This concept will impress every fragrance critic!

Greetings, Fragrant Friend 👋 

Did you know: 77 years ago in the second week of May, Christian Dior launched his iconic fragrance "Miss Dior" alongside his debut fashion show in Paris.

Enjoy your read, yours sincerely,

Sebastian

🗓️ Content of this Issue

1. Story - Interview with Content Creator ‘Perfumographer’ (Ineta)

2. Sustainability News: Three materials for a plastic free world 🎁 🚫 

3. Fragrance picks: Cypriol and Cashmeran

STORY

In January 2023 I had the pleasure of interviewing Ineta (IG: perfumographer) in the course of identifying innovation potential within the fragrance industry.

Hey Ineta! So, tell me, what do perfumes mean to you?

Oh, hi there! Perfumes, to me, are like little bottles of self-expression. They're not just about smelling good; they're about telling a story, evoking emotions, and reflecting your personality. It's like experiencing a piece of art in liquid form.

That's such a beautiful way to put it! Can you share what initially drew you into the world of perfumery?

Absolutely! So, I spent quite a few years living in Barcelona, and let me tell you, that city is a treasure trove of interesting studios, shops, and people who are all about perfumery. I was fascinated by the complexity of niche fragrances and how they weren't made for everyone, but rather for those who appreciate something truly unique.

It sounds like Barcelona was quite the inspiration! Now, when you're on the hunt for a new fragrance, what catches your attention the most?

For me, it's all about intuition and uniqueness. I look for notes and materials that speak to me on a personal level. It's not just about finding something new; it's about finding something that resonates with my mood and personality.

I like complexity in scents and with that I don’t mean the development on my skin but how the fragrance is composed and if it underscores my personality, it harmonizes with my emotional world and that pictures it paints in my mind. Fun fact: I even distinguish between “niche wearable,” and “niche art”.

Could you tell us a bit more about that, particularly your distinction between niche wearable and niche art?

Absolutely! Niche fragrances have a special place in my heart because they're not targeted at the masses. They're all about uniqueness and individuality, rather than being crowd-pleasers. Among the mass niche production, I keep searching for the unique gems, perhaps "black sheeps", that aren't hyped and often fall in the "unliked" category but are pieces of art. I even think that the scents should be used in galleries or expositions to enhance the emotion that visual creation has to transmit. For example, Akelarre from NBitor, which was inspired by the darkest work of Francisco de Goya, and it's so incredibly dark and almost frightening that the perfumer himself wasn't sure if anybody could wear it 😅. That’s what I call “niche art”, you simply admire the art of fragrance knowing you’d probably not have a single occasion in your life wearing it.

That's a fascinating perspective! And speaking of fragrances, what have been your recent acquisitions, and what led you to choose them?

Ah, let me think. Well, I recently picked up Bruno Acampora's "Keep On Dancing" because I was intrigued by the notes and the reputation of the perfumer, Miguel Matos. It was a bit of a blind purchase, but I love being surprised by new scents. And then there's Perris Montecarlo's "Vanille de Tahiti," which just sounded heavenly. Oh, and I couldn't resist getting my hands on a bottle of Russian Oud, a true artisanal gem that sold out in minutes!

Wow, those all sound like incredible finds! Thanks so much for sharing your passion for fragrances with us, Ineta. It's been a pleasure chatting with you!

Likewise! Anytime you want to talk perfume, you know where to find me!

Sustainability News 👆️ 

Major companies are stepping up efforts to make their operations greener, targeting areas like sourcing raw materials and manufacturing processes to reduce their environmental impact. Recently, there's been a growing focus on packaging sustainability. Among the stages in the production chain, ingredient sourcing and processing are major sources of CO2 emissions, closely followed by packaging production, which includes activities like glass manufacturing and packaging assembly.

A very innovative, aesthetically pleasing and haptically brilliant innovation that I only recently discovered are packaging solutions from grown.bio. Guess what? What you see are 🍄 🍄 🍄 

Utilizing mycelium (🍄) as packaging material presents a sustainable alternative to traditional options like Expanded Polystyrene (EPS), significantly reducing carbon emissions associated with packaging production. By using local agricultural waste, particularly Hemp, and optimizing manufacturing processes, mycelium composites offer an eco-friendly solution to minimize environmental impact.

Other notable packaging innovations are

• Cotton Packaging as seen at GraciousMinds

• Hemp Packaging as seen at Mineral Health

• Seaweed Packaging as seen at Notpla

Fragrance picks 🤌 

Ineta prizes Akelarre from NBitor as a 'niche art' scent, featuring Cypriol as a heart note. Her choice, 'Keep On Dancing' by Acampora, with Cashmeran in its base, is what she considers 'niche wearable'.