I first heard of Trygve Harris and her West Village shop, Enfleurage, from a friend who is nearly religious in his devotion to rare aromatics. He spoke of the integrity of her sourcing and the quality of her product in hushed, respectful tones. I visited the store on my next trip to New York, but it wasn't until my first newsletter arrived that I understood the Harris magic.
“I could pray to this flower. I might pray to this flower! Ok, I did pray to this flower!” she wrote about frangipani oil from a farmer in India. Then I looked at the website: “This is the rawest and most volatile of the oudhs,” she wrote, about Agarwood Hindi Birrin. “He is like a wild young man, completely out of control. […] though he might make you uncomfortable, there is something alluring and seductive about him, even if you feel a little weird about it afterward.” All right then, I thought, this woman is one of us.
I began following Harris’ blog just as her modern enfleurage project in Colombia yielded the world’s first commercially available gardenia oil in seventy years.1 (Here is Luca Turin’s review of the oil. I own the gardenia and tuberose butters made as a byproduct and they are fantastic—still fresh and delicate two years later.) Harris writes about her extensive travels, often through sparsely populated regions of Asia and the Middle East.
The idea for Enfleurage came to her, she told me, “with a peculiar clarity while sitting on the Plain of Jars in Laos in 1994” after “three months, wandering through Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.” After travelling on to Cairo, and then to Yemen to apprentice with a perfumer she had met in Ta’iz (it didn’t work out, but they remain close friends), she returned to the U.S., fell in love with New York, and opened the first version of Enfleurage in 1995. “I must stress that I had no idea what I was doing. None. I knew nothing about business, or New York, or accounting, or any of it,” she says. “The business plan I somehow wrote increases in hilariousness every year.”
My interview questions reached Harris while she was waiting for a plane to New York in the Oman airport. She responded so graciously that I can only share a portion of her answers with you. Part 1 is below. I hope you’ll return to read Part 2 tomorrow.
What are your earliest scent memories? Was there a moment when your interest tipped over into obsession/passion? A particular scent?
Earliest scent memories….Gasoline. Water from the sprinklers on the driveway in late afternoon in the San Fernando Valley. Oak trees, dust and brushfires. Horses. A beige baize couch and my mother’s tears when Robert Kennedy was shot. The smells from my parents’ kitchen: marinara sauce, steak, potatoes, garlic and olive oil. New car. Records. Chanel no 5. …Later, I loved those head shops in the 70s: Primo incense, China musk, and all those other hippie oils. It must have been somewhere around then, the tipping over. I still love gasoline.
You often describe the aromatics as though they were people with quirky, lovable personalities, something I’ve seen people do with perfume, too. What do you think it is about scent that inspires this connection?
Well, I don’t know exactly. It just seems natural! They speak to me, and I am unable to discuss them in a clinical way. It’s too cold! How could some disembodied chemicals sing me love songs? No, they speak in poems, bursting on a stage and singing, shedding and revealing their veils like Salome.
If you had to make a shortlist of aromatics that were indispensable to you—say a top five (but feel free to cheat) — what would be on the list and why?
You ask some difficult questions.
Agarwood. And oudh, the oil of it. Frankincense. And the oil of it. That’s four already. Yikes. Ok, for burning… Agarwood, frankincense and bakhur. At this time the bakhur I’m loving is oudh mubakar. I’ve been into him for a while. It’s agarwood soaked in perfume. All the different Arabian perfume houses have at least one….and you can find it in the souqs as well. Even though I usually prefer small companies, I am in love with Ajmal’s. And we don’t carry it in the store. I smoke my clothes with it. Agarwood I use to smoke my hair and my body. Frankincense I use to smoke everything—me, my clothing, the house, even the car!
Lavender essential oil. Jasmine absolutes (grandiflorum and sambac) and Rose otto. Mandarin too. Our Gardenia enfleurage. These are just visceral friends, I can’t give any rational explanation. Sandalwood of course…I’m talking Indian here.
