Sydney Buffman

NAME: Sydney Buffman
KNOWN ALIASES: Syd
STATUS: Art Director & Guest Editor
OCCUPATION: Perfumer, Clinical Herbalist, and Graphic Designer.
FAVORITE MATERIALS: Champaca Flowers, Hot Irons, Old Books, Beeswax, Gardenia, Galbanum, Incense, and Living Earth

IN HER OWN WORDS: I have an approach to creative work that includes deep connections and influences in psychology, science, and spirituality. I'm very interested in synesthesia and have developed a method to train my mind to make synesthetic connections that I would love to teach.

FAVORITE PERFUME EXPERIENCE: Sydney has worked on perfumery commissions for design institutions such as the Stanford d. School and CodaWorx. She loves problem solving and working with clients to craft custom scents.

NOTES: Sydney started SYD Botanica in 2015, making handmade incense. Incense making was her gateway into working with scent creatively. Sydney is also a Co-Founder of the Coalition of Sustainable Perfumery.

Sydney graduated from the California College of the Arts with a degree in graphic design. She began her career specializing in brand development, retail and packaging.

Research into the botanicals used in perfumes led to an interest in plants, and their effects on the body. She began her studies in clinical herbalism in 2008. She also studied alchemy with a few modern day practitioners during this time. In 2018, she met her mentor Dawn Spencer Hurwitz, one of the American pioneers of indie niche perfumery.

Sydney grew up in Pennsylvania. She spent many years in the Bay Area and has also lived in Honolulu, Hawaii and Warsaw, Poland. During her time in Europe, she traveled extensively. Her travels serve as a source of inspiration for her art.