June 18, 2020
PERFUME, SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT WITH AMY CHRISTIANSEN, FOUNDER OF SANA JARDIN.
PERFUME, SUSTAINABILITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT WITH AMY CHRISTIANSEN, FOUNDER OF SANA JARDIN.
Interviewed By: Nateisha Scott
Starting in social work and finding strong roots in perfumery, CEO and Founder of Sana Jardin, Amy Christiansen is making a mark in changing the way we receive and perceive perfume with sustainability at the heart of what she does. Expanding on the efforts of the brand as well as unpacking the art of scents and travel, we discover Sana Jardin, a sustainable perfume brand.
NS: TELL US MORE ABOUT YOUR CAREER BACKGROUND?
SC: My career has been an evolution and I am always seeking out ways that I can use my skillset to help others. I started in social work as a key worker before realising that low income individuals didn’t need my advice, they needed access to economic opportunity. I then pivoted my career and started to address issues of economic injustice on a macro level. I became interested in the concept of harnessing the power of commerce to create social change and realised that the next iteration of social impact was business and not traditional philanthropy. I created Sana Jardin in 2017 as a vehicle for social change, I wanted to illustrate that we can use luxury business to empower low income women if we are creative with our use of waste.
NS: COULD YOU EXPAND MORE ON THE EFFORTS AT SANA JARDIN?
SC: Well, at Sana Jardin, we use an alternative business model that we like to call “Beyond Sustainability”. How do we do that? We make sustainable and clean perfumes that are sold in luxury retailers around the world such as Net-A-Porter and Harrods. They are just like any other perfume that you would buy on the shelf, but the key difference is that we help the female flower harvesters who harvest for our perfumes to become micro-entrepreneurs. Our social impact project is in Morocco and the flower harvesters there live in rural communities, have little job skills and only have access to seasonal employment twice a year during the flower harvest. We take the waste from the flower harvest, upcycle it into scented candles and orange blossom water and have trained the women how to package and sell these products and from that they are able to retain 100% of the revenue from these products.
I believe we can incorporate more humanitarian values into the supply chain of perfume.
NS: WHAT HAS BEEN THE BEST PROJECT YOU HAVE WORKED ON?
SC: It would have to be the Sana Jardin beyond Sustainability Project. It is truly the fusion of many of my loves – women’s empowerment, Morocco, Perfume and Orange Blossom.
NS: WHAT IS IT ABOUT SCENTS THAT YOU ENJOY?
SC: Like many people, I love the transporting nature of scent and how mood lifting they can be. I grew up travelling around the world with my grandmother and found the scents of orange blossom, jasmine and amber so exotic. I started to research the history of perfume and the sacred practices associated with essential oil and perfume production and was enchanted with the mystical rituals. Perfume in many ways is alchemy, it is magic. Ancient priestesses used to use essential oils to heal themselves and others and incense and flowers have been used for spiritual rituals for thousands of years. I believe in the healing power of plant and flowers and I believe that translates into perfume, there is a magic to those oils. Perfume is also incredibly feminine and alluring and I love the power of the feminine. So, it was very attractive to me.
NS: WHAT ARE THE PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?
SC: With the global pandemic things have been difficult however we want to expand to the US and Asia and to deepen our social impact work in Morocco. Right now, we are exploring training the women in our cooperative to make masks for their communities as another source of revenue. We are also launching more candles, perfumes and smaller roller ball sizes.
NS: YOUR MORNING BEAUTY ROUTINE (SKINCARE / HAIR)?
SC: I have two sons and I am an insomniac, so my routine is very quick as I leave waking up to the last minute! I always spray a lot of perfume, do a quick eyebrow with a Tom Ford pencil, Mac Lip colour and a bit of Trish McEvoy concealer and Nars bronzer. I quickly pull on yoga pants and zip my sons to school.
NS: SIGNATURE PRODUCTS YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
SC: My Clarisonic Skin Brush and my Nars bronzer.
NS: DO YOU HAVE ANY WELLNESS AND FITNESS HABITS THAT YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH?
