In Search of the Perfect Scent with Sarah Horowitz-Thran + Perfect Mom Perfume Draw

Sarah Horowitz Lotus

Sara Horowtiz Thran of Sarah Horowitz Parfums at her custom blend bar

I recently had the honor of sitting down with Sarah Horowitz Thran for a Blending Bar service at her studio nestled beside a pond in Westlake Village outside LA. My single goal: Mom in a bottle. Seeking out a signature perfume is an act of self expression; seeking one out for your persnickety mother is one of angst. Sarah Horowitz-Thran  has been making perfume of fleeting scent memories and associations for over 20 years (with joy and amusement at your inevitable frustration in describing how it should “smell like this, but not like that.”)

essential oils for blending

Essential Oils Photo: Daniel Krasofski

The immense Blending Bar greets you as you enter, an actual bar whose wares have been replaced by multicolored apothecary jars with metal placard labels, the punched metal boasting contents from Haitian Vanilla to leather accord- already a place of endless possibilities. Sarah is  'easy-peasy.' She's enthused, engaged and completely genuine in her desire to hit your olfactory mark. She speaks with the kind of offhand wisdom which only years of applying your craft can produce: you are lulled and elicited from; collecting memories which dictate the colored bottles of fragrance oil Sarah is starting to place on the counter.  “Custom work gives me the greatest pleasure, while everyone may nor be a perfumer, everyone wants to express a vision of themselves, be that for a brand or for one body.” Custom or branding perfuming seems to be an essential similar endeavor, although when working for someone else versus her own work, she observes, “…working for someone else, I know when the work is done.”

sarah horowitz thran  of sara horowitzperfume

Sarah Horowitz-Thran custom blending a signature perfume Photo: Daniel Krasofski

We discuss everything in my mom's scent lexicon (when I mention my perceived range of perfume she covets, from an iconic tuberose to a skin care line's uber-clean soap scent- Sarah is on board, inquisitive but never leading), her lifestyle (“Oh, you're mom's a CLEAN dirty girl.”), and seemingly random questions about water and her bathroom. They are anything but random questions.  While apprenticing at Mane, Sarah created an aromatic compound she now calls Pacific Musk- it is added to the bottles on the counter, and I sit back to watch Sarah's ubiquitous smile deepen into a kind of bliss I recognize as the joy of creation. She is shaking a bottle as all mothers prepare a feast for someone who is hungry, a mouilette is passed…

sarah horowitz thran night blooming jasmine pacific musk

Pacific Musk and  Night Blooming Jasmine Photo: Daniel Krasofski

Suddenly, I am in my mother's bathroom- there is water running. I do not smell a replica of one of her perfumes; I am smelling the entirety of her toilette (clean cotton towels, cosmetics, her penchant for jasmine and tuberose- everything clean and in its place. (Later in the dry down, I have returned to mom's bathroom- empty at the end of the day, waiting for her return; an olfactory feat I still cannot fathom.) There are, briefly, no words. When I manage to point out the scent of running water, Sarah explains, “Pacific Musk.”

Sarah is a multitasker, retaining important details of your signposts and minutia- as she is relating to me the creation of her aroma compound; she has bought out a familiar bottle of jasmine absolute- the botanical.  “Naturals, to me, are the jewel in the setting of fragrance oils,” she smiles and we watch a pipette drop a small stream of pure jasmine into the bottled world of my mother. Here Sarah and I have become somehow symbiotic in our quest to immortalize mom in her files for future products, revisions (one needed) or reference. The jasmine brings vibrancy, a quintessential presence which is my mother. Our holy grail is found and filled.  Perfect Mom.

Notes: Jasmine Grandiflorum (India), Night Blooming Jasmine,  White Gardenia, Tuberose, Pacific Musk, Egyptian Musk, China Musk

Einsof, West Coast Contributor

Editor's Note: Happy 20th Birthdayto Sara Horowitz Parfums. I was the first journalist to interview Sarah in 2007!!! If you missed CaFleureBon's Profile in Perfumery about Sarah Horowitz Thran I believe you will enjoy reading it here. Einsof's Mom wore Vinatge Chantilly Perfume.

