Natural Perfumers Guild Celebrates 10th Anniversary 2006 - 2016

The Natural Perfumers Guild is the only worldwide organization dedicated to the use of 100% natural aromatics in perfume and bath and body fragrance products. The Guild grew out of a Yahoo natural perfumery educational group when the group founder, Anya McCoy of Anya's Garden Perfumes wanted to give the members a wider audience and improved Internet presence for their businesses. The Guild launched on June 1, 2006 and is now a self-regulating organization, proactively working towards sensible legislation that is responsive to small businesses, and transparency for natural aromatics.

Our mission is to gather, strengthen and empower our existing member community, increase public awareness through education about pure and natural perfumes, and establish standards of excellence in perfumery by protecting this traditional art.

The Guild is recognized the 'greenest of the green' because we hold our professional perfumers to a higher standard than any other organization. The membership voted on definitions for both natural aromatics such as essential oils and absolutes, and for natural isolates, surpassing the requirements of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9235 requirements.  Certified Natural Perfumers much submit documentation about sources and materials when applying, and a Review Committee completes the certification if criteria is met.

Member categories include Certified Natural Perfumers, Associates, which includes aromatherapists, Associate Perfumers, authors, and affiliated businesses. Suppliers and Friends of the Guild complete the members’ roster, the Friends category offering an opportunity for hobbyists and those supportive of natural perfume, but not in the business, to network and be part of the Guild community.

Guild perfumers have taken part in Internet blogging projects such as The Mystery of Musk, Outlaw Perfume, Brave New Scents, and Joy in January. The Guild facilitates group buys for bottles and aromatics, offering this service so that artisan perfumers on limited budgets can obtain quality products that might otherwise be unobtainable. Apprentices are able to take part in professional mentorship under a perfumer on a rotating schedule, and many have benefited from this program.

Guild members have collaborated on several publications relevant to the natural perfume industry, and we provide free downloads of these documents to the general public so that information is available to all. Guild members enjoy free downloads of  vintage perfumer books and articles to enhance their learning experince.

“Nurturing and growing the Guild over the past ten years has been a joy and a rewarding experience,” says Guild President Anya McCoy.  She continues: “I love seeing the increased recognition of natural perfumery due to the beautiful products offered by the members, and their increased success in the business world. This indicates that our art, sometimes maligned by outsiders who don’t understand our commitment to using only 100% natural aromatics, has reached a decade of maturity, accomplishment, and recognition. I hope for this to continue far into the future, with greater growth and public awareness of the alternative we offer to mainstream perfumes.”