Big dollars in scents for couple
PACIFIC Scents is hoping an expansion this year has the sweet smell of success for the business, which counts perfume giants Guerlain and Dior as clients.
The company was launched 17 years ago in New Caledonia and moved to the Gold Coast in 2015.
Nathalie Point, who runs the business with husband David Point, said they chose to move to the Coast for a change of lifestyle.
The pair’s entire business footprint relates to a bedroom and garage at a Helensvale residence, although they are planning to move to a warehouse this year to cope with increased demand.
The product range is vast and includes essential oils (including sandalwood, clove and camphor), cosmetics, floral water, vegetable oils, tea and cosmetics. Sandalwood oil is a key ingredient of many of the products and is sourced from a distillery in New Caledonia.
The production process involves felling trees and then removing the sapwood for delivery to the distillery.
The wood is stocked for drying then milled to become woodchips. The chips are then
placed in a double boiler heated by a wood fire, where the steam allows the wood to exude its essential oil.
The oil is used for treatment of depression, daily stress and states of anxiety, fear or chronic illness as well as skincare. Mrs Point said the move to the Gold Coast had enabled the business to expand its product range, including a sandalwood-cosmetic range.
She said a chance meeting at a local gym had been the catalyst for moving their products into a network of almost 500 health shops and local stores throughout Australia.
“We talked about our products, and the store owner was very happy to take them,” she said. “That was a big break because it got us into Go Vita at Australia Fair where a distributer noticed our products.”
That distributer decided to place Pacific Scents’ products in 130 health shops.
Last year they signed a deal for another distributer to place their products in 350 shops in Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania. The first deliveries started this month.
Mrs Point said the new deals meant the firm needed more room to store stock.
“We are bursting at the seams and need a facility,” she said. The pair run a hands-on business, placing labels on bottles, bottling the liquids, and preparing and dispatching orders themselves. Eighteen months ago they launched a website, which Mrs Point said was doing a brisk trade.
Mrs Point said they had been supplying companies including Dior for 10 years. She said the sandalwood from New Caledonia was renowned for its qualities throughout the world and was a key attraction for the prestigious companies.
“Sandalwood oil is used in ayurveda (system of medicine with roots in the Indian subcontinent), aromatherapy and is a key ingredient in many lotions and soaps thanks to its antimicrobial (agent that kills microorganisms or stops their growth) properties,” she said.