Many fragrances take their names from singular ingredients or, as became the fashion when Jo Malone London started the trend, a combination of defined notes. Who can ever forget Lime Basil & Mandarin? This is a great way to focus the customer on the style of fragrance that they are going to smell and, in the case of singular names, the star ingredient. However, there is always the risk of preconceived ideas based on previous smelling experience. So, when 1000 Flowers launched Orange Blossom Petal, they cleverly implied a delicacy to the usual robust orange blossom, and the result was a delightful semi-floral experience.
When a new niche perfume company launches it’s often off the back of a single successful fragrance that has grabbed the public’s attention. While his can guarantee an initial flurry of orders and reviews, the inevitable follow up fragrance is often the make or break for the brand. Will it stand up to the promise shown by the first release? Launching instead with a small curated collection can minimise some of these fears, and allow customers to find their own favourite, and that is exactly what Mladen Dragic did with Momento Perfumery. So, with five fragrances in the range, why was I drawn to the delicious Tea Road?
The world of natural fragrances is one that increases every year as more companies try to carve out a little piece of the market. With quantity comes choice, but it doesn’t always equate to quality. Natural fragrances can easily veer into heavy and overbearing territory due to the complexity and richness of the ingredients, with the result being a dense fragrance that lacks a feeling of space. However, there are perfumers that have managed to combine both the natural and expansive aspects. One such perfumer is Laurie Arbuthnot of Wild Coast Perfumery, and her tuberose-focused Whistler is a springtime delight.
When we think about the process of creating a perfume it often ends up becoming a romanticised image of a pair of hands holding a mound of jasmine petals, or a perfumer surrounded by a bank of meticulously laid out essential oils. What we don’t usually consider is that the intimate process of creating a perfume can actually also be a means of dealing with personal trauma and managing mental health. One perfumer that has spoken openly about his past and present struggles, and how they feed into his creativity, is Matt Meleg - and this shines radiantly through in his exceptional Tobacco Frankincense & Cardamom fragrance.
The dream of launching your own perfume brand is one that many fragrance fans consider at some point, although few continue beyond that initial thought. The time that needs to be invested, not to mention the financial backing, can make it unattractive in the long term. However, if you do have the courage to take it further then you unlock a world of creativity. This is exactly what Laurie Arbuthnot did when she founded Wild Coast Perfumery in 2017. Located on Vancouver Island, her inspiration comes from the incredible surroundings, and it’s these that have resulted in the equally spectacular Genoa Bay Eau de Cologne.
The past twelve months have seen a real push to support independent businesses because, as I’ve said repeatedly, the large organisations can look after themselves. However, the smaller companies need to remain firmly in our sights. There are so many brands that you may have never heard of, in locations that you would not expect, which is why it’s important to hunt them out. One such company is Bōbé Beauty which is based in Saskatoon. Founded by Marlese Assman, this Canadian company’s trio of natural alcohol-free perfumes offers some much needed escape, along with a promise of “serenity and independence.”
When we think about niche fragrance companies, or artisan if you prefer, we often conjure up images of perfumers hunched over a cluttered wooden desk with a single incandescent bulb burning dimly in the corner. It’s the world that Patrick Süskind described in his book, and later the film, Perfume. Now, things have thankfully moved on a lot since then but the important point about artisan perfumers is that they can work anywhere in the world. It’s this opening up of the industry that has resulted in some terrific new companies emerging, and one such example is the Canadian based Ivy’s Poison.
When it comes to new perfume releases we often get bombarded with very serious stories about its inspiration, or details of a company’s “Corporate Social Responsibility,” before we’ve even smelled the fragrance. To the majority of people, wearing perfume is just a fun frivolity that makes them feel happy and confident. It’s this latter idea of playfulness mixed with individuality that Candice Rosa chose when she decided to launch Ma Blonde. Based in Canada, everything about this brand screams “fun” and, with a fragrance to back up the concept, it could well be my guilty pleasure for this summer.
