What Am I Working On…?

It’s a question I get asked all the time…”What are you working on at the moment?” What better way to let you in to the inner workings of One Seed than to answer this question every now and then….So step inside my studio with me now…

Disclaimer: this may not be me at my perfume organ

At any given time, I am usually working on two or three fragrances  - usually two that have been in the works for several months and need tweaking, and one or two that I have started but are still in the development stage. Plus several more that exist in the dark corners of my mind.

As you may recall, I have begun the creative process with a delightful sarsaparilla extract. But, being nearly at the start of an Australian summer, I have also been inspired to work on a staunchly summer fragrance, particularly focusing on citrus.

As most natural perfume lovers will know, there do not exist many citrus natural perfumes mainly due to the fleeting nature of the fragrances involved, and also the phototoxicity of many citrus oils. Here is where I intend to fill a gap. So watch this space for a (hopefully) release date of mid 2012.

There are several other projects in the pipeline also, but, alas, some things must remain a secret. I want us to stay newlyweds for a long, long time….

My Left-Brain, Right-Brain Crisis

You would assume a perfumer might be right brain dominant, yes? Well I have news for you…But first lets start at the beginning….

I have always wanted to learn to draw well. I’ve dabbled over the years in a bit of painting and drawing (recently its been more of the finger painting kind!), but I’ve never taken the time to learn. I guess I always assumed you’re either an artist or you’renot. I’m not. (Well not a visual artist, anyway). But with age I’ve embraced my lack of skills as an opportunity to develop, and so I have signed up for a drawing class.

Last week was my first lesson. I was looking forward to shocking everyone by myhidden-and-suddenly-released talents, but, alas, the only person surprised was me.

(Now, I need to clear something up here – I’m not at all vain or proud; just the person that always assumes I’m going to win the lottery (always shocked when I don’t), be the surprise fastest in the fun-run, be discovered by a talent agent, start modern dance classes at 40 years old, and be asked to go on an Australian tour; lets just say I have no shortage of aspirations, dream, goals, and I always suspect there’s more to me, and everyone, than we realise ourselves).

So back to art class…

I am sitting in front of an easel being taught how to draw a cube which is sitting on apedestal in front of the class. Too easy, I assumed, and didn’t pay super-close attention to the instructions, because, of course, I know how to draw a cube. So 30 minutes into a 2-hour class I sat back in my chair and thought, “I’m done. Now what?” And this was the result:

I thought it was fine until the instructor made her rounds, and pointed out all my mistakes. And suddenly I realised I had failed to engage in the creative process; rather, I had used the limited knowledge I already had and gone ahead without considering new information and details. Embarassing. But a great lesson. And so, another 45 minutes and several erased lines later (who knew it could take over an hour to draw a cube!), I ended up with:

Ok, it’s no Mona Lisa, but its a whole lot better than my first effort. And more importantly, it got me thinking in a whole different way.

We’ve all heard of left-brain vs right-brain theory, but I don’t know much about it really. So I did some research (left brain) which I really enjoyed (right brain). I enjoy many right-brain activities, not the least of which is perfumery, as well as creative writing, singing, cooking, shopping (*smiley face*) and others. I assumed I was more right-brained because I tend to prefer more creative pursuits. But then I took a left-brain vs right-brain test . Apparently I am 60% left-brained! Does that mean I’m less creative than I thought? Let’s be specific; this was my report card:

“In addition to being known as left-brained, you are also known as a critical thinker who uses logic and sense to collect . You are able to retain this information through the use of numbers, words, and symbols. You usually only see parts of the “whole” picture, but this is what guides you step-by-step in a logical manner to your conclusion. Concise words, numerical and written formulas and technological systems are often forms of expression for you. Some occupations usually held by a left-brained person include a lab scientist, banker, judge”

What! A judge or a banker! But I make fragrance for a living!

So here’s what I discovered about left-brain vs right brain: being creative or artistic doesn’t mean you know how to draw or play an instrument. Being creative is a way of thinking, a way of viewing the world. Conversely, just because you are left-brain dominant, doesn’t mean you aren’t creative. It’s just that you (and I) see the world in a more analytical, sequential, detailed way, rather than a feeling, intuitive way.

By the way, smell, for the most part, aggravates the limbic system and the right side of our brain,  which is associated with memory of events, times, places and emotions. It is subjective, and looks at the whole, not at parts of certain things. Which is why we also need our left brain to help us smell;  to recognise and rationalise things .We use it for meaning, analysing, understanding, knowledge and language. The left hemisphere helps us describe in words what we are smelling and connecting with in our right brain.

As perfume-lovers or creators our right hemisphere provides us with rough information such as  ”floral”, “earthy”, “fruity”. The left side of our brain will look break it down to specific parts, such as “jasmine” or “mint”.

