Mandy Aftel was born in Detroit and attended the University of Michigan, where she studied English and psychology in college,[1] then earned a master's degree in counseling.
[1] Publishers Weekly called the book a "most extraordinary treatise on the history and making of perfume" and praised Aftel's "sheer delight" in the material and her "irreverent sensibility.
"[5] Essence and Alchemy: A Book of Perfume has been translated into seven languages, won the 2001 Sense of Smell Institute's Richard B. Solomon Award, and has helped pioneer the trend toward using natural ingredients.
[14] The line has attracted a high-profile following, including Kate Hudson,[15] Madonna, Liv Tyler,[1] Alice Waters, Lucinda Williams, and Leonard Cohen.
The New York Times reviewed the cookbook—perhaps "the only current American cookbook featuring recipes for both meals and baths"—saying despite their disparate backgrounds, the two authors "connect in their longing to marry scent and taste.