FRAGRANCE and APHRODISIACS

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Since launching in 2024, the Fragrance Alliance Network, founded by perfumer Gus Romero, has established itself as New York City’s premier destination for comprehensive, accessible perfume education that bridges artistry and science. The range of the extensive classes covers scent creation, chemistry, history, regulatory compliance, and branding. Through the mentorship program, the alliance helps individuals learn, create, and build their brands, serving as a hub for creative and technical development in fragrance. There’s something for the scent novice right up to the maven.

Cultural Studies: Fragrance & Aphrodisiacs

I’ve attended and written up a couple of the Special Events, and I was looking forward to a chance to sit in on a class. When Daisy Bow, PhD, proposed I attend the CULTURAL STUDIES: FRAGRANCE and APHRODISIACS class she was teaching on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, I took her up on the offer, the subject being my cup of tea (mind out of the gutters, please!)!

Daisy Bow, PhD, teaching the CULTURAL STUDIES: FRAGRANCE and APHRODISIACS, and attendees

Any proper gathering to discuss aphrodisiacs should include alcohol, and Daisy did not disappoint by providing attendees with a bottle of Castello Poggio, a light, refreshing white wine, to stimulate our palates in preparation for her comprehensive presentation. Nothing like a little libation at 10:30 am to loosen our inhibitions. Over the course of the one-and-a-half-hour class, she examined how fragrant materials first acquired their erotic associations, referencing substances ranging from scents and food to drugs and religious practices.

Aphrodite slide

Daisy chose a pertinent starting point for the class, examining the word’s origin, which was effective as an aphrodisiac. Being derived from the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite, the word stems from the Greek ἀφροδισιακόν, aphrodisiakon ‘sexual, aphrodisiac’, from aphrodisios ‘about Aphrodite’.

foods considered aphrodisiacs

Daisy structured the class as a show-and-tell. She showed slides to establish a criterion, told through her expert commentary, which provided context. Sharing her bio and slides, Daisy explored the origins of popular foods, scents, and sensations touted to boost libido and sexual performance and how they came to be. We had materials like cacao, cinnamon, jasmine, black pepper, honey, and musk passed around, all of which have reputations for turning people on, but aphrodisiacs aren’t just substances; they are stories. To learn how sexy becomes its own category.

The Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs: Psychoactive Substances for Use in Sexual Practices slide

A good portion of Daisy’s research was sourced from the authoritative Encyclopedia of Aphrodisiacs by Rätsch and Müller-Ebeling, highlighting the long-standing human tradition of using foods, drinks, and behaviors to enhance intimacy. Daisy conferred how fragrant materials first got their erotic associations and assembled an aphrodisiac taste plate of some of the more obvious foods which are said to raise one’s libido: bananas, strawberries, figs, chocolates, dates, and banana bread, for our consumption. The visual presentation was one to behold.

courtesy of Etat Libre D’Orange( a ÇaFleureBon Modern Masterpiece)

Modern advertising heavily leverages sexual themes to drive product sales, constructing artificial narratives that commodify intimacy. This raises a crucial question: what authentic human experience is lost when desire is packaged, branded, and sold? That philosophical query hung in the air as we sniffed perfume strips, taking in notes that imparted some of these notes. Secretions Magnifiques Etat Libre d’Orange (Antoine Lie) was one that captures that animal magnetism. A polarizing perfume. Another fragrance house Daisy presented was the Demeter Fragrance Library, known for its simple, single-note fragrances. Jelly Doughnut and Baby Powder were two examples of scents designed to evoke specific sensations.

The class wrapped up with a vibrant discussion about what aphrodisiacs resonated and what didn’t. In my opinion, we all left feeling a little more excited than when we arrived. Let me say this: what happens in the Fragrance Alliance Network, stays in the Fragrance Alliance Network!

Daisy Bow is a Part-Time Assistant Professor of French at The New School and the Fashion Institute of Technology. She teaches French and World Literature at Marymount Manhattan College in New York City. She received her MA and PhD in French Language and Literature from New York University in 2012. Her research focuses on French food and identity, perfume, and online pedagogy for language instruction. In 2023, she joined the Fragrance Alliance Network, where she teaches courses on perfume history and material culture.

Hernando Courtright ~ Senior Events Contributor and Brand Ambassador

All Photos by Hernando of CaFleureBon unless otherwise stated: ©.

Please read more articles on the Fragrance Alliance Network by Hernando: Fragrance Alliance Network Creator Series: An Evening with Ugo Charron of MANE, and An Evening with Pierre Bénard Ségu: Exploring the Art and Science of Perfumery

Michelyn gave The Fragrance Alliance Network, “Best Concept” in her Best of Scent Awards 2024

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