KIMARIA
We had the pleasure of catching up with Maria Joyce who is part of the company Kimaria, an eco-luxury fragrance company, designing & creating beautiful layered fragrance.
What does Kimaria do?
We are an eco-luxury fragrance company, designing and creating beautiful layered fragrance in our studio, tucked away in the cathedral city of Armagh. We hand pour pure soy candles, natural diffusers and aroma oils. As master blenders, we create all our fragrances in house, from pure essential and natural oils. Our products are vegan, eco-friendly, chemical free and only from sustainable and ethical sources and we also apply this ethos to our biodegradable and recyclable packaging.
In Kimaria we create fragrances for our own range but also have a very unique service, offering both bespoke and white label fragrance creation for other business, charity, event and geographical area.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to set up Kimaria?
The name Kimaria comes from our names – Kim and Maria! We’re cousins who began creating fragrance four years ago. Our own backgrounds are accountancy and holistic therapy. With a family background steeped in traditional remedies and the use of plants in everyday life, we were both drawn to fragrance.
We wanted to create luxury fragrance in the traditional chandler way, using unique oils, flora and spices but bringing it into the world of today. We also had real concerns about both the health of the customer and the effect on the planet, as our research showed the sector was saturated with mass produced chemical fragrances, containing parabens and paraffin.
In working with other small businesses, we very much fell into a niche market. There were barriers to white label entry and there was a definite gap in fragrance design services.
What/who influences/motivates you?
Whilst we keep in tune with fragrance trends, Nature continues to be our biggest inspiration. With access to rare oils and flora from reputable sustainable sources, this gives us the opportunity to create and blend our designer fragrance in unique complex layers. For our own range we are inspired by our travels to places like Australia, Saint-Malo, and by the plants and flowers around us.
When we work with our business customers, we are inspired and motivated by their work, their brand and their own stories. We love to create fragrance to tell the story of a brand, such as the blend for Oxford Island, created from the flowers and trees from around the lough. For Lotus Homes we included the beautiful lotus flower and we create a number of Bramley Apple fragrances for businesses based in County Armagh, the Orchard County.
What has been your biggest hurdle and your proudest moment or accomplishment with your business so far?
Our biggest hurdle certainly was self-confidence and belief we could have success in this very competitive market. Also trying to explain the benefits of eco-luxury products before this period of eco warriors – four years ago the public weren’t as concerned about the implication of burning chemicals in their homes!
Our proudest moment happens every time we share a finished fragrance, both for our own range and our white label design. We feel very privileged to be entrusted to create fragrance to represent others, from the Lord Mayor to an artisan cider company or a designer boutique.
Could you give some advice for any young, emerging entrepreneurs?
When you’ve found your passion, then reach out to other creatives, always network, have creative conversations and believe in yourself. Opportunities can arise from rejection and hard work does pay off.
Our website is www.kimaria.co.uk
Our insta is www.instagram.com/kimariacandles