Sniffapalooza Magazine
Interview with Kedra Hart
Opus Oils
Kedra, first of all, congratulations on your new Perfume Atelier called Jitterbug
Perfume Parlor, located in Hollywood, CA. It looks amazing. Tell us about it.
Thanks so much Raphaella! It is truly a dream come true... We've (Opus Oils) been
operating for several years as a wholesale and Custom Scent Design business to high
end boutiques and spas, as well as doing retail internet sales. This is our first retail outlet!
We wanted to create a special place that people could get lost in & forget the world
outside while they experience their "smell-sense" in a whole new way...
It's a "Parlour of Dreams" & the atmosphere here is a transportation vehicle to another
place in time. Our aim is to give people a shopping experience that is luxurious, unique and fun!
In addition to selling all of our Opus Oils products at "The Jitterbug," we offer Custom
Scent Design, as well.... And, we will be hosting "Scent Parties," Perfume Classes,
"Scent Readings," and all kinds of special scented events!
RB: You were one of the developers of The Apothecary at Barneys New York and
Beverly Hills and founder of Precious Petals, a natural perfume and aromatherapy line.
Please tell us all about that because it sounds as if you have wonderful and incredible
professional experience in the field of fragrance.
Actually, I was only involved with The Apothecary at the Barneys Beverly Hills store...
My decision to delve into the position at Barneys NY Beverly Hills, was born out of the
misfortune of loosing my first aromatic business (Precious Petals) as a result of the
Northridge Earthquake, but it wound up being an incredible experience for me in so
many unexpected ways!
When I launched Precious Petals in 1988, there were very few people outside of the cosmetics industry (and often times even within the industry) who understood the difference between Essential Oils & Fragrance oils. This was one of my goals my at Barneys - to educate the staff and customers of the difference... This was no easy task, as there were many people who really wanted to believe that Kiehls' Musk was an essential oil! I finally resorted to bringing in a sample of real Musk to make my point - you can imagine the reaction that got!
The time I spent at Barneys was an inspiration to me in many ways... The entire store staff - from Simon Doonan (Window Artist Extraordinaire/Author), to Erica Gavin (Personal Shopper/ Russ Meyer Starlet "Beyond The Valley of The Dolls," "Vixen") & all the special people who made up the opening store staff, were such fantastic characters -it was quite a "Fellini" moment in time! The value of "entertaining" shoppers really started to seep into my mind there...
It was also a great market research opportunity for me when it came to developing our current Opus Oils product lines! At Barneys, I was able to experience the highest quality Fragrance and Beauty products from all over the world, and to interact with the public getting their reactions to it all.
RB: I understand you have a European Division in Paris, France as well.
We have a partner in France, and a wonderful Atelier where I enjoy doing
Workshop's, Product Development, and Custom Scent Design.
I try to get over there as often as possible, of course things have been so busy
here with everything that's involved in setting up a boutique, that it's been hard
to get away this year.
RB: And you plan on possibly opening more Perfume Parlors?
Yes were looking to Franchise in many major cities - Las Vegas, NY, Paris,
Vancouver BC, Chicago, Seattle, etc. Each Parlour will have it's own unique
color signature, but they will all have "The Jitterbug"
look and flavor.
RB: Can you tell us briefly about yourself?
I am a person who is very driven by my creativity. I have a hard time sitting still
- luckily for me with everything going on recently, that hasn't really been an option...
I believe strongly in a "Pleasure Principal" approach to life - always squeeze
as much pleasure as possible out of every situation!
RB: Could you please tell us a bit about your background leading
up to your career in perfumery?
I was born and raised in Hollywood California. Maybe it was the environment
but I have always been an artistic person... After graduating high school,
I spent a year in New York studying Shakespeare, then went on to England
to do the same. This was followed by several years in Europe working as a
fashion model. I was fortunate to live in Paris for part of this time, and it was there that my fascination with Perfumes really started to blossom.
RB: What led you to perfumery and fragrances, there must have been a defining moment that led you to become a perfumer. How did that happen?
I have always been one of those people who experiences their environment through their smell-sense. I'm sure that I drive everyone I know crazy because whenever I walk into a room I immediately start trying to isolate all the scents - "What's that cooking in your kitchen?" , "Is that Joy that you're wearing?", "What kind of wood is your new table?" etc... - lol! "
As far as my path to perfumery, it was more of a series of events, than any one event in particular...
