Laurie Stern is the artisanal perfumer behind Velvet & Sweet Pea’s Purrfumery. Laurie meticulously crafts scented treasures from natural, organic and botanical essences without synthetics, and sources exquisite materials found around the globe and her own Perfumer’s Garden in the hills of El Cerrito, CA. Today, her perfume organ features more than 1,000 bottles of natural essences and oils, some dating back to the 1890s. Laurie draws out each plant’s natural signature and adds luxurious layers to her alchemical mixtures to create wondrous liquid and crème perfumes, colognes, body oils, bath salts and body frostings. All the while, bees buzz outside her Purrfumery window, working in their hive and making the beeswax she blends into her crème perfumes. Laurie has always worked to protect animals – her business is certified by Leaping Bunny, a coalition of animal protection groups that ensures none of her ingredients or her supplier’s ingredients are tested on animals. In 2020, Laurie hand-blended her perfume Luminous Lemus after a friend traveled to Madagascar and brought her ylang ylang essential oil as a gift. She donates a portion of the proceeds from Luminous Lemurs to Centre ValBio, an organization that is working to save Madagascar lemurs and help indigenous people through research and education. 2020 ended with incredible news: Luminous Lemurs was awarded Best Perfume by Fragrantica and Top 10 by CaFleureBon, two popular international perfume blogs. CaFleureBon also awarded Laurie and the Purrfumery prizes for Best Natural Perfumer and Best Perfume House. To learn more about Laurie’s work in the Purrfumery and her dedication to conservation and animals, visit www.purrfumery.com. Visit the Purrfumery on Instagram @velvetandsweetpeaspurrfumery.