Fragrance house

Aftelier

Aftelier emerged in the late 1990s, following Mandy Aftel’s 1995 fragrance work under the name Grandiflorum Perfumes. Founded and creatively led by Aftel, the brand is built around natural perfumery: she creates fragrances from natural essences, hand-blends and bottles them in small batches, and avoids synthetic ingredients, parabens, glycols, and petrochemicals. Aftel’s 2001 book, Essence and Alchemy, was credited with putting her on the perfume map and inspiring a generation of independent perfumers. In 2017, she opened the Aftel Archive of Curious Scents in Berkeley, extending the brand’s public identity into perfume history, education, and preservation. Aftelier’s fragrance legacy includes Honey Blossom, which became the first indie natural perfume named a finalist for a FiFi Award.