SC: Absolutely, once or twice a year I go on a vegan hiking retreat in LA or Mallorca, the retreat is called The Ashram. Whilst there, you complete yoga twice a day, hike around 10 miles a day in the mountains, eat vegan food, laugh and reflect. It always centres me and makes me feel 10 years younger! I also drink a lot of water with hot lemon, eat mostly vegetarian, meditate and do Bikram yoga. For fitness generally however, I attend kick boxing sessions, Bikhram yoga and I am currently exploring Kundalini Yoga.
NS: IS THERE A CULT FRAGRANCE YOU CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
SC: Berber Blonde by Sana Jardin
NS: DO YOU HAVE ANY ON-THE-GO ESSENTIALS?
SC: I am afraid I don’t do anything on the go. I am a Taurus and I am not known for my speediness.
NS: HOW DO YOU WIND DOWN IN THE EVENING?
SC: I would say reading books about spirituality and sending out emails, so my inbox is not so big in the morning. This probably keeps me up at night and does not help me to wind down.
NS: WHERE DO YOU SEE THE PERFUME INDUSTRY GOING?
SC: I definitely see it headed towards more natural ingredients, more transparency and more eco-friendly packaging.
NS: THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED?
SC: the key to happiness is the ability to adapt - from my grandmother.
Shop mask
Interviewed By: Nateisha Scott
Starting in social work and finding strong roots in perfumery, CEO and Founder of Sana Jardin, Amy Christiansen is making a mark in changing the way we receive and perceive perfume with sustainability at the heart of what she does. Expanding on the efforts of the brand as well as unpacking the art of scents and travel, we discover Sana Jardin, a sustainable perfume brand.
NS: Tell us more about your career background?
SC: My career has been an evolution and I am always seeking out ways that I can use my skillset to help others. I started in social work as a key worker before realising that low income individuals didn’t need my advice, they needed access to economic opportunity. I then pivoted my career and started to address issues of economic injustice on a macro level. I became interested in the concept of harnessing the power of commerce to create social change and realised that the next iteration of social impact was business and not traditional philanthropy. I created Sana Jardin in 2017 as a vehicle for social change, I wanted to illustrate that we can use luxury business to empower low income women if we are creative with our use of waste.
NS: Could you expand more on the efforts at Sana Jardin?
SC: Well, at Sana Jardin, we use an alternative business model that we like to call “Beyond Sustainability”. How do we do that? We make sustainable and clean perfumes that are sold in luxury retailers around the world such as Net-A-Porter and Harrods. They are just like any other perfume that you would buy on the shelf, but the key difference is that we help the female flower harvesters who harvest for our perfumes to become micro-entrepreneurs. Our social impact project is in Morocco and the flower harvesters there live in rural communities, have little job skills and only have access to seasonal employment twice a year during the flower harvest. We take the waste from the flower harvest, upcycle it into scented candles and orange blossom water and have trained the women how to package and sell these products and from that they are able to retain 100% of the revenue from these products.
I believe we can incorporate more humanitarian values into the supply chain of perfume.
NS: What has been the best project you have worked on?
SC: It would have to be the Sana Jardin beyond Sustainability Project. It is truly the fusion of many of my loves – women’s empowerment, Morocco, Perfume and Orange Blossom.
NS: What is it about scents that you enjoy?
SC: Like many people, I love the transporting nature of scent and how mood lifting they can be. I grew up travelling around the world with my grandmother and found the scents of orange blossom, jasmine and amber so exotic. I started to research the history of perfume and the sacred practices associated with essential oil and perfume production and was enchanted with the mystical rituals. Perfume in many ways is alchemy, it is magic. Ancient priestesses used to use essential oils to heal themselves and others and incense and flowers have been used for spiritual rituals for thousands of years. I believe in the healing power of plant and flowers and I believe that translates into perfume, there is a magic to those oils. Perfume is also incredibly feminine and alluring and I love the power of the feminine. So, it was very attractive to me.
NS: What are the plans for the future?
SC: With the global pandemic things have been difficult however we want to expand to the US and Asia and to deepen our social impact work in Morocco. Right now, we are exploring training the women in our cooperative to make masks for their communities as another source of revenue. We are also launching more candles, perfumes and smaller roller ball sizes.
