Dear all,

As the year draws to a close, I wanted to share a final update from inside the Natural Perfume Academy, a snapshot of what’s been unfolding since November, what’s now available to you, and a few practical notes as we move into the new year.

This will be our last site-wide newsletter until January.

New Writing & Research on Substack

Over the past few weeks, we’ve published several long-form pieces on Substack that reflect the Academy’s research-led, culturally grounded approach to natural perfumery.

Recent posts include:

• Fragrance in Mexican History and Culture
  From Aztec incense and floral cosmology to modern Mexican niche perfumery, including PARFO LAB and contemporary houses carrying these traditions forward.

• Moonlight and Myrrh: Zoe’s Winter Solstice Reverie
  A seasonal essay inspired by Zoe Stranzali’s work, mythic listening, and intuitive perfumery practice, published as part of Nymphaea Notes.

• You Can’t Properly Scent Handmade Soap (If You Do It This Way)
  A practical and historical look at soap as a perfume carrier, and why cold perfuming — not scenting at trace — preserves real fragrance structure.
  This piece links to a free, documented method now published on the NPA site.

If you haven’t visited the Substack recently, it’s becoming a home for deeper research, reflection, and method — beyond short-form social content.

Fragrance Pyramid Now Available

One unexpected highlight this month was the response to the Fragrance Pyramid, which resonated widely and brought a significant wave of new people into the Academy’s orbit.

As a result:

• The Fragrance Pyramid has now been prepared as a high-quality printable resource

• The NPA Fragrance Wheel remains available

• Both can be accessed via the Natural Botanical Perfumery Club, which is free to join, if you receiving this are already a member of Natural Perfume Academy you can login here and go to your dashboard to access the club. 

The Club is increasingly becoming the central place for shared tools, downloads, and conversation.

Open Studio Mondays — Now Running

Following the November pilot, Open Studio Mondays are now live in their simplified format:

• One shared monthly session

• Open to Diploma, Masterclass, Kyphi students, and anyone seeking guidance

• Hosted via the Natural Botanical Perfumers Club

• Sessions are not recorded, by design

This structure will continue into the new year, please note we will be skipping the last Monday of December as it falls during the holidays and start a new on the last Monday of January (26th)

Looking Ahead — A Few Structural Notes

• Moodle 5.0 is on the horizon.
  This upgrade will bring a noticeably lighter, faster, and more responsive platform, especially for navigation, file handling, and mobile use.

• We’re delighted to share that the Academy has taken on its first ISIPCA intern, starting February 2026, an exciting and meaningful step for the school.

• Work is underway on a new course being developed with our new NPA teacher and course creator: Juliana Oliveira da Cruz which we’ll share more about in the new year.

• The Scent Panel podcast is in preparation. There is no release date yet, and we’ll announce it properly when it’s ready.

Courses & Enrolment Options

For those considering joining or continuing their studies:

• CPD Certified Natural Perfumery Diploma
  €1,100 or €140/month × 9 months

• Diploma + Advanced Masterclasses Bundle (Save 25%)
  €1,627.50 or €135/month × 12 months
  (Available via Stripe links only)

All courses remain start-anytime and self-paced, with guidance available.

Scholarships

Scholarship applications are now closed for this cycle.

We will open the next round at the Spring Equinox, 20 March 2026.

A Small but Important Admin Note

If you’ve created an account on the Academy at any point, you can manage your email preferences very easily from your dashboard.

Please note:

• Reporting site-wide newsletters as spam is genuinely damaging to us

• We intentionally keep newsletters to one per month, alongside course-specific emails

• You can switch to a digest or turn notifications off entirely with just a few clicks

If you’re unsure how to do this, we’re happy to help, just ask.

Seasonal Wishes

Wishing a happy Christmas to all who celebrate,
a peaceful Solstice to those marking the turning of the year,
and a gentle New Year to everyone in our global community.

With warm wishes from Galway, Ireland,
on behalf of all the team at the Natural Perfume Academy,

Ruth Ruane
Founder, The Natural Perfume Academy