So, good news – I am not yet a visual artist, nor will I be named The Honourable Judge Liz Cook any time soon. Or… maybe I could do both…?

A Sarsaparilla Dream

It was with great thrill that I recently discovered sarsaparilla CO2 extract on a suppliers list of goodies. Of course, I promptly ordered it, and spent the next two weeks (shipping was from USA) dreaming about what I might do with the delightful scent of sarsaparilla.

My only experience of this scent is as a child drinking sarsaparilla-flavoured soft drinks, so I was wary not to expect the same sweet-and-bubbly licorice-esque goodness from a little pot of extract. But to my utter delight, there it is in a tin! My childhood romance with sarsaparilla!

The fragrance of the natural extract is very similar to that of the flavoured drinks – tones of vanilla, earthiness, licorice, cinnamon, even butter. My perfumer’s brain is working overtime dreaming of the things I could create!

Initially, I thought I might work it into a gourmand creation (as is an obvious choice), but after an always enlightening jog last night, I have decided to work around a woody theme. I’m thinking a gorgeous creamy patchouli, sandalwood  and sarsaparilla note would be utterly delectable. Anyone else?

In my research of sarsaparilla, I have discovered there is not much information out there on the fragrance aspects of this extract, but much on the health benefits. Surprisingly, I only found one perfume house daring to work with the fragrance – a little “micro-perfumery” in Seattle, Sweet Anthem.

 

http://www.iloveindia.com/indian-herbs/sarsaparilla.html tells me:

Sarsaparilla is a woody wine that can grow up to a height of 50 m. It has small flowers and black, blue or red fruits, in berry-like form, which are eaten by the birds. It is a member of the lily family and is native to the tropical and temperate parts of the world, such as South America, Jamaica, the Caribbean, Mexico, Honduras, and the West Indies. Its long, tuberous rootstock produces a vine, which trails on the ground and climbs by means of tendrils growing in pairs from the petioles of the alternate, orbicular to ovate, evergreen leaves. The small, greenish flowers grow in auxiliary umbels.

The health benefits of sarsaparilla have been enjoyed for centuries, and include treatment of arthritis, intestinal problems, sexual dysfunction, headache, skin complaints and some viruses. European physicians still use sarsaparilla root as a tonic, blood purifier, diuretic, and sweat promoter. And it is often included in sports performance formulas and general health tonics.

In Ayurvedic medicine, Indian sarsaparilla is known as Sugandi, and one of its principal uses is to calm the mind and induce deep relaxation, mediation, and even to prepare one for dreaming. It is this aspect, from an aromatherapy point of view, that I will be focusing on in my perfume creation with sarsaparilla.

 

 

The State of the Organic Beauty Industry

I was very excited to receive my first order from Futurenatural today (a US online store that sells the most gorgeous selection of natural/organic cosmetics). As I ripped through the box with my car key (couldn’t even wait to get home from the post office!) and tore open the brown wrapping paper, I suddenly realised what I was witnessing –  the takeover of the organic beauty industry.

I started in this industry professionally in 2001, so it has been a decade for me of buying, watching and creating natural products. I have seen hundreds of brands, many of them came and went in a short time; some were great products in boring packaging, others were poor quality in pretty cute packaging. And then the evolution began.

I think it was around 2006. I started noticing that eco brands were starting to take themselves seriously. No longer satisfied to be the ‘alternative’ for hippy-types who weren’t concerned about the quality or beauty of a product (PS This is a massive stereotype – I apologise to any hippies I have offended. I love you all!), they suddenly began looking at themselves as serious contenders in the world of beauty.

At that time, there were only a handful of brands available in Australia that really cut the mustard in terms of quality, ingredients and aesthetics Living Nature (from New Zealand), John Masters Organics (USA), Aveda (although not strictly natural in the truest sense of the word) and perhaps one or two others. In the US and UK there were several more. But I think it was enough to make the others sit up and take notice. What these brands were doing a few years caught the eye of the entire beauty industry. It must have. Look at any commercial cosmetics brand now and you’ll see a slew of natural or organic claims, or marketing phrases that claim the use of natural ingredients. Clearly the industry recognised where it needed to go.

Fast forward to today and I sit in an office every day reading emails, seeing images and testing products from the hundreds of fantastic natural or organic brands now available. Very rarely do I try something that doesn’t tick all the boxes. Amazing hair products, stunning perfumes, beautiful makeup, skincare to die for! The quality is almost always superb, the packaging often stunning and the ingredients are still the focus for most of these companies (thankfully). Not only do we compete against the big guys, I get the feeling we’re actually winning this race.

