Adventures in Scent
Some people love shoes, books, bags or perhaps going to the gym, I love fragrance and exquisite skin care products. And since you are reading this, I am guessing you do too. My personal journey started years ago from the fragrant herbs and spices, wild grasses and flowers in the gardens of my childhood. Then along came the heady spiritual adventurous years of youth where I would travel around the world finding new scents and incense for myself, while bringing home to my mother her favourite Chanel No 5 bottle of perfume. Then I matured a little – but still managed to combine my career with regular travel to exotic destinations. Now that I have slowed down a little – my scent adventures have taken a more creative turn.
I discovered a wonderful book written by Mandy Aftel called “Essence & Alchemy: A Natural History of Perfume”. This book inspired me to source all the raw materials and to learn how to create a fragrance from scratch. More importantly, it took me back into a more inspired time when perfume was not just a product but “a way of being in the world that for centuries retained an order of magic and mystery” (p 4). Best of all, I was able to recreate and uncover some lost scents and, for this reason, I have managed to create a wonderful niche for myself in the market place of aromatic attars and oils. Just like the perfumers of old – once I blended and tweaked the formulas – I could not resist the urge to continue in the footsteps of the alchemists – and started to draw my attention to making scented face and body creams.
However, rather than depending on the elusive formulas of old alchemists – I found more modern versions available in the field of organic chemistry. You cannot imagine how exciting this has been. It meant that I could combine wonderful ingredients, such as Argan Oil from Morocco and Shea Butter from Africa with all of the other cosmetic grade botanicals and skin actives available today to create my very own versions of skin care with the added bonus of including my own scents and essences. Fragrance is a powerful thing. Why do people love fragrances so much?
The sense of smell is one of our most powerful senses. Other than the obvious reason that people simply enjoy certain scents, many people also associate certain fragrances with memories of favourite things, people, places, or events in their lives. For example, I sampled a hand cream from a company that’s been around for years. As soon as I put it on, the scent brought me right back to my grandmother’s house when I was a kid. She used to use products from that brand, which clearly still use the same fragrance. It was such a strong reaction for me…I was quite taken aback by it. When I mentioned this story to my husband, he told me about a traditional male scent from the barbershops of his youth called Bay Rum. Since he has sensitive skin, it was important to develop a formula that skipped the “rum” and concentrated on the bay spice blend. What a fabulous project! What started as a team effort down memory lane – developed into a modern men’s range that has been hugely successful.
My mother has been the primary mover in my love for scents and fragrant lotions and cream. Today, she is my harshest critic and my best advisor – so much so – that I am confident you will be happy with anything that you purchase from me. If not, I offer you a 100% no questions asked money back guarantee. All you have to do is return the product to me – and I will issue the refund.
All the ingredients used in my creations are of premium quality and sourced from the best places around the globe and are only purchased from ethical suppliers. I love research and am also an amazing source of information – please feel free to contact me anytime with any questions you would like answered
Email: aromaticattars@gmail.com
