Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

My friend & I had a fun experience here! We bought tickets to celebrate her birthday.Both of us are very attuned to fragrances & how they affect our human scents, so we were excited to visit!Every single person at the Archive was so knowledgeable about the chemistry & history of the raw materials! We were really blown away.At first we wished more scents were available in the smellable garden area, but then we realized that even the remote possibility of contracting Covid & compromising sense of smell is not an acceptable risk for the family that invites the public in to smell all the smells.Before we came, we made a list of all the things we were hoping to smell. Here is the list. Every item was checked off when we left[X] Ambergris[X] Orris[X] Frankincense[X] Myrrh[X] VetiverThe family we saw in the YouTube video, they were actually the people who greeted us & guided us through the exhibits! Mandy even personally signed the books we purchased. We only wish we could have sniffed more sniffs! They give you a white glove when you enter - AMAZING idea. We would never have even breathed on the antique books without them.The only negative here, is that the process of purchasing tickets online wasn't as smooth as it could have been. Other than that detail, super fun unique experience!

Incredible experience, bought tickets for this museum as a gift for my friends. Will absolutely be bringing back others from out of town. Everything was exquisitely considered. We learned so much during our visit. What a hidden gem!

I'd accumulated quite a few colognes while working in high end retail in the 80's and 90's. Since leaving the industry, fragrance took a back seat and I'd barely even took notice of changes in the world of perfumery over almost three decades.Fast forward to the pandemic, I started accumulating samples to reacquaint myself with current offerings. Wow, I didn't realize that the entire fragrance world had expanded so far. Back in the day, men's cologne was pretty much ruled by a dozen or fewer houses. Now, the business is more like the world of craft beer, with hundreds of smaller, niche brands.I'd wanted to visit the Aftel Archive for a while to learn more about perfumery, so I was excited to finally make it there this weekend.They truly exceeded my expectations. A terrific set up with historical, informational and visual displays. It was eye opening to see source materials for fragrances in their natural state, prior to processing and extraction. There are plenty of hands on fragrance samples, too.All three proprietors were there during our visit. They were all so warm and welcoming. Mandy was there and her knowledge and passion were contagious. She even signed some books that we purchased.My wife isn't even a big fan of perfumes but she was enthralled with the experience.Funny how after so long, there are still people out there tweaking recipes to come up with something new and exciting. But there are millions of possible combinations and Mandy explains how it all works. Terrific experience, we can't wait to come back. And I'd love to have access to that fragrance organ sometime!

We visited Aftel Archive late last year, well before COVID changed everything. What a wonderful, friendly and curious place to visit. My wife truly loves scent and this place is a heaven of scent. Sure, I enjoy a fine perfume or cologne but I never thought I would enjoy smelling all of the raw elements that go into making the all of the different brand name fragrances we've become familiar with. They literally have every scent you can imagine here to sample a sniff from in an isolated raw form. Incredibly well organized and very clean space with more information that you could possible appreciate. It was a joy to spend time here and I hope to do so again in the future.I highly recommend visiting this place if you enjoy exploring new things. Bring friends and family, co-works, just about the coolest place to be for an hour or so.

Our group of 6 had an extraordinary time at this fairly new museum, recently reopened after being closed down due to Covid. The collection of old perfumes, bottles and books dating back centuries, was far beyond our expectations, with lot of hands-on sampling of fragrance and poring through old volumes with magnifying glasses that are period pieces themselves.The highlight was speaking to three members of the Aftel family, all very knowledgeable and ready with answers about the perfume industry, how it developed, and the various dangerous evil goings-on along the way.It was a treat to meander through everything freely by ourselves, but we'd also have loved to be guided around by one of the knowledgeable hosts. The visit began with a quick but informative introduction. The topics are so interesting and so foreign to us, we'd have welcomed an even more extensive introduction, maybe even a slide show.The experience was well worth the price of admission.

I've been visiting the Bay area a lot lately, and have decided to use Atlas Obscura as means of exploring the more, well, "obscure" places it has to offer.Aftel immediately piqued my curiosity with it's library of 300+ ish natural aromatic essences. I didn't schedule an appointment, but instead walked in (hoping that I would be fortunate enough to secure a spot) and it worked out perfectly. I was greeted warmly by the son of the family who runs everything, Devon. Devon processed the entrance fee, then handed me a kit (photographed later), and explained just how everything works. As someone who has a strong sense of smell, this place was a playground. There were boxes and bottles of things neatly placed out for me to interact with and appreciate in their all their glory. I learned about ambergris, I learned about onycha shells, I learned about the perfect marriage of essences and dark chocolate... I even learned that I favor a combination of citron petitgrain, osthamanthus, and sandalwood.I'm writing this review out of pure admiration, because the passion this family has shows.But at the same time I'm conflicted and want to keep this as my own little secret place to revisit.

