PRODUCING PERFUME

Francesco van Eerd’s perfumes are made with a high percentage of plant-based extracts, 35 of which he hand-distils, one plant at a time, in one of his copper stills. Many are distinctly Aotearoa — gorse, tarata (lemonwood), kauri, harakeke, taramea (speargrass), and feijoa (which smells amazing). Starting with three bathtubs full of plant material, he reaps only 50ml of essential oil — but it’s enough to make perfumes for four months or so. The tiny dropper bottles with essential oils and absolutes are stored in his fascinating “perfumer’s organ”, its numerous drawers holding 764 mysterious ingredients. To blend perfumes, Francesco mixes minute amounts of the highly concentrated oils (his favourite is labdanum, from the leaves of the rock rose), selecting what his nose and experience tells him will work together. After many variations, he arrives at a “compound” he’s happy with; it’s diluted in almond oil or alcohol to be sold as one of his 29 perfumes. buyperfumeonline.co.nz