Let me send a shout out to all the little companies who started in this industry with a vision for change, a passion for naturals and the guts to go forward and really shake the tree. You’ve done us all proud. What a privilege to be a part of such a dynamic industry. I can’t wait to see what the next decade will bring.

 

Got a favourite natural/organic brand? I’d love to hear about it! Post your comments…

My Mother’s Garden

My mother has a beautiful garden brimming with blooms of all kinds ; roses in several varieties (ever her favourite – she’s been scolded many times for sneaking into neighbour’s yards for a sniff or a sample!), last month purple wisteria and the most delightful jasmine; there were freesias when I was little (I still look for them every year), and there are always pansies and violas of some sort. She loves her garden. I, unfortunately, live vicariously through hers because I have no garden to speak of (yet – I have plans!!). Right now, it’s the nasturtiums that have captured me.

I’ve recently started to think about flowers in a whole new light – not just for their perfumery and beauty, but I’m also researching edible flowers. (Dear Mum, Just letting you know I took two dozen nasturtiums for my salad tonight). And there has been so much talk about tincturing in natural perfumery circles lately that I’ve decided it’s time for me to explore this brave new world too.

My first experiment will be with my mother’s nasturtiums. I’m excited to discover just what elements of their acidic/bitter/green/nectar fragrance will be released into a tincture.

And so, for all you tincturing newbies like me, my first steps go like this:

1. Collect flowers

2. Place into sterile jar and cover with perfumer’s alcohol (for me, natural grape ethanol)

3. Cap tightly and store in cool dark area. Shake daily, and strain and add  remove old and add new flower every few days.

4. Continue for 6 weeks or until desired strength is achieved.

 

I’ll let you know how it turns out.

(PS I’m also getting crazy ideas about tincturing seashells, burnt sugar, plum leaves and salt! Let me loose!)

 

 

 

 

Spare Shoes to save a Life

Got spare shoes lying around your closet? I don’t know many people who wouldn’t have at least a few pairs too small for their kids, at least. DONT THROW THEM AWAY.

Soles 4 Souls collect lightly worn shoes and send container loads to people in third world countries where shoes are a luxury, and people are dying from infected foot wounds and worms thriving inside open sores. It sounds disgusting, I know, but thank God you have two healthy feet and possibly a dozen pairs of shoes to cover them in.

Go and check your wardrobe right now, and then jump onto their website to find out how you can get involved. You might want to donate some shoes, or even host a shoe drive yourself.

In my hometown of Adelaide, South Australia, a young 29-year-old woman named Dalice Kennedy is aiming to collect 10,000 pairs of shoes by Christmas. I’m in. So she still need 9998 more pairs. You can drop of yours at Levant , 131 Goodwood Rd, Goodwood Tuesday to Sunday.

There’s no better way to do something than to actually do something.

 

 

 

Wake Up the World

A week or two ago, I read an article in the paper which got my attention. So I promptly googled www.wakeupsydney.com.au to learn more. What I found was just plain inspiring in the simplest way. Kindness. Doing something kind for a complete stranger. And, even better, encouraging them to pay it forward.

Thanks to the movie of the same title a few years back (remember the “I see dead people” kid? Same kid, completely different movie), the concept has been talked about before, and many people have actually thought about kindness, and made a concerted effort. But then the craze seems to fade for some time until the next wave of “kindness” is inspired.

Here is a snapshot of their message from the website:

“Wake Up Sydney! is part of the largest movement the world has ever seen. Millions of people, just like you, are waking up to a bright new way of thinking, a brilliant new way of being. It is a profound revolution in human consciousness. It is the coming world.

Now is the time for the tribes of Sydney to gather, collaborate, be entertained and accelerate this revolution toward a more kind, conscious and sustainable world”

What I love about the Wake Up Sydney movement is their practical, community-minded approach to not only get people to be kind to each other, but they actually hosts events to inspire people, and encourage social networking with other like-minded people. It’s a “get off your butt” kind of approach which actually forces people to DO something, not just think about doing something. And, so importantly, to become part of something bigger than themselves.

I ordered my free Kindness Cards  which arrived today (and BTW are so beautiful – I feel inspired just looking at them!), and it really has got me stirred up to pay closer attention to opportunities to be kind to someone I dont know, and then hope (and hand them a card to remind them!!) they will, in turn, think about how they can do the same for another.

Its a movement starting in Sydney but rapidly moving across Australia, and, hopefully, the globe. Lord knows we need more kindness in this world. That’s the kind of revolution I want to be part of.

 

Brave New Scents

I am priviledged to have recently been a part of the Brave New Scents project for the Natural Perfumers Guild. The project was officially launched on October 1st, 2011, and involved 10 natural perfumers from around the world, as well as several well-known perfume bloggers.

