Ruth Mastenbroek, Ruth Mastenbroek Perfumer London
Away from the lab, it was in a field in Kent where classically trained perfumer Ruth Mastenbroek found some of her own magic molecules, inspired in part by the tumult of a global pandemic and a string of UK lockdowns. ‘Part of my role as a perfumer is to interpret what is happening in the world through smell,’ she begins. ‘The pandemic was the catalyst that really prompted me to think about how fragrance could help us feel better in ourselves and about the world.’
It’s a perfumery niche in which Ruth already had form; her Signature Eau de Parfum (three years in the making, and the one that launched her eponymous brand in 2010) gave her the first inkling that fine fragrance could have emotionally transportive qualities. ‘This was my breakthrough moment,’ she explains. ‘Until then, I’d only worked to the brief of a client. Once I was free to conjure up anything I wanted, I realised that it wasn’t enough for a fragrance to be simply a blend of oils; it needed to tell its own story, to engage the wearer and connect with his or her emotions.’
While sourcing the very best essential oils had always been important, now they’d become key to what Ruth could deliver in terms of enhancing mood. Signature and the subsequent fragrances she created for her own brand are rich, warm and familiar, using the principles of aromatherapy to achieve specific desired outcomes, from energising to grounding and comforting.
‘I’ve always been enamoured with certain oils; each one has its own history, traditions, meanings and associations,’ says Ruth. ‘The excitement for me came in reimagining them into fragrances that are sophisticated but still approachable.’ Ruth’s new Magic of Nature Collection – the one born from those long months in lockdown – took her fusion of perfumery and plant-based healing a step further: ‘While our worlds were shrinking, we were becoming more attuned to what was most important: our families, our health and nature. We were valuing being able to walk in local woods, feeling closer to the sights, sounds and smells of the outdoors, and we came to realise how important that is to our sense of wellbeing.’
The result was a collection of three elegant eau de toilettes: peppermintcentred Zephyr for energy; calming chamomile in Gaia; and grounding lavender in Marlin, each with a rollerball containing the perfume’s hero note in essential oil form to use on its own or layer with the perfume. ‘Our world right now is so complex and can feel so brutal that I feel we all need a secret space to heal and blossom,’ says Ruth. ‘This is, at least, a step in the right direction.’
As a perfumer, I interpret what is happening in the world through smell