Honoring the Life of Andrea Butje
Honoring the Life of Andrea Butje
On August 2, 2025, our beloved friend, teacher, and mentor Andrea Butje passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by friends and family. She lived a long, vibrant, healthy life.
Andrea was a pioneering aromatherapist, a gifted educator, and a generous-hearted entrepreneur who inspired millions. Her presence touched people across continents, from small farms in Morocco and France, to distilleries in South Africa and Canada, and quiet moments in homes around the globe.
The foundation of Andrea’s legacy is how she made people feel. Andrea and her beloved partner, Cindy Black, established the Aromahead Institute.
She believed that with clear guidance, quality education, and a connection to the plants, anyone could learn to use essential oils safely, effectively, and with confidence. She showed us how to make blends that work, and explained how they heal us in mind, body, and spirit. She made essential oil chemistry easy to understand for everyone. She reminded us of our profound connection to nature, even if we live in concrete-bound cities. She encouraged budding entrepreneurs and championed their businesses. She demystified aromatherapy, blending science with soul.
She was a muse, teacher, cheerleader, and guide.
Andrea and Cindy began teaching aromatherapy in 1998, falling in love with the playful name “Aromahead Institute” because it made them smile. Years later, they brought Aromahead online, becoming one of the first in the field to create a comprehensive digital learning platform for aromatherapy. Being online allowed her to reach more students and grow a global community. Today, Aromahead serves learners in over 185 countries and continues to grow from the roots she planted.
In 2013, Andrea was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Alliance of International Aromatherapists—an acknowledgment of the extraordinary impact she had already made. But to Andrea (a humble, gentle soul), the real reward was always in the relationships: the friendships with colleagues, the connections with small-scale distillers and farmers, the spark she saw when a beloved student got it. Andrea loved hearing that a student had successfully used essential oils to care for a loved one. Knowing that she helped someone help others fulfilled her in a profound way.
Since its founding, Aromahead Institute has helped create tens of thousands of experts in essential oils, all over the world. Andrea understood that different students learn in different styles, and she communicated in ways that would speak to each and every one of us. She wrote blog posts and books (Essential Living and The Heart of Aromatherapy), she led interactive classes and workshops, she created engaging activities and exercises. If she lacked the skill to communicate in a way that was needed, she took the time to learn, such as when she launched Aromahead’s YouTube channel and began making videos.
Andrea reached out to us with everything she had to give.
She approached learning with the same core belief she offered every student: You can do this. With patience, clarity, and encouragement, Andrea made complex topics feel approachable. Every Aromahead graduate carries that message forward: confidence built not through perfection, but through support, guidance, and trust in the learning process.
The effects of her goodness and wisdom rippled out, resonating far beyond the community she spent her life building.
Whether she was writing, teaching, or simply listening, Andrea’s approach was always the same: generous, heart-centered, and infused with love for plants.
Andrea leaves behind a global legacy of learning and care, one that continues in every blend mixed with intention, every student who teaches what they’ve learned, and every moment we pause to appreciate the healing power of nature.
Her work lives on. Her voice echoes in our classrooms, our kitchens, and our hearts.
And for all of us who were lucky enough to learn from her, directly or indirectly, we carry forward her greatest lesson: You already have everything you need. You just need the tools, the trust, and the love to begin.
Thank you, Andrea. For everything.
