A nose for African-styled perfume

Published Nov 19, 2014

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Cape Town - Namibia is generally known for its vast desert landscapes and wildlife. But what many may not know, is that it’s also home to a number of plants which produce scented resins and moisturising oils which the Himba women have used to scent themselves for centuries.

These striking women, known for their distinctive hairstyles and body adornment, favour a resin from the Commiphora wildii plant which they call omumbiri. The omumbiri is mixed with red ochre, animal fat and heated with a piece of hot coal, and the paste is then lathered on to their bodies and their hair, giving them their characteristic red skin and a rich and warm aroma of myrrh.

The secrets of the Himba “perfume” are now being used as base ingredients by many perfumers, including Cape Town perfumer Tammy Frazer.

“I spent a week with the Himba tribe (and) was the first person in their invoice book to purchase the oils from them directly. They have been perfuming themselves for thousands of years with the raw materials,” she says.

Frazer gave up a career in investment banking seven years ago to start her boutique perfume house, Frazer Parfum, and sells a range of organic, natural and handcrafted products.

“I’ve always been interested in fragrance, skin care and beauty products,” she says. Frazer is the granddaughter of Graham Wulff, the founder of Oil of Olay and her father worked in Givaudan, a fragrance house in Switzerland.

“I was quite exposed to places that considered things like smells and flavours. Having that background for me really built my catalogue of knowledge,” she says.

We meet Frazer at her Rose Street factory in the city centre, which is also home to her retail shop. A combination of pleasantly subdued spicy and fruity aromas greet us as we walk through the door.

Frazer tells us that she got into the perfume-making business quite by chance, after a conversation with a group of close friends over lunch.

“It was a light-bulb moment. I literally decided overnight that it’s what I wanted to do and that this is what I was going to do for the rest of my life,” she says.

“That night I went home and I did research on perfume making. I thought this really ticks the boxes. Beforehand, I didn’t realise that fragrances were made with either synthetic or naturals scents, or that farmers grew plants that were made into essential oils,” she says.

“I knew that I really wanted to have a sustainable business, to consider traceability… where the raw materials actually come from.

“The idea that I would just walk into a shop and buy a fragrance just because it has Kate Moss’s picture on the front never enticed me.”

Frazer says she wanted to be someone who would show and educate people on how things are actually made, “because I’ve always had a questioning mind”.

“I took a book out of the library on perfume-making and read it cover to cover, making notes of the different perfumeries and supplies. I emailed those who were appropriate for what I wanted to do and I booked a flight to Europe,” she said.

Her plan was to attend ISIPCA, a prestigious perfumery academy in Versailles, France, but she decided against it after learning they didn’t work much with natural raw materials.

“So I took a train down to the south of France, hired a car and just started knocking on farmers’ doors. I met one farmer who said he was going to Madagascar and I just went on that trip,” she says.

Frazer got her big break in London where she was given an opportunity to sell her perfumes in Harrods.

“It was incredible because it was this private room on the fifth floor. It had a lot of publicity itself and as a result retailers started calling and asking me for my fragrances. I now retail in 10 countries around the world,” she says.

Frazer’s permanent collection is the Chapters Collection, which has nine fragrances. Each chapter represents the journey she undertook to source the raw materials used to make the fragrance.

The African Collection includes six fragrances.

Both collections are presented in handblown glass bottles by artist David Reade of Worcester.

Her collections are also available in beeswax, the base for solid perfume which is perfect for travelling or applying on the go. She also makes scented body butters and candles.

But perhaps more intriguing is that Frazer also creates bespoke perfumes, a signature perfume she develops for an individual over three months.

“It’s not an easy decision, making a fragrance for someone. I have to learn about the customer, what they like… and in the process they are also learning a lot about the creative process, and how a fragrance is actually made,” she says.

Frazer sources her raw ingredients from around the world, making sure she learns about the plant and the harvesting process.

“Natural perfume is strong in the beginning but then it settles and you would think it’s disappearing, but it’s actually settling to the temperature of your body,” she explains.

On what one should look for when purchasing a perfume, Frazer says: “The first thing I say to people that don’t know anything about fragrance is, identify the fragrances that you already wear or you like and find out what is actually in them.

“So many people will say that ‘I love Gucci Envy or Issey Miyake’, but don’t actually enquire what the raw materials are. Finding out about those raw materials will help you determine your preference and you will be more likely to find other fragrances with the same raw materials that you appreciate,” she says.

Frazer recommends perfume shopping early in the morning when your sense of smell is sharp.

“There is a movement to be more subtle with your fragrance. For me it’s all about appropriateness. If you want to be confident or if you are in a space where you are wearing a beautiful cocktail dress to a big party and you want to be vibrant, then by all means wear a fragrance that displays that… that is vibrant and robust.

“On a day-to-day basis I think it’s important to use a subtle fragrance that only those who are close to you can experience. Because it creates an element of intimacy with the person that you are in contact with.

“I don’t particularly like fragrances that leave a lasting trail. Like when you are in a lift and someone can smell your fragrance. I find that is quite offensive.”

“The only place I don’t find it offensive is in Paris because all their fragrances are sophisticated… Unfortunately, what we have in the rest of the world is sweet and intoxicating synthetics,” says Frazer.

 

“All of my fragrances are quite unique and avant garde because I want people to start identifying with African-styled perfumes.

“In the past we’ve had French perfumes which are sophisticated with heavy florals and English colognes which are mostly fresh with lavender. I really want to define the African fragrances that we have,” she says.

“There are more people importing (perfumes) now than in the past, but there aren’t that many of us who are composing and only a few that are composing naturally.

“So the perfume-making industry is not growing that much. But what is growing is the essential oil business. I find that great because it means we are working directly with our farmers to bottle the oil.”

 

Cape Argus

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