Was apprehensive about the experience of going to a scent "museum" where you have to wear masks. But they made it work with the garden mask less exhibits and I loved it. If you're curious, I'd definitely recommend. I'll probably even go back!

This was the highlight of my trip, and I have been wanting to get over to Berkeley since I heard of this place. I must say it was perfect weather for a museum, unfortunately the Bay Area broke records in cold and damp that day. The door was opened by a charming and handsome young man welcoming guests into the small space and helping to stow away raincoats and umbrellas before pointing out the warm stove in the corner.Devon and his mother were gracious hosts, very hospitable and entertaining, sharing all their knowledge about perfumes and escorting people around the small museum. The young man is a botany student and gardener and the back yard has some lovely specimens of roses that he cares for. The family has an absolute treasure trove of vintage and antique books on perfumes, spices, herbs and flowers, which they kindly allow guests to read in the window seat.Where to begin? There was so much here for the fragrance aficionado. There were glass cases full of original bottles of scent from the Victorian era and older. There were samples of hard to find notes that are now done synthetically, like civet, beaver castoreum and musk. It was surprising how badly they smelled, both in the original and synthetic. It really makes you appreciate the artistry of the greats like Jacques Guerlain, and the effort and skill that is required to use notes that smell oddly on their own and to combine them together into a symphony of heavenly fragrance.There was a lot of information about perfume making and distilling processes of essential oils, and they even had an old copper steam still on display. The old fashioned pharmacy cabinets contain drawers upon drawers of the actual root, herb, bark, seashell, etc., used in perfume making. These you can smell and handle. Crushed shells, pearls of frankincense, angelica root, vetiver, wormwood..the list goes on...They have set up a breakdown of an original house perfume (Palimpset). Meaning that they had all the separate notes for top, heart and base notes in sample bottles, so you could compare each single note to the end product. This really helps train your nose to detect the ingredients of a perfume. There was a cloth to cleanse the palate if you will, of your nose and brain, so that you can continue to detect scent. This is different than the usual coffee beans you are given in perfume stores, and it worked quite well. The most fascinating display is the "perfume organ", and give yourself some time with this, and wait until the area is clear of people, so you don't smell what they have uncorked nearby. These tiers of bottles are all the single notes of just everything you can imagine, and you can smell things like opoponax, ambergris or styrax that you would not be able to find otherwise. Also featured are the old scents like heliotrope, gardenia, violet, orris root, jasmine and other flowers. You can chose a few scents to dip a paper strip into, to take home with you.I thoroughly enjoyed the time I spent here. What a pleasure!

AMAZING!! One of the most fantastic experiences ever! I've been a perfume fanatic for 40 years and of natural perfumery for 30, and visiting here was a dream come true. It's unlikely you'd be able to view...and touch, and sniff...such beautiful displays (with descriptions) of antique items related to perfumery...raw materials, finished blends, bottles, books, etc...all in one place anywhere else. It's impossible to say which area(s) were my favourite(s): the antique little apothecary and watchmaker's chests of drawers filled with raw ingredients to touch and inhale; the exquisite delicate flacons, coffrets, and other receptacles; the side-by-side aged and new raw materials for scent comparison; the step-by-step compositions of top, middle and base accords and finished product; the scent organ...it all overwhelmed in the best possible way. I was in ecstasies. Mandy Aftel is THE doyenne of natural perfumery and it was an unexpected pleasure and a privilege to meet and chat with her. Her husband Foster was also a delight and very knowledgeable. I'm a bit of a fangirl and still have five or six perfumes from Aftel's line Grandiflorum, dating back around 25 years or so, as well as earlier Aftelier scents that are no longer available. It is my hope to some day take the course she offers from her studio in Berkeley. You'll be given an additional treat of two coins of dark chocolate spritzed with Aftel's Chef's Essences...as my husband declined his, I got to have four! I chose Pink Pepper, Cardamom, Fresh Ginger and Peru Balsam...all were wonderful. I also purchased four of her perfumes, traditional and solid...it was very hard to choose as there are so many I want! Her books are also available. If you are interested in perfume, its history, and natural perfumery in particular, do not miss this!! Thank you, Mandy, for sharing your collection!!

What a wonderful museum! I highly recommend checking this place out. It takes covid precautions, which is fantastic. The history is fascinating. And I love getting to look through books that are hundreds of years old. The family that runs it is incredibly sweet and friendly. This place is a gem. I'll definitely come back!