When we hear the word “fragrance” our thoughts instantly turn to the type that gets spritzed out of our favourite perfume bottle. We often forget about the millions of items that also have a scent within them. From fabric conditioner to dishwasher tablets, or shower gel to shampoo, functional products are often made more attractive because of their fragrance. The same goes for your suncream. Often seen as an annoying interruption to getting that all-over tan, it’s time to discover how this vital piece of sun protection can actually be used as your daily perfume, and also learn about Escentual’s #SunPoverty campaign.
One of the challenges that I always face when writing for this website is keeping a varied selection of products and fragrances. It would be very easy to just feature everything that drops through the letterbox, and there are many reviewers that do, but I will only ever recommend what I like. I’m never paid to promote anything and certainly never “encouraged” to post on social media. The reason that I’m saying this is because today’s review is for a brand that I’ve featured many times, and I don’t want that fact to detract from this outstanding creation. I’m talking about Kiss in Rio from Jonathan Ward Candles.
There are certain regions of the world that seem to feature heavily as the inspiration for fragrances, and it’s often a fine line between originality and riding on the coattails of someone else’s success. A perfume with a huge dose of citrus for example can regularly be found sporting a reference to the Amalfi Coast, but these hesperidic uplifts often fail to excite as the scent develops on the skin. However, Sarah Ireland has gone in a wonderfully diverting direction with her interpretation of the region, and Speranza Eau de Cologne succeeds wonderfully in transporting you to the historic hillsides around the Tyrrhenian Sea.
When we think of Grasse the first thoughts that come to our heads are of idyllic flower fields, women collecting blooms in their aprons, and the thrill of working in perfume’s spiritual home. We’ve had this story recounted so many times to us that it’s become the accepted narrative of the town, but it’s literally this “rose tinted glasses” view of the scented destination that often means we miss the challenges that they actually face. This was the reason that Parfums de Vie was founded and why, ten years later, the charity launched their wonderful duo of non-profit fragrances under the name of Villa des Parfums.
It’s very difficult to maintain a feeling of normality during challenging times, and this is especially apparent at the moment. Many of us thrive on our interaction with friends and relatives, but that’s had to be momentarily halted for obvious reasons. This sudden change of lifestyle, and the support that goes with it, can have dramatic effects on people’s mental health, especially when they’re working on the frontline. With an increased demand for their services, charities that offer a helping hand are under enormous strain. This is where Ruth Mastenbroek and her family are helping in the form of their Hope and Gratitude candles.
Christmas is the time for giving and receiving, but how about expanding that to “giving back”? The fragrance industry makes upwards of 20% of their annual income from the festive season, with some hitting 30%, and most Christmas trees this year will have a bottle of the latest Chanel, a Guerlain classic, a Jo Malone original or even something from one of the independent perfumeries nestled underneath it. Imagine the difference that we could make if for every bottle of perfume you purchase you also made a donation of just £1 to Shelter. How can we ensure that our fragranced frivolity truly makes a difference this year?
