Five questions with …
Sophie Parker
Hand-poured in their South London studio, The Flora Lab creates wonderful scents like no other.
As we roll into the festive season, Sophie Parker, founder of The Flora Lab, explains how she and the team get into the Christmas spirit.
● Please visit: thefloralab.com
What led to the founding of The Flora Lab?
It’s always been my dream to set up my own business – my grandma was self-employed and has been my biggest inspiration.
While walking the streets of Buenos Aires on a sabbatical from my life in the beauty industry, the idea for The Flora Lab came to be.
I wanted to create something that looked beautiful, was affordable yet did not compromise on sustainability or performance.
In the run up to Christmas, what festive scents do you recommend?
Our winter and Christmas scents are designed to be burnt all the way through from October through til April, with different elements of the season being celebrated with each candle.
I'd recommend Alpine Air – the warmth from the eucalyptus and freshness from the lemon are perfect for both daytime and evening burning.
How do you curate and choose your scents? Science, nature and a little bit of magic!
We tailor each candle to the right natural-wax blend, focusing on coconut, rapeseed and soy wax which are then paired with hundreds of different fragrance combinations in order to find the magical combination that’s in each Flora Lab box.
How does the team at The Flora Lab get into their festive feels in the run up to Christmas?
Crazily, Christmas for us starts in May – it can be hard to get yourself into the mindset of the winter season while summer fun is tempting you!
But, in the months of November or December, we just love being in amongst the Christmas buzz. Our studio is like Santa's workshop, with The Flora Lab team being little elves, packing up parcels of loveliness which may end up under a tree.
What's next for The Flora Lab in the new year?
Next year is going to be a big year for The Flora Lab, we've got lots of exciting things planned, including our first ever botanical wax melt limited edition collection.
I've been dreaming of it for two years now and it's just starting to become a reality, which is a real pinch me moment.
pleasant surprise.
‘£20!’ I exclaimed out loud. ‘These are perfect.’
I couldn’t believe my luck. I wrapped them up in tissue paper and tied the box up with a red bow – they looked absolutely beautiful.
You would never guess that I hadn’t picked them out from the shop!
Watching as Maddie unwrapped the tissue paper on Christmas Day, I couldn’t wait to see her reaction – I knew that she'd love them.
‘Oh my God!’ she exclaimed, seeing the silver glisten through the wrapping paper. ‘How did you afford these?’
‘They’re second hand!’ I said, smiling. ‘It means no one else will have any like yours.’
‘That’s amazing,’ she replied, ‘Can you come shopping with me all the time?’
Only, it wasn’t just down to luck, anyone can buy gifts secondhand – you just have to look in the right places.
I’ve saved roughly £5,000 on clothes alone, and I get to support a good cause at the same time.
This year, I plan to get at least a third of my Christmas presents secondhand.
There's certain things that I still by brand-new, like food items – but the preloved gifts always go down the best!
My family and friends know that I put a lot of time into finding their gift, which is often nicer than knowing someone has simply clicked a button. Alex has got on board, too, and is already scouring the charity shops for my gift – we’d rather get more for our money on our presents and then save up to do something special.
I’ve already started subtly asking friends what’s on their Christmas list, too, so I can get ahead.
It’s good to go in with a theme in mind, to avoid those impulsive purchases!
For me, Christmas is definitely the most wonderful time of the year.
And it doesn’t need to cost a fortune, either!
I've saved £5,000 on clothes alone!
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