Sarah Mourtos We all have a perfume that makes you feel like you, but have you thought about what this would smell like for your spa?
Imagine every time a client smells rose and lavender, they think of your spa and the fantastic treatment they experienced there? All because you had these essential oils bubbling away in a diffuser in your reception area. The scent in your spa can be a powerful marketing tool to communicate who you are as a brand.
Creating a signature scent using aromatherapy is easier than you think. Founder of Flora Remedia Maddy Daisy says you don’t need to consult a fragrance nose to create your signature scent.
“The good thing with essential oils is that you can mix them easily yourself if you don’t intend to use them on people. You can add a bit of this and a bit of that, and then play around with what you like,” Maddy said.
You can add a few drops of essential oils into your diffuser or combine them into a base oil like jojoba oil for treatments. Essential oils always need to be diluted if used on the skin and remember a little goes a long way. Maddy says essential oils are highly concentrated and using too much of something like lavender, which usually has a calming effect, can do the opposite and cause headaches. She also says not to burn essential oils as it changes the structure and scent.
Apart from those guidelines, the only limitation is your imagination. To get you inspired to find your signature scent, Maddy has outlined a few combinations that work well together.
Uplifting
Essential oils: Citrus, cinnamon and orange
“Just be careful with cinnamon and lemon as these can be irritating on the skin even when diluted.”
Relaxing
Essential oils: Lavender, camomile, geranium and rose.
“Lavender is the obvious pick, but geranium can be just as calming. Flora Remedia has a Calm Aromatherapy Roll On that includes notes of geranium which gives a beautiful musky, floral and feminine scent. Rose is also peaceful and calming.”
Grounding
Essential oils: Sandalwood, patchouli, ylang-ylang
“Sandalwood is great, but it’s incredibly expensive. Otherwise, ylang-ylang is very nice when it’s mixed with lime or patchouli. The woody oils are quite grounding.”
Cleansing
Essential Oils: Peppermint, tea tree, lemongrass, lemon myrtle
“Lemon Myrtle is my favourite oil. I love that combination of oils as it creates a native Australian bush scent.”
Once you’ve found The One
If you think you’ve struck gold when it comes to your signature scent, you can always offer it for purchase. That way, your clients can take a bit of your spa home with them. However, Maddy says you will need professional help from a cosmetic chemist if you intend to sell your blend.
“A cosmetic chemist can help you create your signature scent. Make sure you choose someone who works with essential oils and not the fragrant oils as they are synthetic. Like any product, you need to think about the packaging, the bottles and regulations if you want to sell it in-store.”
