Scent has played a big part in my life starting from when I first discovered aromatherapy as a teenager. I had occasional bouts of anxiety and came across lavender essential oil to help calm my nervous system. It was the first time I found a natural remedy that not only worked but was a delight to work with. My love for lavender later brought me to the South of France where I found myself amid sprawling lavender fields in Provence. There at the local markets, I fell in love with the scent of artisan soaps infused with French lavender. That trip may have planted a seed within me, one that has grown into having a store of my own filled with artisan soaps and lovely smelling products. I now get to breathe in a medley of scents all day long.
For years, I continued to be an avid user of essential oils, playing with blends and crafting homemade recipes for bath salts, lotions, and candles. I reached for essential oils for every type of ailment. From my headaches to my children’s upset stomachs and skin issues, there was nothing that the right blend of essential oil couldn’t soothe. Mostly, I was just captivated by the scents. Working with essential oils is always a pleasurable and somewhat transcendent experience for me. I find it quite astounding that a small bottle of oil can capture—in each tiny drop—the scent of a rose garden in the spring or a pine forest in the winter. Even more amazing to me is how the scents react with one another when blended, transforming into something entirely new. To me, scent-blending is nothing short of a magical process that blurs the line between science and art. It’s pure alchemy.
So, when the inspiration for a signature perfume bar came to me, it felt like the most natural thing to follow. The store’s scent has already taken center stage since day one, so it seemed fitting to lean into the world of scents even more. As soon as I said an internal yes to the vison, all the cards fell into place, and I soon found myself immersed in the biggest project since the opening of the store. I decided to call it The Scent Bar.
I fortunately connected with an artisan perfumer who began teaching me everything I needed to know about perfumery and scent-blending. We dove into selecting scents for the bar, carefully finding the notes that are lovely on their own and would also lend to the complexity and depth of the finished perfume. I made the decision to use only essential oils and clean fragrance notes along with body-loving diluents such as organic cane alcohol and fractionated coconut oil. This narrowed down the range of scents that were available and increased the cost of raw materials, but the decision was still a no-brainer. I wanted the bar to have the best ingredients that were free of toxins and harmful ingredients. I splurged on essential oils like Damask Rose from Bulgaria and Jasmine Grandiflorum from India—two of the finest ingredients in luxury perfumes. I’m very proud of our final collection of 47 essential oils and clean fragrance notes that will be offered at the bar.
We created a scent-blending process that is playful and creative, while staying true to the basic principles of perfume-making. This ensures that customers will walk away with a high-quality finished product that is not unlike a store-bought perfume. I envisioned customers coming to the bar and losing themselves in the world of perfume-making as they inhale, blend, and play with scents— a sensual experience that would take them out of their everyday life, even for a short while.
I also wanted The Scent Bar to provide a highly personal experience in which customers can learn about themselves as they explore different scents. For this, I created a Scent Personality Quiz that customers can take before exploring the fragrance notes. The quiz is a wonderful blend of psychology and perfumery, fun and insightful at the same time. Perfume is a highly personal and intimate product. To be able to create a signature perfume that suits your personality and style takes it to another level.
After months of diligent work, The Scent Bar at Florra is set for a soft launch on September 8th at our Self-Care Sunday event! This labor-of-love project is something I am incredibly excited to share with our community. I hope that our customers will find perfume-making as fun, creative, and transcendent as I do. Scent is a magical, ethereal thing that words often fail to describe. It needs to be experienced, and we hope to provide that experience to you. See you at the bar!
With love, Thuy
The Scent Bar at Florra
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