Fragrant: The Secret Life of Scent

Revised edition, 2025; English-language version

Mandy Aftel is widely recognized as a pioneer of natural perfumery. Over more than twenty years creating artisan scents from the finest aromatic ingredients in the world, she has been an advocate for the transformative power of scent. In Fragrant, she explores through five protagonists in the epic of aroma the deep bond between our sense of smell and the desires that move us, give us pleasure, and make us fully alive.

Cinnamon, the queen of the Spice Route, touches our hunger for the unknown, the exotic, the luxurious. Mint, grown domestically all over the world, speaks to our affinity with the familiar, the own, the authentic. Frankincense, an age-old ingredient for incense, taps into our longing for transcendence. Amber oil embodies our insatiable curiosity. And the refined jasmine embodies our desire for beauty, both ephemeral and enduring.

Alongside a captivating initiation into the history, natural history, and philosophy of scent, Fragrant offers the essence of scent literacy and contains recipes for easy-to-make scents and edible, drinkable, and usable brews that reveal the imaginative possibilities of creating with – and enjoying – aroma. Vintage line drawings make this book a treasured gift as well as a delightful read.