Lisa Hoffman
Wife, Mother and Perfumer with a Mission
A Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview
It gives me great pleasure to introduce a woman who has dedicated her life to family in spite of the allure of flashing lights and glamour. Lisa Hoffman, Creator and Founder of Lisa Hoffman Beauty spent her life not as a skincare expert and perfumer of Variations Fragrance Collection but as a mother of six children and married to world famous and two time Academy Award winner actor, Dustin Hoffman. Lisa and Dustin married in 1980 after she graduated from law school. Lisa, like so many married women, dedicated her life to raising their children and maintaining calm and peace in hectic schedules that was a demand of such a high profile husband.
During, Mr. Hoffman’s career, Lisa was able to travel to many beautiful places and she took in all that nature had to offer. Lisa learned many skills during her traveling days with her husband and children that resulted in a skincare and fragrance empire. Lisa is called the “kitchen chemist” in the family due to testing and trying out products to promote beauty in a healthy and more natural way and to take the complexity out of daily use of beauty products and fragrances into something enjoyable and more convenient to use.
Here is Lisa Hoffman, who is used to being in the spotlight and on the red carpet with her famous husband. Now it is Lisa’s turn to shine, this time alone as she talks about her life as a wife, mother and a mission to make improvements in the beauty industry.
FH: Ms. Hoffman, did you have any idea earlier in your marriage that you wanted to start a business in the beauty industry? Or did you recently come with the idea to start your skincare and fragrance collection soon after your youngest child entered college?
Lisa Hoffman: While I am extraordinarily passionate about my products and my company, my family has always come first. The idea of starting a business began as my children started to leave for college but I have always loved and been intrigued by beauty products. Through my travels with my family, I immersed myself in the diverse cultures, educating myself on local beauty secrets, and scoured the globe for the best products. I found myself collecting special herbs, essential oils and beauty products that were interesting and unique, knowing I would eventually take them home with me so I could experiment with them; adding ingredients, mixing and matching formulas, heating them, trying to find a way to make them more effective. I became so
invested in finding the “perfect formula” that I earned the title” kitchen chemist” from my family.
It was also through my family’s frequent travels that I came up with the idea to start my business. Life was always hectic, but the “straw that broke the camel’s back,” so to speak, was the minutia of packing toiletries. Every time we would travel I would ultimately become exasperated trying to figure out an orderly, minimalist way to pack our toiletries and each time I would either end up with an ungainly toiletry
bag or I would over simplify and need to buy product while on vacation. I tried everything, including hoarding hotel samples, but I never “mastered” the art of toiletry packing. One night I had a dream that I was packing my skincare products for an upcoming holiday trip. I was placing 10 pre-packed packettes in my bag. Each contained the exact dose of every product I would need during 24- hour period. When I awoke I drew the package I envisioned.
So it was both a natural progression to transition my hobby into a profession as well as a need that was unmet in the market that inspired me to start my company after my youngest child left for college.
FH: Do you wish you could have started your business years ago? Or do you think you have a better advantage now that you have raised your children and can focus on yourself?
Lisa Hoffman: I’m never one to look back with regret. I love and feel so blessed by the path my life has taken thus far.
FH: What are some of the places you traveled with Mr. Hoffman and the children that inspired your fragrance collection?
Lisa Hoffman: I have been to so many beautiful places, each with its own sensibility, aroma and beauty. For example, Taha’a, one of the French Polynesian Islands, is colloquially known as the Vanilla Island, because the air is so heavily scented; it’s such a sensory high to be able to see pristine beaches, with crystal clear turquoise water, and have the aroma of vanilla envelope you when a breeze blows. In Paris, among the clean, modern effortlessly elegant streets I have always loved the smell of jasmine, honeysuckle and pink peony. Italy, the Mediterranean, Tuscany, Sicily, Portofino, Positano, and the whole coastline have always seemed to me the embodiment of ripe citruses, sumptuous woods, figs, bergamot, and cypress.
In Morocco you are guaranteed to be greeted with warm smiles and abundant spice markets. The combination of the spices herbs, woody resins and the orange,
lemon and rose essences have always had a simultaneously exotic and comforting aroma to me. Also, I must mention Kyoto, Japan which was very inspirational for me, particularly in terms of designing my most recent fragrance, Japanese Agarwood. Kyoto is a magical place, inhabited by serene temples, where incense fill the air with dry, warm cedar and musk notes, and the landscape allows for earthy, yet subtly spicy notes.
