Botanica Hitting It's Stride

I'm so thrilled that Botanica has really taken off. I'm still gobsmacked at Daphne being such a runaway success, at two points when we'd ran out we had a wait list of about 22 people. We're so grateful. Its one of the four variants that is rated 100% accurate. I focussed most of my efforts on Signature, after all it's my baby and the Primary collection of Candle Monster. But Botanica was never a lesser Collection in any way. When thinking about this recently, I realised that I never really shared the purpose and M.O of the collection so in this blog post I aim to fill in some blanks for you.

Genesis

Botanica was something I realised needed to happen along the way when I was about two variants into creating the Signature Collection. Signature is so complex, thick, layered fragrances that are more of a concert for the nose than a mere stage show. It was to be styled black with rich imagery in every colour of the rainbow. But something was missing. The light to the dark. Just like me, Signature needed another force to balance it. A reprieve from the incredible by something simpler by comparison. Simpler does not mean lesser. Simpler often means purer, as it does in this case.

My partner loves plants and botany, and did a Masters degree in it, in which he dedicated his thesis to me. So I dedicate the Botanica Collection to him. James, you are the light to my darkness, and the inspiration for Botanica. 

In its most simplest distillation, Botanica is a celebration of beauty, purity, life and the perfection that is all around us in flowers.

Tenets & Parameters

Of course I couldn't produce just any floral fragrance into a Botanica variant, there needed to be some parameters in play that ensure we are always evolving the collection to be the purest and best it can be. After all, this would be our point of difference. Botanica's core tenets are as follows:

• No blends would be allowed: eg 'Freesia and Pear'
• There are to be no fragrance notes, or detailed breakdown of what components make the accord, because they're useless and distracting. There is one note, and that note is true to the real life experience the flower offers.
• In absence of the usual fragrance breakdown We'd give each a % rating of likeness to the real world flower. This is how we convey quality to you.
• We would exhaust all Australian wholesalers and venture to overseas if we could not acquire a high quality pure fragrance.
• We would monitor all exhausted Australian wholesalers for new variants or improved fragrances
• If fragrances were not at a certain % threshold, they're not permitted in store
• Newly discovered higher % rated fragrances for existing flowers would be blind tested to decide if they were indeed better
• Replacements with higher % alternatives must be called out on product pages for a minimum of month afterwards
• Recent purchasers of the old fragrance should be sent a sampler
• Announcements of successors distributed to email list so repeat buyers know its evolved
• Links between Signature and Botanica variants should be suggested to customers to help them cross pollinate between the collections, as their ambience and sanctuary with be improved in both directions if they do.

The Future

There is one glaring omission that I tried and tried to add but it just wasn't good enough. Freesia. I'm a country boy and I tell you, you've not experienced Freesias until you've smelled them down south in the western district, about 3 hours from Melbourne. You find them on the side of the road growing and their perfume is phenomenal - I'd go as far as saying its likely most of you haven't experienced them properly yet. You can't just buy them from a florist, the have almost no smell by comparison. I will eventually succeed, so want you to know it's in the works. If there's another flower you think should be in there, drop us a line and tell us and we will get to work on it.

If you haven't tried Botanica yet, do yourself a favour and give a candle a try. If you don't know what one to get, I would choose something that your Nan grew in her garden when you were younger. As soon as you light it the most wonderful memories will come flooding back.

- Damien