You’ve called yourself “a sensualist and aromatic maven.” I’d add “fearless world traveler” to that list. Why have you chosen to so much direct sourcing?
Ha! Well, I don’t know about “fearless,” but I do like to travel and always have. It was never something I considered doing or not doing. I’ve always done it, it’s always been a part of me. I used to hitchhike everwhere, starting at the age of 8 or 9. And I am a freak about where things come from.[...] I’m always totally interested in where oils are from, and why, and how, and so forth.
Finding some nutty French genius living in the forest and making crazy things….that makes me happy. I also really like just finding stuff. Even though I also visit distillers who are already known to me, I love just finding them myself. I found a cool world of Palo Santo in the Paraguayan Chaco once, I think it was in 2006, just hitchhiking around looking for it. I found some weird sassafras stills in Laos, just poking around as well. And I found some cool things in Southern Morocco too, as I was passing through on my way to Mauritania. And Yemen is always a surprise, when you take the time to look, with their wickedly cool water incense, and akhdreen (hair perfume), and sugar bakhur.
Sometimes the people I find end up supplying me, and sometimes not, but I really like just finding them, and buying some, and taking it back to the store. The coolest trip in the world to me is just taking a few weeks and hitchhiking or driving around with this vague goal of finding…whatever. I don’t get to just go walkabout as much any more, but still manage it whenever I can.
I am not the most commercially minded person, so buying and selling oils in itself is not overly interesting to me. But finding them, and bringing them, and sharing the story…that’s something else. And over time I realized that the stories I heard from domestic suppliers about where aromatics were from was alarmingly at odds with what I found. So then, happily, I had to do it myself.
Note: image of Trygve Harris via Enfleurage website; used with permission.
Part 2 of our interview with Trygve Harris will appear tomorrow.
1. Enfleurage is an old extraction technique in which flower petals are layered in solid fats; you can read more about it here. It is rarely used today. Harris has developed a modern version of this practice that "involves a gentle coaxing of aromatic molecules into palm oil, which is allowed to saturate over time and then is washed with alcohol, which is then distilled to separate out the oil." (via the FAQ at the Enfleurage website)
I can’t wait to read Part 2! Trygve really is dedicated and passionate about natural aromatics and is truly the only person I know who, on her own dime, goes to the source and lives with the folks who grow and extract these precious materials.
So glad you like it, Anya! Trygve must have so many travel stories…this is just the very tip of the iceberg.
I really understand what she means by loving the smell of gasoline. I have always felt like a little bit of a wing-nut because I love the smell of things like spraypaint, magic markers, the plastic-y smell of opening and unfolding a new inflatable pool toy and
WD-40. I remember enjoying the winter hunting season because the smell of my father and brother cleaning thier rifles with WD-40 would permeate the whole house. Not expected feminine smells by any means….but always so interesting to my brain when I get a whiff of them.
You’re hanging out in some pretty illustrious company with your love for those smells. Have you smelled Serge Lutens Tubereuse Criminelle? It’s famous for it’s gasoline opening…
I thought it was interesting, given Trygve’s passion for natural aromatics, that so many of her smell memories were from the manufactured world.
No…shamefully I have never tried Tubereuse Criminelle….but it seems to no longer be available anway?? I think that was why I never tried it…by the time I decided to… decants and samples from TPC seem to be the only place that has it… I just rechecked and it isn’t showing on the SL website. 🙁 And now, if I get a whiff from a TPC sample and adore it…there is no bottle to be had.
TC is still in production. It’s just that you can only buy it from the Lutens boutique in France. Google wiki scent splits and see if anyone is offering to go in on some. Usually plenty of decants available!
Thank you! I will have to try that…I am leaving on August 6th to go to Germany for work…so I have been excited about the chance to visit the duty free shops as well as any niche shops in Munich or Hannover. I am afraid I’m too new to perfume to truly know all the “gems” if I run across them… 🙂 I actually found a store the other day that had some vintage Norell, L’Heure Bleue, Rochas, etc. but got overwhelmed and ended up with 2 Hermes frags. 🙂 If anyone has any suggestions for Hannover… (or wants me to pick up something for them, I’d be happy to if I can find it)… Let me know!
