EMMA HILL

The following news stories were published in the November issue of Vogue Nippon.

Here is a version of the text in English:

Organic Glam: The new organic fragrance collection from The Organic Pharmacy

Until now, organic perfume has had a reputation for being unsophisticated.  It lacked the refined quality and complexity of traditional scent.  It also tended not to last well on the skin.  A number of innovative organic perfumes, including The Organic Pharmacy’s Organic Glam are shifting the status quo, albeit slowly.  Organic Glam took three years to get right.

‘Creating a fragrance is complex,’ says founder, Margo Marrone.  ‘Creating a natural fragrance is even more complicated.  Fragrance testing went on for two and a half years, with hundreds of versions going back and forth.  It was the tiny tweaks that made a difference to the end result,’ she says.

There are four scents; 85% of ingredients in each are organic.  Citron is the freshest.  Top notes of Sicilian lemon and bergamot give way to Moroccan orange blossom and ylang ylang.  Heart notes of patchouli and neroli give lasting power.  Number two, Jasmine, is steeped in Egyptian jasmine and ylang ylang and conjures up balmy evenings in the Mediterranean.

The third, Oriental Blossom, was compared by one, eminent beauty writer at the launch, with the ultimate oriental classic, Shalimar by Guerlain.  Citrus top notes evaporate to reveal clove and cinnamon, rose and neroli.  Oakmoss, vetiver, pepper, vanilla and ylang ylang give this scent its exotic, lasting quality.  Number four is Oud, which taps into the current trend for using this classic, Middle Eastern perfume ingredient in fragrance.  It’s a warm, woody, sensual scent, which has a surprisingly refreshing quality.  Notes include Moroccan cedarwood, black pepper and cardamom, with vetivert and sensual sandalwood at its heart.

Organic Glam Fragrance Collection, £110 each, theorganicpharmacy.com

Connock London – Kukui Oil Collection

The idea behind Connock London, a new collection of bath and body products, is to focus on using little known, natural ingredients from across the globe.    The first collection is based around Kukui Oil, a skin softening oil used by native Hawaiians for centuries.

‘As a child, we took a family trip to the South Pacific.  My father had been in contact with a small producer of Kukui oil on the Hawaiian island of Oahyu,’ says founder, Amanda Connock.  ‘I went with him to watch the local women shell the Kukui nuts and extract the oil from the kernels,’ she says.

The result twenty years later is the Kukui Oil Collection, which comprises six bath and body products.   These include Soothing Bath Oil (£42.90), which also contains macadamia and tamanu oils and is soothing and nourishing for dry or sensitive skin.  Comforting Body Wash (£22.50) contains aloe vera, vitamin E and a skin smoothing papaya enzyme.  Kukui Oil Soap (£25.55) with shea butter gives a soft, creamy lather.  Wonder Balm combines Kukui oil with monoi, cocoa butter, mango butter and beeswax for an effective, salve for rough, dry skin.   The Candle (£36.80) fills the room with a suitably rich, exotic scent of gardenia and jasmine.

Connock London, from Fortnum & Mason and Harrods.  See beautique.com.