Ingredient Exploration: A Focus with Medeau’s Founder Allison Stubbings

Ingredients make up the fundamentals of fragrance and product creation in the industry.
Exploring fragrance through the focal point of ingredients opens up conversations of innovation, expectations, and education.
Allison Stubbings, founder of independent British brand Medeau, details in this interview the power of ingredients in the creative process, finding balance and unique pairings to inspire but also outlines the pre-existing notion the consumer may have about certain ingredients and how to break that mould.

What does the power of scent mean to you?

Intricate connection between memory, emotion and perception. The ability to transport us to different times and places, evoke deep emotions and create lasting impressions. Scent is a subtle yet potent force that can influence our moods.

Ingredients are the backbone for fragrance creation, what has your experience been like in accessing the variety of ingredients available in the industry?

The fragrance industry has a diverse array of ingredients available; botanicals, synthetics, and exotic elements. The difficulty is being able to determine which ingredients are safe to use, not just from a sustainable perspective, but to ensure that a particular ingredient does not cause any harm to the wearer themselves (this is why we’ve partnered with EWG). For us, our ingredients represent innovation and contribute to a unique olfactory experience.

What is your creative process like when engaging with fragrance ingredients? What do you look forward to most about working with them?

It’s about finding the perfect harmony and balance between ingredients. More than selling a simple fragrance, we want to create an experience, to transport the wearer to a moment in time, to a feeling. Whether that be the smell of spring rain in the green garden with Daydreamer, or the feeling of the sun rising on your face through the canopy of trees with Lost in The Forest.

What ingredients can we explore through Medeau and how best should we utilise the scents available within the brand?

The versatility of our fragrances allows for personalisation. Layering our fragrances for a signature expression of individuality.

What should consumers keep in mind when reading the list of ingredients in a fragrance?

Contrary to traditional or all-natural fragrance brands, our ingredients do not disrupt the natural balance of your hormones. Fragrances have the power to stimulate neurons in the nasal passages, sending signals to the endocrine system to boost the production of certain hormones. However, excessive hormonal fluctuations can disrupt the delicate balance within the body. Individuals facing hormone-related health issues, such as oestrogen dominance, PCOS, endometriosis, thyroid imbalances, fertility issues, or adrenal fatigue, are particularly vulnerable. Our fragrances are designed specifically to be safe for hormonal health so that everyone and anyone can enjoy the luxurious scentorial experience.

What excites you about the innovations in fragrance, especially in terms of ingredient developments?

Two things. The first is the exciting focus on bioidenticals. Now for those that don't know exactly what that is, it's an ingredient created in a lab which has the exact same chemical structure as an ingredient which you would find in nature. So this means that you can enjoy the beautiful scent of nature, but through a note which has been created in a lab, ultimately making it more sustainable (a very similar process to lab-grown diamonds). It's important to note that bioidenticals are different to synthetic ingredients which are also made in a lab but for which the chemical structure is different to the original ingredient, and to which toxic ingredients can also be used in the process. These bioidenticals are an exciting next step in the fragrance industry as they allow for a more conscious approach to scent creation, whilst being just as safe (if not safer) to use as a natural ingredient. Second, through this innovation in bioidenticals, we've been seeing a lot more interest from biohacking and health-conscious individuals who are looking for safer alternatives to the traditional and all-natural fragrances which are currently sitting on the market. These individuals typically stay away from any type of fragrance, however, they have been able to find Medeau as a reference for a safe alternative. What this means is, our ingredients have been thoroughly researched to ensure there aren't any endocrine disruptors, which is a key aspect as to why biohackers and those with hormonal disruptions have typically said no to fragrances. Medeau offers them a solution. There has always been a connection between fragrance and general well-being, but we're excited to see how our scents have been able to open a new door for truly health-conscious consumers.

What is something we can look forward to from Medeau in 2024?

We are releasing a range of 6 candles with the same ethos as the perfumes.
They have similar notes but are not identical to the perfumes as we wanted to create something unique and distinct for the home.