Speaking as a hopeless tragic who is planning a trip to Paris just to go to The Palais Royal Shiseido (Lutens’ shop)…if you are going to live in Germany, or even visit for a while, (without going to Paris) you can get the stunning ‘exclusive’ Lutens sent to you there….
I’m with you, those are the first things I remember taking the time to smell as a child, because they were so interesting. Especially gasoline and mothballs, oh how I loved mothballs! I suppose it’s no coincidence that Tubereuse Criminelle is possibly my favorite perfume ever — the opening never even strikes me as strange, its like a homecoming. But I do love all those perfumes with notes like gasoline, camphor, creosote. They really speak to me.
tsetse!!
Hello dear!
ahah I see you<3
Oh yes. I think my love for camphor is why I don’t mind the big blast opening of the Montale ouds.
I love Montale ouds you guys, I don’t care what the ‘haters’ say.
The way they make me feel is what matters<3
Your so right Alyssa! SHE IS one of us.
Another kindred spirit in natural aromatics is a joy to behold.
I adore supporting smaller companies such as this, you can feel the devotion and quality in their offerings, I have never tried anything of hers and now I simply must! I envy her creativity and that she found a way to do what she loves as her job, a life’s work.
I’ll be reading tomorrow.:)
So glad you enjoyed it Tamara! I highly recommend trying some of the agarwood they sell for burning. I smoke mine on top of charcoal for very special occasions–as a thank you prayer, or for celebration, that kind of thing. It’s fantastic.
Oh me too! My love of hippie oils, patchouli etc, minerals, animals, has just been a common current in life alongside Mitsouko etc and the wonders of Lutens! Its great to feel a bit of love for the unselfconscious side that delights in experiencing all these raw and powerful smells!
Yes, I love that unbridled enthusiasm!
Yes!
Wow, I took a look at her site, now I really want to visit NY.
There’s always mail order!
I visited the store last December. It’s a tiny space, filled with wonderful things. They were great about letting me sniff all kinds of things – the variety of items has to be seen (and smelled!) to be believed. It was well-worth dragging Mr. Aparatchick to the West Village. 😉
It is tiny, isn’t it? If I’d had more room I would have written about how that came as a shock to me–it always does with aromatics. The scents seem so large in my mind, and they come from so far away, and then when you go to see them, there they are in these teensy little vials…
I’m fascinated by her given name. It’s a male name in the scandinavian countries. Do you know if she has scandinavian roots?
Ha! That was my final question for her, and her answer was quite appropriate for the world traveler she grew up to be. Tune in tomorrow!
And I want to hear how to pronounce it!
And that, too!
I adore her work, her stuff, her blog!!! I have been following her for some time now, but, unfortunately, most of the products I most desire are so out of my price range……….sigh………that all I can do is weep….
At this point, I would walk over hot coals to sniff her gardenia and her ouds and vetivers…….
YIKES!!! I just saw the prices too…(sigh), wow that sucks but can’t be helped.. More power to her.
Oh well , I keep tellin’ all y’all I’m saving for my Tauer’s anyways! 😛
I can certainly understand something being out of someone’s price range as many things are out of mine, but as an aromatherapist, I can tell you that I’ve been buying essential oils for almost twenty years, and hers are very reasonably priced, especially for the quality. She is one of only three sources from which I buy.
They are expensive, but not as much when you start thinking about them as materials that need to be diluted–usually in the range of 1:9, in order to really be enjoyed. And they do sell very tiny amounts (2 ml) of most things!