However, mostly I created my fragrances because I believe that fragrances have the power to transcend day-to-day life. I believe that my fragrances have the power to evoke memories, enable associations to faraway places, and envelope us in our own
personal realm of passions and inspirations.
FH: What does Mr. Hoffman and your children think about you being an entrepreneur?
Lisa Hoffman: They are my biggest fans. They could not be more supportive.
FH: I read that you have come out with new fragrances in fall 2008. Can you talk a little bit about that?
Lisa Hoffman: I received such an overwhelmingly positive response to the scents in my Spa Bath and Spa Shower Collections that I decided to translate the unique scents into a fine fragrance collection.
The scent in my Spa Bath collection was derived from the Star of Madagascar Orchid. It’s a beautiful, white flower that was discovered in the remote rainforest of East Madagascar. It’s a very unique scent that is proprietary to me and has never been used in modern perfumery until now.
Actually, the discovery of this flower has a very interesting story. I collaborated with Givaudan, one of the premiere perfumers in the world, in the development of my fine fragrances. In 2007, Givaudan patented one of the most innovative and breakthrough technologies in the world of perfumery. Their award-winning Scent Trek technology allows for the truest impression of a scent without harming or transporting the flower to the lab so the delicate balance of nature is never disrupted.
My fragrance, Japanese Agarwood, the scent in my Spa Shower Collection, was also discovered during one of the Scent Trek expeditions and it is quickly becoming a new favorite. Inspired by the lush, natural oils from the rainforest with the subtle hints of Italian Bergamot, Spiced Ginger Accord and Warm Amber. It reminds me of the subtle ambiance of the Far East.
FH: Each of your fragrances has a variation of scent pertaining to morning, daytime, evening and bedtime. Why did you choose to do this and did you see a lack of variation with the existing fragrances on the market?
Lisa Hoffman: I, like most women, tend to be loyal to one fragrance throughout the day. It was always frustrating that my favorite scent was not always appropriate, or even pleasant, at different times of the day. For example, a fragrance I might love in the evening because it’s warm and sexy would overwhelm my nose in the morning or embarrass me as I entered the elevator on my way to the office.
So I studied our olfactive needs. I found that in fact we do prefer certain scents based on the time of the day. I learned that in the morning we tend to like scents that are lighter, more citrus in nature. In the daytime, we are at our peak of activity so we like our scents to be more rich and dimensional. In the evening we want something warmer, perhaps sexier and for bedtime a scent that is soft and powdery.
FH: Do you travel to any different locations now for inspiration that you didn’t get a chance to go when your children were younger?
Lisa Hoffman: There are so many places that I haven’t been able to visit yet, that I hope I will get to see one day. In the meantime, I continue to find inspiration wherever I am, whether on the streets of New York or in the backyard of my Los Angeles home.
A Special Note of Thanks: I am truly thankful for the help of Jennifer Conlon of Tractenberg & Co. for many this mission possible for me. Your kindness to me is truly a blessing and I am forever grateful to you. -FH
Ron Robinson of Apothia and Fred Segal with Lisa and Dustin Hoffman
The gorgeous Lisa Hoffman
Lisa Hoffman
A Perfumer Who Is Making a Monumental Difference
A Review
Variations Fragrance Collection allows room to keep the same core scent but with the variety on that scent.
Lisa Hoffman, Creator and Perfumer for Variations Fragrance Collection has done all the running around for you in one, two, three and four simple steps or should I say, variations.
This collection consists of four fabulous and luxurious scents that have been inspired by Lisa’s travels all over the world, while she held down a full-time job being a mother and wife to two time Academy Award winner, Dustin Hoffman.
While traveling with Mr. Hoffman, Lisa was inspired by nature’s beauty and as a result became an expert packer in the meantime. Though dreading just packing one thing when it came to beauty products, Lisa literally had a dream that she was packing for a trip and everything was neatly organized into daily packettes. Since that dream and years later when her children went off to college, the Lisa Hoffman Night & Day 24-Hour Skincare became a reality and from that skincare line formed Variations Fragrance Collection.
