Perfumer to Perfumer Conversations, Ambrosia Jones Speaks with Tanja Bochnig of April Aromatics

A series of conversations between the Australian Priestess of Perfume, Ambrosia, owner of “Perfume by Nature” and other Indie Scent Artists from around the world

Today I’m talking with Tanja Bochnig, a delightful German Perfumer who lives in one of my favorite cities, Berlin!

Berlin is a wonderful place for Indies of any kind, it seems to collect interesting people from all over the world, and has always been a hangout for people with alternative ideas. So Tanja’s company “April Aromatics” is in a very fitting place!

Tanja herself is a beautiful model, who creates very deep and sensual perfumes, and has a refreshingly spiritual approach to her work as a perfumer….

Hello Ambrosia,

It is so nice to connect with you, another natural perfumer.

Tell us a bit about yourself…how did you come to perfumery?

I have always had a very developed sense of smell, even as a little girl. Before I knew about the world of the naturals, I loved and collected perfumes and bottles in all forms and shapes.

I began composing my own little scents on my travels as a model. First it was more on an aromatherapy aspect. The essential oils that I used helped me with little ailments like jet lag and fatigue. Once I discovered that they I also smelled really nice, I began experimenting mixing them together and created some beautiful blends. My friends asked me what scent I was wearing and wanted some of it, this is how I started making products for others.

I started to learn as much as I could about the perfumery world, went to visit several countries where the flowers were grown and distilled, places like India and Turkey and I am still learning and growing every day.

Why do you work with natural ingredients?

Working with 100% pure and natural ingredients is the only way I can work as a perfumer. Smelling synthetic substances is impossible for me. My throat hurts; I feel allergic reactions such as headaches and rashes on my skin.

Working with natural ingredients opens my heart and mind to different realms and gives me a feeling of being connected with the world around me. I try to make beautiful scents that not only smell good, but can also help us to benefit from the healing properties that are contained in the essential oils from plants.

Which are your favorite ingredients and why?

I like everything that comes from nature. Each extract and oil has a beauty in its own. Whatever state of mind or mood I am in, I choose plants that support me in that moment.

When I am smelling an essential oil, I am trying to connect with the core and soul of each plant and I am trying to listen what message it has for us.

My favorites though are the flower extracts, like rose, jasmine, tuberose, narcissus, osmanthus, they go straight to our heart center. I also love tree oils like sandalwood, red cedarwood, earthy and “dirty” oils like patchouli, that make me feel grounded and strong. Mixing them together and creating a harmonic symphony is most fun.

Your perfumes certainly show your love of deep floral scents! They are all very deep and luxurious….

Which ones don’t you like, or find challenging?

I find the herbaceous and marine extracts challenging to work with. I rather use them for healing balms and therapeutic oils.

A lot of perfumers seem to find them challenging…I like to use them in men’s colognes…but they can certainly be rather tricky….

Also extracts that are very sticky and hard in texture, such as magnolia absolute, which I use in my Linden blossom perfume, can be challenging to work with, as it needs a lot of preparation to be made liquid. But once they have been dissolved in alcohol, they are a beautiful enhancement to perfumes.

Tell me about some of your perfumes…do you have any favorites? Any special stories about how they came about?

Of course I like all of my perfumes…:-)

The creation happens at different times of the year and through different inspirations of people, occasions and moods I am experiencing. For instance certain smells that linger in the air in different seasons. At the moment I am inspired to create a lilac scent, since the lilacs have just been in bloom this spring in Berlin. I created a lilac tincture, which will act as a base for a lilac scent.

Lilac is such a beautiful, delicate scent…

Spice Blend is a favorite of mine. I just revamped the formula for the Summer of patchouli LOVE 2011 project and I have been wearing it for the past few days. It contains sandalwood, cedarwood, patchouli in the base notes, some orange and spices in the top notes and April Aromatics own creation of a delicious vanilla accord.

It’s dry down is divine….I’ve got it on my hand at the moment…I liked it from the first moment, but the dry down develops into a deep amber like warmth that is something really special….

Look forward to sniffing what you’ve done with it for the patchouli project!

I will send you a sample!

Nectar of Love is also another favorite and one of my best sellers. I created it when I was very much in love…and it reflects these feelings in the perfume (As a matter of fact, I can never work on a perfume creation, nor enter my laboratory when I am not feeling well).

Nectar of Love contains the most expensive and precious oils, like tuberose, jasmine, rose, neroli and more. It is sensual and sexy, long lasting and very potent. Perfect for a hot summer night. This is my Midsummer Nights Dream Perfume project, which I participated in along with 15 other perfumers, including YOU!!!

I really like your “Incense”…it’s a nice take on frankincense and the magic it creates when you burn it in a room…I’ve always loved frankincense…..I’ll never forget the first time I smelt it as an essential oil…it was in Berlin actually, in a funny little store in a backstreet that sold oils in cute little bottles with gold minaret tops…I opened the bottle and was transported back into another world…your perfume reminds me of this…you’ve softened the sharp top notes in a lovely way and given it a soft deep touch to round it off….

The incense creation has not been released yet. It is a one of a kind perfume and I have been experimenting with it for the past 2 years now. I find that it needs a long time to ripen and it has changed beautifully over time. I will be completing it for the winter season, as it is a perfect scent for this time of year. I am happy that you like it.

Many more new scents will be created, some are already in the back of my scent memory….I just need to find the time for it….(at the moment my 20 months old baby girl is my biggest muse and inspiration. She smells so pure and clean, esp. on top of her head, her crown chakra…maybe I will be able one day to re-create something that comes close to her smell).

What dreams do you have for the future?

My dream for the future is that more people will find their way back to nature and are able to see the vast beauty and abundance it gives us. I wish that peoples perception will open up to the world of the naturals and that it doesn’t matter to them so much that a natural perfume doesn’t last as long on their skin as a synthetic one and to rather re-apply it more often throughout the day. (This is one reason why I like to make my perfumes very concentrated.)

My personal dream is to find a piece of land, somewhere where it is warm, near the ocean, where I can live with my family and loved ones and where we can grow our own organic food and plants and from whom I can extract and distil my own oils for my perfumes.

The plants and flowers help me in seeing my dreams and they keep showing me their magic every day. For that I am grateful.

That’s really beautiful Tanja! Thank you so much for sharing your perfumed world with us!

April Aromatics website , and Tanja’s smaller US shop on Etsy:

Ambrosia’s Store and Blog