Inside the World’s Most Exquisite Natural Perfume Archive

For over 30 years, Mandy Aftel has been a trailblazer in natural perfumery, crafting exquisite fragrances without synthetics—a rarity in today’s industry. Through her renowned Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, California, Mandy tells the story of humanity through the story of scent, weaving the centuries-old connection between natural ingredients and past civilizations into her work. As the founder of Aftelier Perfumes and author of multiple books, she has dedicated her life to preserving the art of scent, showcasing rare artifacts, ancient raw materials, and the profound ways fragrance has shaped cultures around the world. Open only one day a week, her archive draws visitors from across the globe, eager to experience its wonders.

In this episode, Mandy sits down with Scentbird’s Marianne Mychaskiw to explore the lasting power of scent, take a virtual tour through her archive, and teach techniques for engaging with scents all around us.

Our Favorite Moments:

• Scent as a window into human history

• The most legendary perfume ingredient

• How to reset your nose after smelling things

• 100-year-old essential oils

• How perfumery has evolved

• A rare artifact from the plague

• Mandy’s secret to training your nose

• The story of musk

• Why oud is “liquid gold”

• How to make a fragrance

• The power of scent

Watch the video version of this episode here.

Shop Mandy Aftel’s newest perfume, Sacré Bleu, made with 100-year-old sandalwood oil.

Soak in all of our audio and video content at https://podcast.scentbird.com.