NS: Your morning beauty routine (skincare / hair)?
SC: I have two sons and I am an insomniac, so my routine is very quick as I leave waking up to the last minute! I always spray a lot of perfume, do a quick eyebrow with a Tom Ford pencil, Mac Lip colour and a bit of Trish McEvoy concealer and Nars bronzer. I quickly pull on yoga pants and zip my sons to school.
NS: Signature products you can’t live without?
SC: My Clarisonic Skin Brush and my Nars bronzer.
NS: Do you have any wellness and fitness habits that you are obsessed with?
SC: Absolutely, once or twice a year I go on a vegan hiking retreat in LA or Mallorca, the retreat is called The Ashram. Whilst there, you complete yoga twice a day, hike around 10 miles a day in the mountains, eat vegan food, laugh and reflect. It always centres me and makes me feel 10 years younger! I also drink a lot of water with hot lemon, eat mostly vegetarian, meditate and do Bikram yoga. For fitness generally however, I attend kick boxing sessions, Bikhram yoga and I am currently exploring Kundalini Yoga.
NS: Is there a cult fragrance you can’t live without?
SC: Berber Blonde by Sana Jardin
NS: Do you have any on-the-go essentials?
SC: I am afraid I don’t do anything on the go. I am a Taurus and I am not known for my speediness.
NS: How do you wind down in the evening?
SC: I would say reading books about spirituality and sending out emails, so my inbox is not so big in the morning. This probably keeps me up at night and does not help me to wind down.
NS: Where do you see the perfume industry going?
SC: I definitely see it headed towards more natural ingredients, more transparency and more eco-friendly packaging.
NS: The best advice you have ever received?
SC: the key to happiness is the ability to adapt - from my grandmother.
SHOP MAsKs
If you were to advise a London guide, what would be on your list?
Well, As I grew up in Notting Hill, it will always have my heart and if I was recommending spots in London, a wander around Notting Hill would be high up on my list. From there it would be all the best shopping destinations, the iconic private members club, Annabels, Harrods and Liberty’s for any cute and unique gifts. I would always pop into 111CRYO at Harrods for the Cryo Facial and treatment for the ultimate recharge. Sometimes the city is great, but the beautiful secrets of the English countryside is something that should be experienced.
Your In-Flight Essentials?
I don’t have a routine per say and I am certainly not as thorough as Naomi Campbell but I would apply the Meso Infusion Lip Duo and I would always wipe my phone down with anti-bacterial wipes, in fact I do this every day, the bacteria build up is no good for the skin.
In terms of Industry, where do you see the hair industry going?
Well Instagram has changed so much and has impacted the way we consume and learn within the industry, especially with so many creatives, but I still find that a massive amount of people come to the professionals to share the knowledge on how to carry out or complete a desired look, more than ever there is power behind ‘how-to’ videos.
A very valid point and in terms of 2020?
In terms of what we are to see in 2020, things are going to be super creative and we will see a wider awareness for people doing their own thing and it will be expressive and artistic. People will move away from the overtly glamorous looks and will create looks they can tailor to their everyday. As it’s currently Award Season which is the busiest time of the year leading up to the Met Ball, hairstyles are certainly more elaborate, and everyone loves an up do. I would say the most timeless look has to be the blunt bob, it comes around year on year, but it is effortless and timeless.
Outside of hair, what other industries are you into?
I am hugely into Interiors and I would describe my style as 60s/70s glamour, think elaborate and dramatic but I often fantasise about 80s Dallas and Joan Collins and I have to reign myself in. I also love Baking; it is the ultimate way to relax and I find that it is my meditation and therapy. If I’m in the USA I would bake a lot of cookies as everyone is obsessed with then over here and in the UK, I would bake more traditional styles like a lemon tart or an apple tart – it allows for me to be creative outside of my job.
Finally, the best advice you have ever received?
It would have to be from my grandfather, he would often say to me “it’s not how well you’re doing but how well people think you’re doing”. I haven’t successfully implemented it however you can look to Instagram today and people see our work and are blown away by it, but we can be so hard on ourselves and not appreciate our own work ourselves.