to take home.

Solid Perfume Creation:  A Step-by-Step Guide

1)      We started by smelling different aromas on fragrance tester strips, deciding on a particular theme or aroma to highlight.

2)      We then started with base notes first, evaluating the aroma of each on its own scent strip, then in different combinations by holding the scent strips together; 1-3 base notes chosen to work with.

3)      Next, we did the same with up to three middle note oils and up to three top note oils.

4)      We began building our perfume by adding Golden Jojoba Oil - Organic to a small beaker, building our base accord first, one drop at a time into the Jojoba Oil – taking meticulous notes!

5)      Next came our middle and top note accords using the same process, drop by drop into the beaker, stopping to smell and apply a bit to our wrist all along the way.

6)      Once our perfume blend was complete, we measured grated beeswax into a small heat-proof ceramic dish and warmed the wax on low heat until melted.

7)      Then we removed the dish from heat and stirred our Jojoba Oil-based perfume blend into the melted wax.

8)      Finally, our perfume blend was transferred into small tins to cool and solidify.

For more detailed instructions on how to formulate alcohol or oil-based and solid perfumes, see our article on Natural Perfumery Basics.

Sharing our Natural Perfumes

Our day concluded with students sharing their handcrafted fragrances with each other and Robin leading a lively Q&A session about aromatic botanicals. Robin’s classes are a fantastic opportunity for budding perfumers, aromatherapists, and product formulators to gain in-depth knowledge and hands-on experience in the aromatic arts. 

*About Robin: A Foundation in the Plants

Robin began her studies with a strong foundation in herbalism at the California School of Herbal Studies in 2002. Enchanted by botanical aromas, she went on to study with many gifted teachers, received an International Certification in Aromatherapy from Pacific Institute of Aromatherapy, and is a Certified Professional Aromatherapist® through the National Association for Holistic Aromatherapy (NAHA). Robin has also been a pivotal figure in the natural products industry for over 20 years, specializing in essential oil education, sourcing, and product development. She’s been sharing her knowledge as an instructor at the school since 2013.