UNDER THE RADAR:
Red Flower
An Exclusive Sniffapalooza Magazine Interview
With Founder and Owner, Yael Alkalay
MC: What was the idea behind starting Red Flower and when was the Company started?
YA: Red Flower launched in October 1999 with six Petal Topped Candles, two Organic Teas and a selection of small tea implements and home accessories. The idea behind the line was to begin a beauty and personal care line founded with the intention of transforming simple everyday experiences to their utmost and a feeling of emotional connection.
Red Flower is founded on four principles …sustainability, health and well being, esthetics and world traditions.
MC: What differentiates Red Flower from other Eco-Friendly fragrance/ lifestyle companies?
YA: The depth of our principals, the intensity and rare and naturally cultivated quality of our scents makes Red Flower truly different. The multilayered experience in every product ranges from texture to the story that we pull from authentic traditions that are deeply engrossed in everything that we formulate. We source and produce every product ourselves locally in New York, and we are committed to an environmental mission that includes everything from product ingredients to how we pack and ship products This shows how we truly care about elevating and transforming the moment that one has to experience a Red Flower product. We absolutely care about how people feel when they use the product and go beyond just offering a benefit – we want to be transformative
MC: How important will personal fragrance become to the Company's future?
YA: Incredibly important – Red Flower organic perfumes, Guaiac, Champa and Ambrette are the first trinity. I see growing to include over a dozen scents.
Every scent is a rare and organically crafted expression of the true art and tradition of perfuming oneself. As a company, we want to define a new category of personal fragrance that will be a leader in growing vibrational scents. All Red Flower organic perfumes are synthetic free, certified organic, hand and wild crafted, while all fragrances also are made with pure flower, leaf and bark distillations.
MC: How has Red Flower evolved over the past year and what lies ahead for 2009?
YA: Red Flower is in the process of launching a new spa treatment program for 2009 – Flowers Hold Life™. Flowers Hold Life™ incorporates several techniques and products including a massage oil blend of certified organic avocado oil, jojoba oil and grape seed oil. Also, the Flowers Hold Life™ services will include massages, wraps, soaks, hand & foot treatments and exfoliating body treatments – all which will use the Flower Skin line of body lotions and body washes with scents such as Indian Jasmine, French Lavender, Italian Blood Orange, Icelandic Moonflower and Ocean. Flowers Hold Life™ will soon be on top spa menus such as Canyon Ranch, and the corresponding Red Flower products are currently available at Barney’s.
We are also preparing to launch our third bathhouse and ritual based treatment which revolves around the people of Finland. While deepening our commitment to environmental change, we have been able to begin sourcing more obscure and intense whole flower essential oils. Also, we have cultivated a following amongst boutique hotels by launching luxury bio-degradable bath amenities.
By Michelyn Camen
Read Chandler Burr’s FOUR STAR Review of
Red Flower’s Guaiac
Available @ www.luckyscent.com
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