©Bill Oxford
“Before” we relied on perfume to enhance our lives. We are awed by its beauty. Fragrance lifts our spirits, wakes our memories, challenges our minds, and soothes our souls. Many European fragrance corporations responded quickly to the global situation we are in. Giants like Coty, EFF, Firmenich, Givaudan, LVMH brands, Puig, Symrise, and others shifted production at their large, sterile manufacturing facilities to start creating sanitizing products that can be distributed on a grand scale.
(clockwise from top left)European perfumers Nathalie Feisthauer, Symrise disinfectant, Liz Moores, the team from Givenchy Beauty, Coty disinfectant, Perfume.Sucks lab, Yann Vasnier’s InstagramQ&A with Doina Ciobanu. (center) LVHM disinfectant. All photos via Instagram
European independent perfumers and creation companies are finding their own ways to help through this difficult situation. After seeing the high price of sanitizer in a local shop, Liz Moores, owner-perfumer of Papillon, started making hand sanitizer and distributing it at no cost to elderly neighbors in surrounding small villages. Likewise, Johanna Venables and her NOTperfumes are creating sanitizers for at-high-risk individuals in Sweden. LAB Scents, the independent perfume creation company founded by European perfumer Nathalie Feisthauer, has made sanitizing gel to deliver to her local hospital in Paris. We also need to keep our minds nurtured during isolation. Yann Vasnier, a master perfumer at Givaudan, was on an entertaining and informative Instagram Live Q & A with Doina Ciobanu, the enviro-friendly fashion influencers series “At Home With”.
European Perfumer Laura Bosetti Tonatto and her hand sanitizer. Courtesy Essenzialmente Laura
All of our hearts are going out to Italy now and we want to do something for these Euorpean Independent Perfumers. Laura Bosetti Tonatto, owner-perfumer of the independent Italian brand Essenzialmente Laura told me, “If you really love Italy, you can help Italy. When the pandemic will be over, please buy Italian products and organize your holidays in the most beautiful country in the world.” Living in Rome, Laura knows the importance of hand sanitizers when soap and water aren’t available. To meet the need Laura created Igienizzante Mani, a spray hand sanitizer. Laura has formulated her product to meet WHO guidelines while including a small number of additional ingredients. The sanitizer is enriched with glycerin and erythritol, natural active ingredients that are moisturizing and humectant. Customers can choose between two of her fragrances, VI (bergamot and vetiver) and Regina di Taif (rose.) Essenzialmente Laura is donating sanitizer spray to Rome’s volunteer program which serving the elderly who cannot leave their homes. For online customers, shipping outside Italy is different for each county, but you can contact them to ask. PRICE: 50ml is € 7,00.
European perfumer Andreas Wilhelm and his Hand Desinfektion, courtesy Perfume.Sucks
Switzerland borders Lombardy, the region that is the epicenter of the virus in Italy. Zurich based Andreas Wilhelm, owner-perfumer of Perfume.Sucks was more prepared than most to create a hand sanitizer. Years before he made his new Hand Desinfektion, he created a signature scent for a cruise ship company that was fighting strains of the Norovirus. In this formula, he included essential oils that had been tested against different strains of Norovirus. Andreas told me about an additional benefit of his spay mist, “My sanitizer also is Aromatherapy. The essential oils help to free ourselves from too much fear which is not good for the immune system.” Perfume.Sucks hardly makes a profit from the hand sanitizer, but Andreas donates to local charities and the Institute of Art and Olfaction. There is shipping to Switzerland and surrounding countries but after April 10 it will be available in the Netherlands. PRICE: 52ml, 16 CHF.
European perfumer Kamila Aubre and her natural hand sanitizer, courtesy Ms. Aubre
Kamila Aubre, an independent owner perfumer of her own line, is based in Antwerp, Belgium. Her Natural Hand Sanitiser also includes moisturizing natural oils. Kamila bottled her sanitizer in long, narrow purse spray so that you can always have it with you. “It is important to take a more serious approach to hand hygiene and civic responsibility to protect the vulnerable people in your community.” Kamila has thought about the product design as well as the sanitizer. Her labels are water-resistant so that you can wipe them down ofter. In order to make the spray affordable for the most people possible, Kamila is pricing them at cost and including as a gift with larger orders. She is able to ship worldwide with shipping starting at € 5,00. PRICE: 8.5 ml is € 5,00.
European Eglija Vaitkevice and her hand sanitizer, courtesy Exaltatum
Also in London is Independent Eglija Vaitkevice’s Exaltatum. Eglija has formulated a sanitizer containing organic tea tree, lavender, and eucalyptus essential oils. Shipping is only available within the UK for £4.00, however customers in Germany and Italy will be gifted a bottle of sanitizer with their perfume orders. PRICE: 50ml, £8.50. While talking UK, some additional independent British perfumers are selling their own sanitizers, Angela Flanders and Sarah Ireland. Perfume ingredient source Pell Wall also is selling sanitizer with orders.
Sarah Baker with her family, Jazz Hands hand sanitizer
Across the channel in the UK, Sarah Baker is one of the independent perfumers making hand sanitizer available to her customers. Families have been at the front of her mind since she began producing her mist sanitizer, Jazz Hands. She gave the product a kid-friendly name in the hope they’d think it was fun to spray. The production has been a family affair. “My husband has been working around the clock with me. Our 5-year-old son got a crash course on prop styling product photos (BTW, his favorite Jazz Hands is Jungle Jezebel.)” Sarah is selling the sanitizer in sets of 4 50ml bottle so that family members all can have one to carry around. Each bottle in the set is scented with one of Sarah’s perfumes. “We believe that staying sensorially satisfied is important during these dark times, and the perfumes definitely add that extra luxe even at the minute dilution.” The four scents are Atlante (my personal favorite in the line), Charade, Greek Keys, and Jungle Jezebel. Sarah has been donating 10% of the sale price to Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) who are on the front lines of COVID-19 response. She is also making sanitizers for a local charity, Made in Hackney, that delivers meals to vulnerable members of her community.
Through her website, Sarah Baker only can ship Jazz Hands within the UK. SARAH’S PRICE: 4x 50 ml £40.00 For customers outside the UK, Lucky Scent has begun to stock the sanitizers and is selling the 50ml bottles separately with a choice of scent. 10% of the sales on Lucky Scent will also benefit MSF.
TO THANK CAFLEUREBON READERS, LUCKYSCENT.com IS OFFERING FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $30 IF YOU USE THE DISCOUNT CODE CFB.
There are many independent perfumers who are not in the US or Europe. If you want to share any with other Cafleurebon readers, please leave their name and location in the comments.
If you click on a product’s name you will be taken to its product page. Another way to help your favorite independent perfumers is to check their sight to purchase a gift card. Please consider giving back to these independent small businesses who have given us so much beauty.
In the article that we published last weekend, I told you about a few American independent perfumers who are creating sanitizers. Below is a list of additional US brands. Like last week’s brands, they are selling them at cost, offering as a gift with purchase, or donating a percentage of sales to charity. Click on the names below to go to the product pages. Show the indies your love.
–Marianne Butler, Senior Contributor
Laura Bosetti Tonatto, Andreas Wilhelm, Kamila Aubre, Sarah Baker, Eligija Vaitkevice
INTERVIEW DISCLAIMER: All the conversations I had with the perfumers were through email or IG messages. It is our new normal now.
COVID-19 DISCLAIMER: The hand sanitizers discussed in this article are not a substitute for properly washing hands with soap and water. The products have been formulated within the guidelines of the World Health Organization. However, they have not been tested in an independent lab and they are not known to be effective in killing coronavirus germs.
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