They are expensive, but not as much when you start thinking about them as materials that need to be diluted–usually in the range of 1:9, in order to really be enjoyed. And they do sell very tiny amounts (2 ml) of most things! Not that I enjoy enabling or anything… 🙂
Obviously I enjoy it so much I had to say it twice, lol. Can’t figure out how to delete–ah, well…
well….that…. and someone has to pay for her plane tickets and lodging for all this world traveling finding the amazing scents… jealous as I may be stuck doing work for “corporate america”… lol
Well, sure. But remember that most of the places she’s traveling are very inexpensive once the initial airfare is taken care of–I bet most of the expense comes from processing and shipping the actual materials. If you read her blog about harvesting frankincense and some of the other materials you’ll see that most of it is done by hand. Very, very slowly… There’s a reason the perfume companies plant their own fields of this stuff, or make it in the lab!
Well, she certainly sounds fearless to me! She also sounds pretty awesome. I haven’t been a faithful follower of her blog, but I check it out from time to time and subscribe to her newsletters. I feel like I have to make an effort to get to her site more often now. Wonderful things are there for sure.
Those newsletters brighten my day, even on the months when I can’t afford to buy!
Trygve has by far the best sense and insight into any possible scent. Having known her since childhood, I can personally vouch for her expertise and integrity. This was a well-written article, thank you for sharing!
Thanks for reading!
Alyssa,
Thank you for the fascinating article! However I’m not glad that you’ve turned me on to something else to want to spend my money on 😉
My apologies, Dixie. 😉
I was lucky enough to meet Trygve in her shop last summer when I went in there with Jessica. She was entertaining, knowledgeable and a joy to talk to. I too went home with her gardenia and tuberose enfleurage butters…they are heaven. I am waiting with bated breath for her to create the plumeria enfleurage. I’ll be praying to that stuff!!
I’m with you on that. Heck, I’ll compose a chant!
I will chant it with you.
Hee, hee!
Very cool interview!
This is fascinating, Alyssa! Thank you for the wonderful interview. I will tune in tomorrow…
Thanks, guys!
Fascinating stuff and a lovely selection of oils. I would however like to see origin noted on the Rosewood or at the very least the binomial nomenclature. . AFAIK Dalbergia nigra is still Cites Appendix I though other species calling themselves (trees speak…or the Lorax speaks for them in any respect) Rosewood
Probably need to direct your comment to Enfleurage, but I’m glad you enjoyed the article!
Very interesting piece, Alyssa. I found the portion of her FAQ that I read to be very interesting. I’m always interested looking at websites that sell essential oils. Part of my love of perfume has to do with trying to identify notes and how they’re differently handled in different compositions; appreciation of the single note via an EO is often so useful. I’d love to have an EO “library” of sorts.
Yngve definitely seems to have an interesting and very enviable life! This snapshot excites my wanderlust and my sniffalust.
Sniffing raw materials is so enlightening and interesting. I was very lucky to meet the friend I mention early on in my sniffing and being able to smell three or four (or ten) different varieties of, say, vetiver, or ionones (violet/iris material) changed the way I understood many perfumes. You should check out the kits on Perfumer’s Apprentice, Joe, they’re pretty reasonable.
Thanks for the interview, Alyssa! Ms. Harris’ answers to your insightful questions cut right to the heart of perfumery.
Oh thank you, Mals! Part of what I love about her answers is that they open the door to a whole world of perfumery and people that I’ve just barely glimpsed. Don’t you want to meet that nutty French genius? Or the perfumer in Yemen she was going to apprentice with? It’s also a sort of fellow feeling–you know, *we are everywhere*!
Thank you for turning me on to this store. I confess, I’m a small time buyer, but the grapefruit and lime essential oils I have purchased there are radiant, shining with different aspects of the fruit – nothing like the flat essential oils you find at Whole Foods. Their cilantro is phenominal – a glowing green presence. I can’t wait to go back.
Oh I haven’t smelled the cilantro there! Will have to do so on my next trip. I have a small amount of the tagetes and it is a wondrous deep green.
Wonderful interview on a very special person! I can’t wait to read Part II. Thanks, Alyssa.
Thank you, Rapp!
New York is known for having the best of everything and many variations on a theme. But Enfleurage is one of a kind and definitely a jewel in crown of this city. There’s not anything that even comes close. I am so grateful for Trygva and her cool staff. They are always friendly and knowledgeable and willing to help.