Horowitz.PerfectMom

Thanks to Sarah Horowitz Thran we have 1 ounce of Perfect Mom or the $99 online Fragrance Journey where you can create your own perfect scent (1/2 oz epd or mini oil) for draw for a US Reader. To be eligible please leave a comment with what scents, botanicals or perfumes you associate with your own mother and if you would like to win Perfect Mom or embark on your own scent journey. . Draw ends November 9, 2014

We announce the winners only on site and on our Facebook page, so Like Cafleurebon and use our RSS option…or your dream prize will be just spilled perfume.

 

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22 comments

  • What a fun giveaway! My mom didn’t wear a lot of perfume, but she did like Jovan Musk, so that one has a soft spot in my heart. I would love to win the $99 online fragrance journey. How wonderful it would be to create my own signature scent! 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway. I’m in the US.

  • julesinrose says:

    What a wonderful giveaway! Very exciting for the winner. I would love to win the fragrance journey!

    My mother passed away and scent is one way I remember her. She wasn’t a big perfume wearer; she liked the bottles more than the scents. I saved my allowance to buy her Muguet de Bois and the ubiquitous Evening in Paris that you could get at the old Woolworth’s. I still associate lily of the valley with my mom. Ah, memories. . . .

  • My Mom, who passed away several years ago, was a very frugal woman and the only perfumes she had were those that had been gifted to her. But my daughter, who was very close to her Grandmother had an interesting comment just the week. She loves vintage clothing and had bought an old dress that reminded me of something Marlo Thomas would have worn on That Girl. She put the dress to her face and said, ‘This smells like the 60’s”. Then she clarified, “This smells like Grandma’s house, ” (which was spotlessly clean but frozen in time! If I won I think the scent journey would be fun.

  • I’m in the US and would like to win Perfume Journey. My Mom is a big part of my perfume obsession-she shares it with me. Her favorite scents are Rose Ikebana, Copper Skies, the old Eau de Givenchy and Eau Sauvage… I remember smelling her or her side of the bed when I was young and telling her that it smelled like Mom.

  • Thank you for the giveaway!
    My mom is a fan of Chanel and she always smells divine. No 5 is her favorite. I would love to win the fragrance journey.
    US

  • Donna Spiegel says:

    I always associate Lanvin Arpege with my mother. It was her favorite. I can remember the powder most, as it was on her dresser and I used to puff that lovely scented powder on me when I was a very little girl – (also play with her red lipstick)….. My dad would get her new Arpege for Christmas. So that seemed to be her go to. She didn’t really wear any perfumes…. Funny how I ended up being such a fragrance junkie. I would love to try to create my own signature scent. I often have dabbled in what it takes to, but it seems hard. It would be very interesting to me, to see what it would smell like. I would welcome that opportunity! thank you.

  • My mom loves quite heavy scents like Poeme and Opium. I can remember as a child smelling these mysterious scents on her and seeing these mysterious bottle on her dresser and knowing I must not touch them. How did I know? I just did! I would love to win the Perfect Mom. Thank you for a very generous draw. I am in the US

  • Jennifer Witt says:

    My mom was White Shoulders all the way – so much so that when she died and our family went to its first counseling session to deal with her passing, and we were each supposed to bring an item that reminded us of her, my dad brought a bottle of this perfume. It makes me tear up just thinking of it. I have a bottle which I don’t use, I just smell from time to time to remind me of her. I would love to do my own fragrance journey – that would be AMAZING. Thanks for the fun draw, I live in the US.

  • My mom was very picky about her perfume and appearance. White gloves, red lipstick, Guerlain mitsouko
    She has passed on so I would love to win this
    Very well done Einsof. I love the name 😉 And I love perfect coconut ms Horowitz
    USA

  • I associate jasmine with my mother.
    Whenever her and my father were heading out to an event, an elegant jasmine scent would fill the halls of our house.
    I’m not sure what she wore, but Night Scented Jasmine by Floris is the closest I’ve smelled.