Madagascar Orchid, the fourth collection comes in a four different pulse point oil vials and sits elegantly in a celadon green leather pouch. The core scent is smooth and refined with flowery notes. It starts off with Italian lemon, Clove Bud Oil which adds vast flavor to the Madagascar Orchid Accord, Tuberose, Jasmine and Orange Flower which helps it to stay soft and understated. It ends with a wonderful whiff of lush wood notes to make evening time and unforgettable moment.
Each vial has a light and fresh scent to a richer, fuller-bodied version with a more sensual and provocative edge for the evening and finally a soft whisper of a powdery version for bedtime.
Japanese Agarwood, the fifth collection comes in the same four different pulse point oil vials and this one elegantly sits in a baby blue leather pouch. Lisa was inspired by the lush, natural oils from the rainforest and with its mystic and arousal scent comes to life the notes of Fresh Cardamom and lemon. The center attraction is the Japanese Agarwood Accord and the zest of Ginger, Jasmin and Muguet. Finally, the beauty of it all is the Cedarwood, Amber and Musk which gives a unique highlight to such a lavish fragrance.
Variations Fragrance Collection is eye-catching in its various colors leather pouch colors and it is indeed safe for travel.
This exclusive collection can be purchased for $150.00 and the refill set of four vials is $90.00 at lisahoffmanbeauty.com
LISA HOFFMAN VARIATIONS FRAGRANCE
IN MADAGASCAR ORCHID AND JAPANESE AGARWOOD
Lisa Hoffman extends her innovative Variations Collection to include Madagascar Orchid and Japanese Agarwood, the alluring fragrances behind Lisa’s Spa Bath and Spa Shower Collections respectively. Both fragrances come with four variations of the same core scent, each of which contains a distinct fragrance blend customized to a particular time of day—morning, noon, afternoon and night.
All four variations are housed in one soft leather pouch. Madagascar Orchid variations come in a celadon green leather pouch that reflects the shade of the Lisa Hoffman Spa Bath Collection, while Japanese Agarwood variations come in a baby blue leather pouch in keeping with the color of the Spa Shower Collection.
The unique notes in the Madagascar Orchid and Japanese Agarwood fragrances were discovered by the world’s largest fine fragrance supplier, Givaudan, when they conducted rainforest Scent Treks in places like Costa Rica, Brazil, China and Madagascar and uncovered notes never before experienced. Inspired by these scents, Lisa used ingredients indigenous to these same exotic places in her new scent variations. All of these ingredients are extracted from their natural sources in ways that do not harm the plant or flower. The new variations fragrances include the following rich notes:
Madagascar Orchid
Top: Italian Lemon, Clove Bud Oil
Mid: Madagascar Orchid Accord, Tuberose, Jasmin, Orange Flower
Dry: Lush Woods
Japanese Agarwood
Top: Fresh Cardamom, Lemon
Mid: Japanese Agarwood Accord, Ginger, Jasmin, Muguet
Dry: Cedarwood, Amber, Musk
THE VARIATIONS: Each of the two fragrances comes in four different vials of pulse point oils, each subtly suited to various parts of the day.
Vial #1 is for MORNING: Light and refreshing, this variation is the perfect addition to one’s morning routine. It contains just enough fragrance to be noticed, but without overpowering one’s sensitive morning nose.
Vial #2 is for DAYTIME: A richer, fuller-bodied version of the same scent, this variation is for hours of peak activity and is meant to be re-applied in order to freshen up throughout the day.
Vial #3 is for EVENING: This variation is more sensual and provocative, ideally suited for a night out with friends or a romantic evening.
Vial #4 is for BEDTIME: Each day ends with a softer, more powdery version of the fragrance that is light, soothing and sensual.
The Lisa Hoffman Variations Fragrance Collection also includes:
French Clary Sage – a fresh, clean and invigorating blend of linen and cotton accords combined with Sicilian Bergamot and French Clary Sage
Tuscan Fig – a rich, somewhat sweet fragrance that contains notes of rich ambers, warm woods, sensual musks, French jasmine, honeysuckle, osmanthus, Madagascar vanilla bean, Madagascar gardenia, Tahitian tiare flower and tuscan fig
Tunisian Neroli – a captivating, lush and intoxicatingly feminine blend of French ylang ylang, French golden amber, Italian lemon, south African buchu leaf and Tunisian neroli
By Felicia M. Hazzard
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