SCENTS OF BELONGING
An antipodean aroma
Creating wine involves a very careful consideration of produce, timing, aromas and a touch of alchemy. To compose perfume, the combination is similar. So for Frances Shoemack, the transition from NZ winemaker to creator of a fine fragrance company seemed logical. Launching Abel fragrances in her adopted home of Amsterdam where she lives with her husband and children, Shoemack called on some very Kiwi resolve to ensure her vision for a chic, all-natural company was a success. Securing the services of master perfumer Isaac Sinclair, Australasia’s only classically trained ‘nose’, was an early triumph, and the pair has gone on to perfect a suite of scents that are making waves worldwide.
What was your youth like?
I grew up in South Canterbury, the second eldest of six to a yoga teacher mother and a farmer father. My parents cultivated a mix of high expectations and free range. As a result, my upbringing and family had — and continues to have — a huge influence on me. I’ve always had a love of the olfactory and perfume was an interest from a young age — I even did a high-school project designing a perfume.
What path has your career taken?
I’d always wanted to be an architect; studying winemaking was a last-minute pivot at the end of high school. I realised that ‘wine’ could be a career — something of the land, but sophisticated and with a global outlook. I loved the time I spent in the NZ wine industry, at first in the vineyards and winery, and later in more commercial roles. When my then fiancé, now husband, and I moved to Amsterdam together I took a break from the industry. But just weeks into a new job working for a Dutch tech startup, I realised how important it was for me to be doing something I loved. At the same time, I was discovering the growing world of artisan perfumery. As much as it inspired me, the use of synthetic ingredients didn’t sit with my otherwise holistic lifestyle. It was here that Abel was born.
What does your day-to-day life in Amsterdam involve now?
In the same way that Amsterdam is this juxtaposition of big village and metropolitan city, our lifestyle is also a juxtaposition of urban living and reclusiveness! Dave and I are both pretty busy with work (he works for a Dutch bike-meets-tech company, VanMoof) so outside of work it’s family and lifestyle first! We are very settled here, but the thought of bringing up our family in our homeland is something we can’t resist, and as our sons get older, the urge is undoubtedly getting stronger. We’ll be coming home one day.
Have you found parallels between winemaking and perfumery?
I went into it thinking there were many — both have roots entrenched in French culture, both are evocative and artisan. But the longer I’ve been doing Abel, the more I’ve noticed the differences! Winemaking has changed very little over the centuries — technology and science helps, but essentially it’s still about growing the best grapes and carefully nurturing them into the best wine. Perfume-making has changed dramatically, and in most instances is unrecognisable from its roots. A modern fragrance formula is likely to be made up of dozens, sometimes hundreds of ingredients, almost all of which are synthesised from crude oil. I try to harness my wine background in what we do with Abel, finding the best possible natural ingredients and giving them a chance to sing.
What were the non-negotiables for your brand?
When I first started out, I was very idealistic and as a result, I found we were making too many compromises on the product. Further on in the journey we have a very clear goal — to make the best natural perfume possible. Of course ethics, sustainability and aesthetics are always front of mind, but the number one priority is, and always will be, focusing on delivering the very best quality we can.
Why was the all-natural ethos important to you?
The fact that I couldn’t find a natural perfume that was modern, chic and long-lasting was the reason I started Abel. I was searching for natural because I was aware of the negative impact of synthetics personally and environmentally and also because I believe in the beauty of natural perfume. Our ingredients are grown and harvested
In winemaking
we call each batch a ‘vintage’…
I try to bring that same ethos
to perfume
before finding their way into the lab. For example, pure vanilla extract grown in Madagascar, as opposed to the synthesised vanillin found in most perfume. Many ingredients we work with are extremely expensive — upwards of €10,000 per kilo — but are also extremely rare. It’s amazing for us to work with these ingredients but it also has its challenges. For example, a drought can mean we need to source an alternative from a different grower or region and re-blend. This is challenging but it’s also something I love. In winemaking, we call each batch a ‘vintage’ and celebrate seasonal nuance, so I try to bring that same ethos to perfume.
Did you have to convince Isaac Sinclair to work with a startup — given he’s based in São Paulo and works for some of the world’s biggest beauty brands?
I’d always thought I was extremely lucky to get Isaac on board as one of the world’s few master perfumers (there are fewer than astronauts), one of the youngest, and the only one from the whole Australasia region. However, we were in Berlin together recently, and I overheard him talking and realised he felt the same about us! He is propositioned all the time by people wanting him to create a fragrance for them, but something about what we are trying to do had captured his attention at the get-go. It was an opportunity for him to enter new territory. He always uses the analogy of him being a songwriter. Most days he’s working on the blockbuster hits, and we are his indie punk rock on the side. Creatively challenging, expressive, exciting. It just really works for us both!
How does the collaboration work?
With Isaac in São Paulo and me in Amsterdam, it’s a challenge, but one that I think makes the creative process more interesting. We always try to meet in Paris. We lock ourselves in a room together and talk, look at raw ingredients and just play. The fact we’re both Kiwis definitely helps the creative process. We speak the same language (literally but also figuratively) and have the same olfactory references. With some fragrances we immediately know we have a direction. For example, we both fell in love with a particular Haitian vetiver and knew we wanted to turn it into a fragrance. Normally we leave the room in Paris when we feel like we have a ‘sketch’. Isaac’s job over many months (sometimes years) and hundreds (sometimes thousands) of trials that get sent between São Paulo and Amsterdam is to turn that sketch into a masterpiece.
Why did you decide on a collection of five fragrances?
Actually we had decided on four, but we had this labdanum strip we kept coming back to. It’s such a beguiling, intense scent and a real fetish ingredient for Isaac. In the end we decided we had to do five.
How have you achieved this level of refinement in a natural scent?
Much of it has to do with Isaac’s skill and talent. We’ve spent a lot of time in R&D, sourcing naturally derived alternatives to modern perfume basics. Like a natural musk. Synthetic musk is present in 99% of perfume and is generally considered one of the more toxic perfume ingredients. We extract a natural alternative from the ambrette seed of the hibiscus flower. Musk makes a perfume last longer on skin and enhances the overall fragrance. But a natural musk (originally sourced from the glands of the musk deer) has been unavailable until recently. We are purists in regards to natural ingredients, but we believe in technology, science and putting quality first.
I believe this sets us apart.
Do you have a favourite?
I was pregnant with our second son when we were developing the collection and a neroli fragrance was something I desperately wanted to create — it’s such a rare, exquisite ingredient (the most pure form of orange blossom). It was only after we launched that I started noticing other pregnant women were drawn (almost addicted) to it! I discovered neroli is heralded for its hormone-balancing qualities. Golden Neroli is one of our best sellers — it’s flown off the shelves in Hong Kong.
Is there any difference in the way the fragrances react or wear on the skin due to their composition?
All perfume changes on your skin a little, but natural perfume really comes alive. Where some fragrances are designed to smell good on paper (yes, actually!) we really celebrate the fact our fragrances evolve unique to the wearer, working with your body chemistry.