The combination of history and legend shows up time and again when we talk about the Celts - whether that’s Wales, Scotland, Ireland or Cornwall. The passionate storytelling that passes through generations creates timelines which, even if exaggerated, form the basis of cultural identity and fierce patriotism. Cornwall has its fair share of myths and legends, from King Arthur through to the Mermaid of Zennor, but the addition of its famous tin industry has provided the perfect scented pairing for the new release from Ataratma. So, by taking a pinch of saffron and combining it with a lost land, it’s time to discover the legendary Shakti Saffron.
The United Kingdom and Ireland has, between them, the most standing stones and stone circles in the world. However, with Scotland and Cornwall featuring high in the listings, there’s clearly a Celtic thread. The meaning of them has become lost over the centuries, with popular theories being markers or ceremonial spaces, but one thing is clear about them all - they all have an energy and a connection with the past that is palpable. The vibrations that many pick up on are said to be the energies of past gatherings and occurrences, whether that be peaceful or otherwise, and this is perfectly realised in the new perfume Spirit from Vallense.
The world is a very noisy place, especially at the moment, and so it’s no surprise that people are desperately hunting for ways to switch off and unwind. The aromatherapy route is an eternally popular one, which is why the idea of scented wellbeing has been so enthusiastically embraced by numerous perfume brands - even if some of the claims really do stretch scented promises to the limits of possibility! However, there is a much more traditional way to unplug from the realities of everyday life, and its popularity is on the up. I’m talking about the humble bathtub, and the wonderfully simple bath salts.
Disappearing into a book is something that was instilled into me from childhood, and it’s still a wonderful alternative to costly airfares and long journeys. Jane Johnson is a Cornish author who splits her time between Mousehole and Morocco, and is lucky enough to work from home as a Fiction Publishing Director for HarperCollins. Her latest book, The Black Crescent, uses scented descriptions to help conjure emotions and locations, and so it’s the perfect time to discover her own fragrance memories in “Stephan’s Six”.
Independent businesses in seaside towns have a habit of vanishing after a single season, but there’s one in Cornwall that's just celebrated its third birthday. The St. Ives Co. was founded by three sisters, Tegen, Ainslie and Safi, with the aim of championing the Cornish way of life through home, body and lifestyle products. While their iconic Grapefruit, Lime & Bergamot Body Cleanser was chosen for the G7 Summit, I wondered what other scented secrets The St. Ives Co. had? I settled down with Ainslie Fowler to discover more during her “Stephan’s Six”.
The news that your favourite shop is closing, a personal fragrance is being discontinued, or even just the realisation that change is inevitable is something that we all have to deal with on a pretty regular basis at the moment. We like familiarity, and it throws us off kilter when we don’t have it. So, when I saw that a Cornish staple had closed its doors after nineteen years my heart sank. However, they were quickly lifted when I read that there was a new company in town that was paying homage to the original but had a definite eye on the future. It’s time to discover Kitty’s Herbery, and their beautiful Bergamot fragrance.
The idea that our sense of taste is closely linked to our sense of smell is something that is often talked about these days, but it’s still generally confined to food. However, recent years saw the dramatic boom in the fashion for flavoured gins, and these definitely took the limelight away from other equally exciting spirits. One that has been unfairly ignored often evokes stormy nights and is forever associated with Cornwall. I’m talking about rum. One of the newest producers in the UK at the moment is Rosemullion Distillery and so, as a rum lover, I didn’t need to think twice when I was asked to discover their exceptional trio.
The road that many people take to starting their own perfume company can be a complicated series of forks and detours but, with perseverance and determination, it can also result in the most wonderful rewards. Perfumers come from many backgrounds and the days of it being simply for the elite of society has long gone. Talent is talent, regardless of where you were brought up, and it’s often this closer connection to “real life” that results in the most incredible fragrances. The latest entrant into the hall of fame is Aaron Terence Hughes and he’s called on divine intervention with his two new fragrances, Athena and Narcissus.
Rachel Corney lives in Cornwall and graduated from Falmouth University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Illustration. Her wonderfully playful style was spotted by Sarah McCartney of 4160 Tuesdays and she was commissioned to produce a series of paintings to represent their fragrances. With a love of perfume, and a knack for translating perfume into pictures, I wondered what scented secrets she would reveal during “Stephan’s Six”.