There was a moment that I remember distinctly in the mid 80's, when a friend of mine from the
modeling industry, who was living in San Francisco studying Aromatherapy, put me in touch
with an Essential Oil Supplier - this was the first step for me towards Professional Perfumery.
RB: Can you tell us about your fragrances?
All of our fragrances are hand blended and poured in the traditional methods of the Artisan Perfumers
of centuries past. The current mainstream or commercial market feels very industrial and impersonal to me,
for the most part. It's all about sales as the bottom line... Of course, I am interested in sales as well,
but I think of Perfumery more as an art form, than as a spread sheet, and I hope that my fragrant
creations reflect that idea... I believe the recent trend toward Niche fragrances in the industry, shows
that there are many people out there who are willing to pay a bit extra for a Perfume that is special and
unusual. I had a customer in the shop the other day who remarked about how "unique" each of our scents
was as opposed to the "department store scents" that all smelled like the same thing to her. This was
such a great compliment!
RB: Tell us about some of your favorites that you have created.
My Latest obsession is "Jitterbug," our Signature Scent, that we released recently to mark
the boutique opening. I've always been a HUGE jasmine fan, so creating a scent with Jasmine as it's main
muse was indolic heaven for me! One thing I love most about living in California is the scent of Jasmine that wafts through the air in spring and summer time, I was aiming to make "Jitterbug" have that same "wafting" Jasmine note...
There are times when each creation is my favorite, though. I go through stages and moods...
There are a few that I come back to a bit more often then others - Absinthia (when I need some magic), Mantra (when I need grounding), Island (when I need a vacation), Kitten (when I need sassing & refreshing)...
RB: What is the oddest ingredient that you have used in natural perfumery?
I have some antique skunk oil that is pretty interesting, though I've never actually used it in a perfume blend. All of the animal notes are, in fact, rather "odd"- each in it's own way (where they come from, methods of procuring them, and the process that each one has to go through to 'get in the bottle')... But really, I have these ingredients around more for historical purposes than for blending purposes. Although I do use "Beach found Ambergris" in "Jitterbug." But I should clarify that "Jitterbug" is not one of our "Natural Perfumes" ...
So to answer your question, in a very round about way, I would say that the Choya Nakh (roasted crushed seashells) and Seaweed absolute that I use in "Venus" from our Divine Collection are probably the most unusual notes that I have used so far in in my Natural Perfumes.
RB: As a perfumer, where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration everywhere! In music, art, books, movies, people, and the world around me. I try to stay "tuned in" to everything. Sometimes, when I'm lucky, I dream in scents... It feels like a "gift" these dreams, the trick is to remember them when I wake up!~ "Toro" from our Fetish Collection,
was actually a scent that was inspired by a dream I had about Herb Alpert, who was a familiar person in my childhood... In my dream I had come across a special scented drawer in his study that had the most amazing scent of tobacco, earth and a sweet apricot like note.. In my dream I was thinking - "I have to recreate this scent!"...
RB: Were you inspired by any one perfumer?
Not especially - when I am creating a perfume it is more of a
personal creative expression, than it is experiencing somebody
else's creativity and wanting to recreate that. Though there are
so many great perfumers I am inspired by through their lovely
creations - Edmond Roudnitska (Diorissimo, Diorella, Rochas Femme),
Earnest Beaux (Channel #5), Jacques Guerlain (Mitsouko), Sophia
Grojsman (Paris YSL), to name a few...
RB: What was your favorite fragrance growing up?
As a very young child I was a big fan of "Tinkerbelle" Perfume,
which was generously supplied to me on a regular basis
(Christmas, Birthdays, Valentines Day) by my Great Aunt Dee Dee...
There was also a lovely Orange Blossom Scent that I got on a trip to
Catalina Island when I was about 10.
My fist favorite "Grown Up" Scent was Muguet from Fragonard, which
I picked up at the Parfumerie Fragonard in France when I visited there
at the ripe young age of 13. Cristalle from Chanel, Paris from YSL,
and Chloe were all favorites of mine as well.
RB: What is the most amazing fragrance you have ever smelled?
