Berkeley, California

Aftel Archive of Curious Scents

Nose around a unique collection of more than 300 natural aromas used to craft perfume fragrances.

An assortment of aromatic artifacts fills a quaint backyard cottage in Berkeley, California. The Aftel Archive of Curious Scents, which opened in July of 2017, is the first museum in the United States dedicated solely to the experience of natural fragrances.

Walking through the museum, you can touch, see, and of course smell the raw materials used to craft perfume essences. The small museum is devoted entirely to natural aromatics and artifacts. You can sniff over 300 essences made from fruits, flowers, grasses, trees, and animal secretions.

The collection contains items like a taxidermy civet, a cat-like animal with a particularly pungent glandular section; perfume essences that are 100 years old; and a papier-mâché “vegan taxidermy” musk deer, an animal that was driven to near-extinction because of its highly coveted secretion.

Every item in the archive is authentic and original. After nosing around the collection, visitors get to snag three scented samples to take home.

Know Before You Go

Open every Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tickets are available on the website. Walk-ins also welcome, pay at the door. Contract info@aftelarchive.com or 510-841-2111 for more info.

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