Whom You Know: MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Mandy Aftel, Perfumer

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

MOVERS AND SHAKERS: Mandy Aftel, Perfumer

As an authority on natural essences and custom perfumes, Mandy Aftel created the Aftelier Perfumes line of fragrances and has authored three books on natural perfume: Essence & Alchemy (winner of the Sense of Smell Institute’s Richard B Solomon Award), Aroma: The Magic of Essential Oils in Food and Fragrance , and Scents and Sensibilities. She has participated in panels for the perfume industry under the auspices of the Fragrance Foundation and has demonstrated the creation of natural perfume for the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. She has taught the art of natural perfumery to the public at San Francisco's Exploratorium, the Learning Annex, COPIA (The American Center for Wine, Food and the Arts) and Esalen Institute. She curated "The Foul and the Fragrant: Creating Natural Perfume" -- an exhibition on the history of natural perfume at the Doheny Memorial Library, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA. In 2005, as part of a team with Stanford Medical Center, the Rosicrucian Museum and Silicon Graphics (SGI), she was invited to recreate a 2,000 year old perfume for an Egyptian child mummy. She also participated in the London Design Festival (The Intangibles Debates) and her artistry with natural perfumery was the subject of the exhibit, "Construction Perfume: Scent, Space, Color" at 3A Gallery in San Francisco. Her work has been featured on CNN and in numerous publications: Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Town & Country, In Style, Time, Body and Soul, Natural Health, Alternative Health, Gourmet, Bon Appetite, Food and Wine, W Magazine, Self, O (Oprah) Magazine, Allure, Health, Elle --and she was named "best scent" in San Francisco Magazine's "Best of the Bay". Whom You Know is SO pleased to present her as our latest Mover and Shaker!

Peachy Deegan interviewed Mandy Aftel for Whom You Know.

Peachy Deegan:When did you realize you wanted to go into the perfume business?
Mandy Aftel: Very soon after I took a class where I was exposed to around 100 natural aromatics. I fell in love with them!

What is your first perfume memory?
The smell of Joy perfume on my mother’s fur coat when she kissed me goodnight as she was leaving to go out for the evening.

Which components of a perfume do you like the best?
All the complicated natural aromatics

Which do you like the least?
The “metallic” synthetic ones

How do you define natural perfume-for Whom You Know readers?
Perfume that is exclusively from botanical essences

What makes natural perfume superior in your opinion?
The quality of aliveness and beauty

What are you proudest of?
My natural perfume line

What is your favorite place to be in NYC?
The West Village in the Spring

What is your favorite shop?
Rosebud on Thompson in Soho

What is your favorite drink?
Oolong tea

What is your favorite restaurant?
Blue Hill

What is your favorite NYC book?
“A Freewheelin’ Time: A Memoir of Greenwich Village in the Sixties” by Suze Rotolo

What do you think is most underrated and overrated here?
I love the energy in New York and the feeling that everything is here and possible.

What else should Whom You Know readers know about you?
I believe that there is great joy in doing creative work that you feel passionate about — it doesn’t feel like work.

How would you like to be contacted by Whom You Know readers?
Through my website at info@aftelier.com

Please see the Exhibit at Henri Bendel on Aftelier Perfumes!!!

Recent Testimonials by Brand Ambassadors on their Experience with Whom You Know

"I work with Peachy Deegan because she's prolific at what she does. She's a hard worker, she's thoughtful and she's tasteful at what she writes which is very important. Peachy gets the facts correct, and just that alone is worth its weight in gold."

-Edward Tricomi, Master Stylist and Owner of Warren-Tricomi
https://warrentricomi.com/

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Sometimes WHOM YOU KNOW, really makes a difference and Ammos Estiatorio is grateful to know Peachy Deegan!"
-
Dimitris Nakos, Founder and Owner of
Ammos Estiatorio
https://ammosnewyork.com/

“Whom You Know has done an amazing job of featuring our company over many years [seven]. Peachy has worked tirelessly to create a well-curated selection of topics and brands that are clearly of relevance to her growing audience of readers. Her articles are filled with great insights based on first-hand experience. She does her research, knows her business and is a pleasure to work with!”

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www.FreshOrigins.com

"Peachy Deegan has the pulse of the nation and highlights exceptional opinion leaders in more than 23,000 inspiring and entertaining posts. Her 100,000 twitter followers are a true testimony to Peachy’s ability to inspire, motivate and entertain. She is a feminine force to be reckoned with and an exemplary example of an influential voice in today’s world."

-Mica Mosbacher, author of the new book The Hurricane Factor: Stormside Patriots and tv political commentator

"It was an honour to be chosen for Movers and Shakers by Peachy Deegan. The questions in the interview were intelligent and insightful and I thoroughly enjoyed answering them. The reaction to the interview has been overwhelmingly positive and has helped bring my art practice to a wider audience."
-Damien Flood, Internationally Acclaimed Artist
http://www.damienflood.ie/

"We were so fortunate to hit Peachy’s radar. Her review of our Warmies was spot-on and came at a great time in our company’s early history.
Peachy has such a strong relationship with her readers. She provides honest and real comments; she is truly a trusted source in a very large circle
of consumers."
-Scott Wehrs
President
Intelex U.S.A.
http://www.intelexusallc.com/

"We at Primola love working with Whom You Know and are proud to have been a highly-ranked Manhattan restaurant by Peachy Deegan since 2012, and are featured seasonally. We appreciate the fantastic work Peachy does highlighting our cuisine with her sublime writing style and the whole neighborhood of the Upper East side. Also, we are glad that she has started a Made in Italy column! If you have the opportunity to be considered for review, we'd highly recommend working with her."
-Giuliano Zuliani, Owner of Primola Restaurant
https://www.facebook.com/Primola-Canaletto-restaurants-NYC-135616799831091

"
Peachy Deegan is a gem. She is wonderful to feature our Irish brands in 'Whom You Know'! The articles are beautifully and passionately presented, bringing products and brands to life, making both relevant and fun for her many faithful followers to read. I am immensely proud for our hand-crafted products to be included in this venue!"

-
Bill Follett
President, Belleek Group North America
www.Belleek.com

"As you know from my past features, Peachy Deegan and I were in the same class at Boston College prior to either of us becoming entrepreneurs. When we played together on the BC Alumni softball team in Central Park years ago, she mentioned she could not find a great dentist in Manhattan and could often be found networking on her phone in the outfield hiding from the ball. She was my second patient ever in 2006 when I opened my dental practice; I was one of the first sponsors on Whom You Know and the first Mover and Shaker featured in 2009 and have worked with her continuously since. She's even talked her friends that are doctors into being my patients, and they subsequently send their hospital colleagues. I don't know anyone that is as great of a networker and writer as Peachy, nevermind that she is upstanding and always good for her word. Cosmopolitan Dental is so happy to be in the company of the caliber of major brands she works with today, and although she will tell you a million ways to get your teeth dirty between Peachy's Picks, Terrific Takeout and Peachy's Pantry, Peachy Deegan will tell you there is only one way to get your teeth clean!"
-Dr. Garo Nazarian, Founder and Owner of Cosmopolitan Dental
http://cosmopolitandental.com/