The challenge of the BNS project was to create a perfume using only fragrance materials available since 2000. And, of course, they had to be 100% natural.

Our creation was Sweet Water, a sweet green chypre. And it was definitely different! You can read the reviews on this fragrance here:

Cafleurbon             The Portland Examiner

And you can buy the fragrance here!

Thought I’d give you some insight into the inspiration behind the creation of the fragrance, and even a rare look into a perfumer’s secret treasure box – the FULL ingredient list! Enjoy!

The Perfume:

Sweet Water eau de parfum

Fragrance family: sweet, green chypre

Description: a sweet heart of honey, mint and summer blossoms enveloped by a watery aromatic top note and dewy base of amber and sweet grasses

Notes (full list):

Top – clementine C02, distilled lime, basil absolute

Heart – mimosa absolute, linden blossom absolute, honey absolute, hay absolute, sweet clover absolute, jasmine sambac C02, min absolute

Base – tobacco balkans absolute, amber oil, copaiba balsam, iris butter, tonka bean absolute, labdanum absolute clear, green tea absolute

About this Project

I knew from the start of this project, I wanted to do something different. I didn’t want use extracts I’ve played with before. And I wanted the end result to be different. Unlike anything I’ve created before, and, if possible, different from every other fragrance out there (which is an almost impossible task, I know!)

The inspiration for this project comes from my love of summer in Australia. Not so much the scorching mid-summer days, but more the balmy summer nights, where the jasmine and frangipani hangs heavily in the air, and you can smell citrus trees from a mile away.

I am a runner, and this time of the year excites me. In August/September in South Australia, we are just starting to get glimpses of the spring and summer ahead. Even though it’s technically still winter, we can have days of up to 25 degrees Celsius (if we’re lucky), and evenings where it hovers around 18 degrees. This is where my inspiration begins.

I love to be out running in my neighborhood. I’ve lived in this area for most of my life, and I still get excited by the same smells I experienced here as a child. The lingering fragrance of frangipani, jasmine and lavender, the smell of wet grass freshly watered in the heat of the evening, even the smell of hot concrete under foot.

I created this fragrance around the contrast between the heat and cool aspects of the season (damp grass, iced tea, fresh herbs vs. hot winds, humid air etc.).

The end result is watery and sweet, dry and dewy, warm and damp. It is all-at-one cooling yet warm, grassy yet aromatically gourmand.

As a result of this project, I have fallen in love with mimosa (which I had never even smelled before now!), been inspired by the versatility of jasmine sambac and iris, and finally had a chance to use labdanum, basil and mint absolutes, which I have loved singularly but not had inspiration to use them prior.

What a privilege to live in this era in natural perfumery, where our artistic palettes are rapidly expanding to include such wonderful inspiring and complex aromatics! Who knows what the next decade will bring!

(Thanks to all the other perfumers and bloggers involved:)

Bloggers

Cafleurebon <http://www.cafleurebon.com/brave-new-scents-a-natural-perfumers-guild-project-avalon-carmine-and-enchant-by-ida-meister-draw/>
The Perfume Critic <http://theperfumecritic.com/2011/10/confessions-of-an-aromaholic-brave-new-scents-part-1/>
Feminine Things <http://femininethings.blogspot.com/>
The Portland Examiner <http://www.examiner.com/fragrance-in-portland/the-brave-new-scents-project-where-no-perfumer-has-gone-before>
Perfume Shrine <http://www.perfumeshrine.com/>
All I Am A Redhead <http://alliam-aredhead.blogspot.com/>

Perfumers

Adam Gottshalk of Lord Jester
Ambrosia Jones of Perfume by Nature
Anya McCoy of Anya’s Garden
Charna Ethier of Providence Perfume
Christi Meshell of Matriarch
Elise Pearlstine of Belly Flowers
Jane Cate of Wing and a Prayer Perfume
JoAnne Bassett of JoAnne Bassett Perfumes
Liz Cook of One Seed Company
Rohanna Goodwin Smith of A Scent Natural Perfumes

Hello world!

Hello! I’m Liz Cook, natural perfumer from One Seed.

I’m also a small business owner.

And a mother.

And a wife.

And a friend.

 

I am passionate about life, and all of the beauty that abounds when we keep our eyes and hearts open to it.

I will be blogging about natural perfumery, organics, other artisans I’ve met and some I haven’t yet, people that are doing wonderful things to change the world, and ways you can make your life more beautiful. And, more importantly, ways you can help other people see and feel the beauty too.

 

If you are saying ‘Yes! Yes!’ then sign up to my blog. And contribute to the conversations and posts when you can.

I’d love to meet you here often.

 

Warmest,

Liz Cook