Book Reviews Book 18

Book Reviews
Book 19

Herbal Indian Perfumes and Cosmetics

by Vaidya Asha Ram

pub. Sri Satguru Publicns. 1997.

This small 166-page book is divided into five sections dealing with the Perfume Industry (in India), Essential Extracts, Essences and Ottos, Aromatic Waters, Hair Oil and Toilet Preparations. Within these sections you will find much first hand information written in a very straightforward manner, and at a very practical level, on how specific perfumed oils ottos and toiletries etc. are prepared in India. Much also is told of the ways in which Indian raw materials are refined and manipulated to best effect, given the equipment to hand.

Particularly interesting are the sections on Essential extracts (by which is meant the fragrancing of refined fixed oils, such as sesamum oil or olive oil, by maceration etc.) and Essential oils. Details of a number of essential oils such as Ginger grass and Linaloe are mentioned, and any small errors of fact in the text can be overlooked, when considering the charm and simplicity of the descriptions of traditional manufacture.

Pages 71-88 are concerned with simple perfumery formula of around 10 or 12 ingredients, which are mainly based on Indian natural raw materials. This is an interesting section from which ideas can be gleaned and formulae followed or adapted by the would-be natural perfumery student, I’m sure. Chapters on Aromatic waters and Toilet Waters follow, again usefully and liberally sprinkled with simple formulae.

Final chapters on Hair oil and Toilet preparations potentially give a number of basic and useful formulae – however this section I am a little more concerned about from a safety angle. Some formulae feature such worrying items as pilocarpine hydrochloride, tincture of cantharidin, oakmoss resin, carbitol, oil of verbena etc. – and these materials have toxicological consequences if mishandled (or maybe if used in the manner suggested. So these chapters may contain directions which are a question of "don’t try this at home folks". Aside from this, this relatively cheap little booklet (£6) would seem interesting enough, in parts, for me to offer it as a little addendum to the Natural Perfumery courses (see elsewhere on this site) via mail order (Click Here For Details).

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