The best perfume designer in the world is Nature itself!

Smell is humans' most direct sense; the brain does not filter it through the thalamus (dubbed a relay station). This explains how strongly smell relates to deep memory – take Proust and his madeleine that evoked such powerful memories of things past.

If we forget this depth of smell, it is because modern ways of life have rendered smell less useful – when it has been so critical for humans and human ancestors for millions of years, hence so well favoured by evolution. There is little need to smell predators approaching in the heart of le Marais in Paris, or to check for rotten food at your beloved vegan organic coffee shop in L.A.

Smell quickly became a powerful tool for marketers. As long as fragrances have been manipulated by humans, infinite combinations have been tested to make them as pleasurable as possible with, obviously, the end objective being to sell something: a perfume, an idea (see the use of frankincense), flowers, baked goods (ah, the smell of a freshly baked baguette in the street…), fruit, coffee, wine, and cosmetics.

This trend has accelerated with our ability to create artificial chemical fragrances which can mimic or “improve” natural ones, and invent new ones, made industrially - hence at low cost.

“Olfactory signature” has become key in many product developments, even in fields far removed from perfume. It is a serious business for numerous chemical companies (often subsidiaries of industrial chemical conglomerates), and research companies organising focus groups for testing purposes.

This is exactly what we refuse to do at Cosmydor. When our products are formulated, we only consider ingredients (natural and organic, of course) which have a benefit for your skin. The good news is that Nature provides an unlimited choice, so it is then up to us to pick those which will be pleasant in terms of texture, and which will not be olfactory repellents… we still want our clients to enjoy their creams, balms and soaps.

Think about lemon, lavender, oliban, orange, rose, borage, coffee, marjoram and cardamom. On top of their proven benefits for our skin, they just smell incredibly good. No need to add chemical fragrances, which can even prove harmful to our bodies and/or to the environment.

The final smell of a Cosmydor soap, cream, or balm, is not always exactly the same, as we deal with living matter, which can differ sometimes. It can be subtle or strong, herbal or mineral, calming or invigorating, but it will always remind you of nature. You simply smell the plants/ingredients – no lies and nothing is hidden.

This is how Cosmydor has proudly decided to hire the best perfumer in the world: Nature itself.

Extract, Midsummer’s Night Dream
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

” I know a bank where the wild thyme blows,
Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows,
Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine,
With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine…”