CaFleureBon Profiles In American Perfumery
JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Bassett Fragrances
September 18, 2011 — Read the full article on CaFleureBon →
JoAnne Bassett’s fragrances are AMAZING. Managing Editor Mark Behnke reviewed her scent during the Natural Perfumer’s Guild Outlaw internet project and was so impressed he wanted to understand her creative process. Editor in Chief Michelyn Camen chose JoAnne as one of the “Green Goddesses” of perfume. As Chandler Burr once quipped — “why do so many American perfumers tend to name their fragrances using French names?” — after reading about JoAnne, you will understand that she is indeed “entitled.”
Profile
My Father’s family comes from France and has been traced back to Charlemagne. My Mother’s family comes from Germany. The Bassett family came over on the Mayflower and more family came one year later on the Fortune. I am a blue blood. A Bassett house is the oldest house in Hyannis Port, MA. There is royalty on both sides of my family. My roots come from very old families in Europe.
I was born in Southern Minnesota and we were farmers. We had a very simple life with large vegetable gardens and very old flower gardens. We had old roses, lilacs the size of trees, peony bushes that were always covered with bees, flowering almonds, spirea bushes, irises, lilies, and on and on. Living in a climate of four distinct seasons we had different trees, bushes, and annuals flowering with the seasons. I loved the apple blossoms and mini purple irises as a child. I remember all of the flower smells wafting through the house. They intertwined with all of the cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, chocolate, coffee, and baking smells. My family loved to bake and cook large meals.
My Mother was a “fragrance queen” and wore Evening in Paris and Youth Dew. I will never forget going into her purse to put on fragrance. She wore fragrance every day along with lotion and powder. My Father told her she should just fill the bathtub and roll in it. She wafted wherever she went. This was completely different from other farm women I met. They usually wore fragrance on Sunday and for a special occasion.
I had a field day growing up in a house of 3 older sisters. There was Tabu, a lilac soliflore, and a rose soliflore, and many others. As a small child I received my very own fragrance on my birthday. It was Daisy from Avon. I was so proud. It had powder, lotion, and fragrance just like Mother wore. Needless to say I started with fragrance at a very young age. I learned about layering after going to my sisters’ rooms and trying on the bottles I could reach. A girlfriend let me spray on her Jungle Gardenia and I fell in love with it. That smell stayed in a heavy sweater of mine for years.
In the summer we would go “up to the lake” in Northern Minnesota. We also visited relatives and stayed on lakes in Wisconsin. There would be new smells for me to investigate. The lovely pine trees, birch, and sumac and many other wood and moss smells gave me new scent memories. I also remember the smell of cleaning fish, fishing with the stinky worms from the bucket, and picking up shells. The smell of lake water was so different than the water in the creek or the fresh rain water. More than once I got poison ivy or poison sumac from wandering in the woods with bare legs.
On American Perfumery
I love being an Indie Niche Perfumer in America. I can choose the raw materials I want to work with, and decide how I want to create my fragrances and sell them. From a young age I appreciated the life force of a rose, and the incredibly beautiful scent of the flowers wafting in the sun. I choose to create 100% natural perfumes. Being a healer, artist, alchemist, and artisan perfumer I utilize the plant energy and impart my inner knowing in creating the perfume. I create Custom Couture Perfumes and enjoy the freedom to use the ingredients that resonate with my clients. That is the benefit of being an American perfumer at this moment of regulation in Europe.
My perfume Indulgence is what I feel represents America. The dictionary defines indulgence as the act or an instance of indulging; gratification: indulgence of every whim. We certainly indulge ourselves in America. We have access to almost anything we could ever want. My Indulgence is also formulated with the costly essential oils and absolutes. It feels luxurious and I feel beautiful wearing it. It is an indulgence of the senses with May roses, tuberose, neroli – orange blossoms, vintage Mysore sandalwood, vanilla, citrus, spices, and others.
— Michelyn Camen, Editor in Chief, CaFleureBon
Read the full article on CaFleureBon →
Perfumer’s Workshop: Creating Bespoke Fragrances
Featured in CaFleureBon
October 20, 2015 — Read the full article on CaFleureBon →
The incredibly gifted Natural Perfumery Guild Professional perfumer JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Bassett Perfumes has been creating bespoke perfumes for over 22 years and has been an instrument of change in her clients’ lives by way of her fragrances. From her earlier aromatherapy Perfume Potions created with specific intentions in mind to her modern day custom couture bespoke parfums, Ms. Bassett has shared her talents and fragrances with clients worldwide.
Knowing the beneficial effects natural perfume has on people, she goes through a very organic process with her bespoke clients, asking questions and relying on her sixth sense to ascertain what the client is in need of and tailors a beautifully scented perfume that is a joy to wear and can help bring about positive growth in her client’s life. When she had her perfume boutique Le Bijou in La Jolla, California, JoAnne was able to meet with clients there to smell various raw materials and take them on an aromatic journey. Now she relies more heavily on her ability to sense the needs of her clients and the feedback they provide throughout the process via phone, email, or Skype.
Her perfumes can range from energizing, enlightening, empowering, comforting, and more. JoAnne has great knowledge of natural essential oils, absolutes, tinctures and other essences that go into her perfumes. She sources only the highest quality raw materials. Her high level of experience and her love of natural perfumery is what makes her bespoke fragrances so special.
Featured alongside Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, Mandy Aftel, Sue Phillips, and Tanja Bochnig.