Episode Details

Mandy Aftel is a pioneering American artisan natural perfumer who has been called one of the fragrance industry’s “most prolific talents” by Vogue and an “angel of alchemy” by Vanity Fair. She is an author, educator, and founder of Aftelier Perfumes and the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents located in Berkeley, CA. Mandy is renowned for her deep focus on plant-derived essences, historical fragrance, and innovative perfume creation that connects scent to memory and emotion, establishing new standards in natural perfumery through her many books like Essence & Alchemy and Fragrant. Her new book, Symbolorum: The Secret Wisdom of Emblems explores the esoteric insights and enchanting imagery of the Baroque emblem book, a long-lost cousin of the tarot.

On this episode, Mandy discusses the alchemical magic of perfume, favorite sacred scents, and her latest fascination with the