Discover the captivating world of Wild Coast Perfumery, where founder Laurie channels the natural beauty of British Columbia into every all-natural fragrance. Crafted on Vancouver Island using locally harvested botanicals, these handmade perfumes transport wearers to BC’s rugged coastlines and lush forests—making them perfect gifts for any nature lover. —Noa Nichol
What inspired you to create Wild Coast Perfumery and focus specifically on all-natural, BC-inspired scents?
My original inspiration came after a visit in 1986 to Carthusia Perfumery on Capri. I was inspired by their unique artistry incorporating plants from the island and their interesting history. This became a bit of an obsession for me over the years, the idea of a Canadian perfume slowly evolved over the course of many, many years. Over time I decided to focus on the medium of natural perfumes and I suppose timing is everything as it is now widely embraced.
Can you walk us through the process of crafting a fragrance that captures the essence of iconic BC locations like Tofino, Whistler, or Carmanah?
Much like painting a picture, instead of using, say a landscape scene, as direction for a painting, I create a scent using scent memories or a feel of a location to give inspiration for the scent’s palette.
Your fragrances are made with over 20 natural essential oils, absolutes, and resins. How do you decide which botanicals to blend for each unique scent?
There is a balance that should be followed between base, middle and top notes. Knowing which ingredient fits into which category and how it will blend and meld with the other ingredients in order to capture your final vision is imperative.
Each scent seems to tell a story of its own, transporting wearers to the stunning landscapes of British Columbia. Which fragrance do you feel most personally connected to, and why?
Well, it’s very hard to choose just one. I know as I’m creating a fragrance I’m very much connected to that specific one at the time because I am spending so much time immersed in the location and it’s memories. But one happy childhood memory I have is going for day trips to Tofino. We’d park and run down the winding damp, mossy, earth scented path lined with salal, cedar and wild roses. This green, salty, slightly floral and woody scent sends me right back to those visits to Long Beach. I do use other locations outside of BC as well and have deep personal connections with these places too. We are lucky to be living in such an amazingly, beautiful country to give such inspiration.
Wild Coast Perfumery avoids synthetic ingredients, focusing entirely on plant-based materials. Can you explain the benefits of natural perfumes compared to synthetic fragrances?
Natural ingredients imbue the aromatherpeutic properties of the plants and flowers that ground us, calm us or up lift us. You won’t get these benefits from synthetics. There is also a lot of information out there around synthetic ingredients being linked to many health issues and sensitivities. We serve people looking for alternatives to their mainstream brands.
With Wild Coast Perfumery giving back to 1% for the Planet, how does environmental sustainability play into your brand’s mission and product creation?
Thank you for asking this question. I believe it’s our responsibility as a business to give back. We are passionate about several issues so we mainly give back to The Fur Bearers and The Ancient Forest Alliance as they both fit with our mission. Our perfume is vegan and we are against the archaic and cruel practices of the use of animal musk’s being used in perfumery, so this fits with the Fur Bearers wonderful work. And we are also passionate about our ancient forests and habitats being saved so it is a no brainier to support the folks at Ancient Forest Alliance.
What do you hope someone feels or experiences when they wear a Wild Coast fragrance, and how do you envision it complementing their connection to the natural world?
My hope is that someone finds a scent that can transport them to a time and place that means so much to them. Somewhere that gives them a moment of happiness as they smell the scent. Being able to give that to people is something special and I’m very grateful to be able to do this work.
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