Wow - that's really hard to say - there are so many! I'll tell you, one
fragrance that always transports me to another plane is Fresh Narcissus Flowers... At Christmas time a couple of years ago my Aunt had filled their entire house in Victoria BC with Narcissus plants that she grew from bulbs. When my parents and I arrived on Christmas Eve there was one of the most intoxicating aromas I have ever smelled wafting though the house. I've always loved Narcissus - but something about the sheer quantity involved here literally made me swoon and created an experience with these flowers that was entirely new to me...
I also LOVE the scent of Ambergris tinctured in unrefined coconut oil - it's just divine! I make a face elixir of it...
RB: Which famous fragrance do you wish you had created?
Fracas from Robert Piguet. To me it is the ultimate feminine luxury floral scent.
RB: What power do fragrances have power over people, do you think, if any?
Transformation! If I'm having a "frumpy" day - all it takes is a couple spritzes of
something ultra feminine to get me feeling better.... One only has to read Colette,
Baudelaire, Shakespeare etc. to feel first hand the power that fragrance can have
over people!
RB: Why do you think so many women and men are part of this fragrance
explosion, especially the niche and natural trend?
The Natural trend is an interesting thing in and of itself...
As the world becomes more high tech and faster paced, I believe that there
is also a growing demand for a return to nature in order to balance things out ...
In terms of the current fragrance explosion, I think that the internet has a lot to
do with it. There is a wealth of information out there for people who search it out.
Websites and blogs dedicated to perfumes are becoming more prevalent, and
the ingredients are much more accessible too. I think the veil of secrecy that
surrounds the Fragrance industry is slowly pulling back, and people are becoming
more aware of the possibilities out there as far as personal fragrance creation.
RB: I love your edginess, your fragrances sound a tad naughty-very intriguing! Do tell!
Having grown up in Hollywood, I have been exposed to my fair share of "naughty"! We try to have fun with our fragrance releases and not take ourselves too seriously.
As an independent Niche Perfumer, there is lots of room for creative expression. I feel very fortunate not to have many of the creative restraints that come with
traditional Perfumers positions in the industry, in that they are mostly responding to "briefs," and don't have the luxury to release some of their more whimsical, or unconventional creations.I have a friend who is a traditional Perfumer (one of the "400"), and he was telling me the other day how frustrating it can be to have to wait on another person, or a chain of other people to move ahead on mods... In my current position, I am able to go way outside of the box, and I don't have to wait for approval if inspiration hits me and I suddenly want to tweak something into a whole new direction...
RB: Is there anything else you would like our readers to know about you or your perfumes that we have not discussed?
One thing that people tend to misunderstand about us is that we are not an "Oil" company, in the sense of the "smelly hippie" oil connection... What we are offering scent wise, are high-end, complex perfume blends, in a fractionated coconut oil base. Personally, I find the application of oil based perfumes to be a very sensuous experience, and it's conditioning for your skin as well! But I do understand that some people really prefer an alcohol base to their perfumes, so people can special order any of our fragrances in an alcohol base, if they choose to.
Also, I should clarify here that although we do have Perfume Collections that are 100% Natural Perfumes (no synthetic), we also have some that are blends of natural ingredients and high quality aroma chemicals. I know that many "Natural Perfumers" are dogmatic about never using any synthetics in any of their creations EVER, but, I also find that certain high quality aroma chemicals can be very lovely in some blends. In my perfume creations I always do a high ratio of naturals ingredients to perfume oils, which I use mainly as nuance ingredients.
And, as far as our Packaging goes, we really make an effort to be environmentally conscientious in every way possible. All of our products are "Free Standing" (no boxes = less waste). And we recycle our packing supplies whenever possible.
RB: Where are your fragrances available for sale at and do you offer a sample program? What is your web site?
We sell our fragrances online at www.OpusOils.com and at our Jitterbug Perfume Parlour (4959 Hollywood Blvd. Hollywood, CA 90027 PH 323.667.3376).
We do offer a sample program, our samples are available to purchase by collection and people can either order them from our website, or directly from the boutique.
Kedra, thank you so much for taking the time to talk to us, we wish you the best.
Thanks so much for the opportunity Raphaella! It was my pleasure, It's an honor to be part of your Lovely Fragrant Tapestry!