    I’d definitely like to win the custom perfume process – my bottle of Roots shows that Sarah is quite the talent.

  • Fazal Cheema says:

    When I think about my late mother, the first thing I realize is that she was gender neutral when it came to perfumes. She had used perfumes from both genders over the decades including Givenchy L’Interdit, Dior Poison, Dior Eau Sauvage Extreme, Acqua di Gio (both men and women versions), and Valentino Vendetta homme..for her the only criteria was that it moves her and the last thing she would look for is the gender assigned to the perfume. I would def. go for Perfect Mom for this draw.

    I am in the US

  • My mom used to give my dad the names of perfumes she admired, and he would save these slips of paper and then give them to her as Christmas presents. I don’t associate her with a single scent… although she has always had a rose-and-talcum powder scent about her that continues even today. What a beautiful tribute — to have a scent made that reminds one of their mother!

  • This journey is fun to read about and I would like to win my own journey. I just had to put my mom into full time nursing care today and I took her bottle of Nina Ricci L’air du Temps so her room would smell familiar; it was her signature scent for many years. At 87, she loves perfume and has enjoyed sharing my perfume, um, hobby (that sounds better than obsession). Thanks for the lovely story and generous offer,I’m in the US.

  • Valentine girl says:

    I would love to win the Fragrance journey and create something in honor of my mother. For some reason, my mother adored masculine colognes (!) and the two she wore the most were Polo by Ralph Lauren & Woods by Abercrombie & Fitch (she was so happy when they started making it again). The scent I envision for my Mom is maybe a green chypre, or perhaps a fougère, but definitely something mossy, woody, earthy, spicy and must contain lavender notes! My mom was also prone to tucking lavender sachets in her clothes drawers! Thanks for the chance to win an incredible fragrance experience. USA resident.

  • Such an honor to read so many Mother stories! Thank you for reading- the journey was one of love, made even more loving by Sarah’s delightful personality and depth of knowledge.

    much light!

  • My mom never wore perfume, but she does wear this nighttime moisturizer that smells like apricot seeds, dirt, earth and curry. I don’t actually think it smells good at all, but once my MIL gave my mom a hug and commented how good she smelled, haha. I’d love to embark on my own scent journey! I can’t even imagine where that would lead but it would be fantastic. Thanks for this amazing draw opportunity, I’m fortunately a US reader!

  • rivercitylizzy says:

    My mom moved through the rooms of my childhood memories in a cloud of rosebushes (from her garden), dusty leather & torn grass (from her baseball cleats and mitt), worn rubber (racquetball), and Halston for Women. She was always a “work hard, play hard” kind of person and her scent carried that air of ferocity.

    What an incredible draw! I am in the US and would choose to go on my own Fragrance Journey, it sounds so exciting!

  • The scents of lipstick, hairspray, and an occasional waft of perfume are the scents I associate with my mother. She didn’t always wear fragrance. A tall bottle of Chanel No. 5 Eau de Cologne sat on her vanity. It was a surprising smell for my young nose.

    I also think of my mom when I work in a garden. I live in the southwest US, as does my mom. She is an everyday gardener, so she often smells like the rosemary, lavender, and geranium that grow in her garden.

    I loved hearing the story of Perfect Mom. It would be wonderful to take a scented journey with Sarah.

  • Cynthia Richardson says:

    My mom wore Avon Hawaiian White Ginger,when I was young, but I’d love to explore a scent journey to remember all the other fragrances I associate with her. She’d probably like to tag along.

  • My mother is quite sensitive to chemicals, so I associate her with olive oil, mint in lip balm and fresh leaves, berries, tomatoes, apples, dirt, lemon verbena, and other garden smells. And cat fur and peach cobbler too.

    USA I would love the online fragrance journey
    thank you for the draw!

  • My mom wore L’Air du Temps many years ago, so I associate that with her from the past, and her current scent is basically that of the sunscreen she wears. I’d love my own personal scent journey! I’m in the U.S.