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Every fragrance we use in our treatments begins as a question: where did this come from, and who tended it? This year, we traced the origins of three of our core botanical extracts — and what we found reshaped how we think about scent entirely.
The Lavender Fields of Haute-Provence
Our lavender comes from a small cooperative in the Plateau de Valensole — a stretch of violet-blue that, in July, looks more like a painting than a landscape. The farmers here have been cultivating true lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) for three generations, using no synthetic pesticides and harvesting by hand in the early morning hours when the essential oil concentration is at its peak.
Distillation happens within hours of harvest. This matters: lavender that sits loses its top notes, the delicate aldehydes that give it its characteristic freshness. Our oil is steam-distilled on-site, sealed, and shipped directly to our atelier.
Neroli from the Orange Groves of Tunisia
Neroli — distilled from the blossoms of the bitter orange tree — is one of the most labour-intensive ingredients in perfumery. Each flower must be picked by hand, and it takes approximately one tonne of blossoms to produce one kilogram of essential oil.
Our Tunisian supplier works exclusively with women's cooperatives in the Cap Bon region, where bitter orange trees have grown for centuries. The harvest season lasts only three weeks in spring, and the work is relentless and beautiful.
Vetiver from the Soil of Haiti
Vetiver is a grass. Its roots grow downward, not outward — plunging as deep as three metres into the earth. The essential oil, distilled from those roots, smells of soil, smoke, and something ancient that has no name. It is the base note that anchors our signature body treatment blend.
Haitian vetiver is considered the world's finest. We source ours through a fair-trade partnership that supports reforestation efforts — vetiver's deep roots are exceptional at preventing soil erosion.
— A NOTE IN THE MARGIN
"Scent is not decoration. It is memory, mood, and medicine all at once."
Notes & references
Note 1
Storage and Integrity
Essential oil quality degrades with light, heat, and oxygen. All our botanical extracts are stored in amber glass in temperature-controlled conditions from the moment they arrive.
Note 2
On dermal remodelling
Collagen synthesis, by contrast, is patient work — measured in months, not weeks. Most clinical endpoints in the literature land between week 12 and week 24 post-stimulus.
Note 3
A note on this piece
Written in the consultation room over four mornings. Edited with Helena Park. Errors are ours; the patience is the body's.
Speciality
— Ch. 05 · Continue reading
