Meet the Maker - Behind the Scents
Written by: Destany Lorn
Meet the maker behind the scenes - Kabrea Thomas. She is the founder of Signature Scents by Hand. A Brooklyn born online fragrance shop. Each fragrance is hand-poured by her, with the use of natural and vegan-friendly ingredients. I’ve gotten the pleasure of interviewing her, and understanding the concept behind each fragrance as well as how important aromatherapy is to her.
Destany Lorn: How did your love for fragrances start?
Kabrea Thomas: I can’t give a particular age, but as far as I can remember possibly elementary/junior high school. I remember having my own collection of body mists from bath and body works. My mother would add to my collection with various sets. Most of the time they were either very floral, sweet or vanilla was the base of the fragrance. Funny enough I find myself doing the same to my daughter, only I’m crafting the scents myself.
DL: What does a signature scent mean to you?
KT: To me a signature scent is personal. Just as everyone as their own DNA, their own signature and their characteristics, I think of a signature scent the same way. I remember years ago, when I use to work retail, I had a manager that had this signature scent. It smelled soo good, and was such a vibrant fragrance. Her signature scent exuded her bubbly personality. And I remember I think I was running some errands, and I smelled the trail of her aroma. And I inhaled and said to myself wow, she was here. That’s what a signature scent is to me. It’s apart of you. It’s what makes you.. you. It’s special and unique. Almost like your DNA.
DL: What’s the story behind the brand name, ‘Signature Scents by Hand’?
KT: Years ago I took a trip to Costa Rica, and while I was visiting family I was focused on finding a name for the brand. I had this small turquoise notebook that I wrote all my business ideas in, and now when I think back, I was thinking a bit too hard on a name. And suddenly, as crazy as this sounds this is what happened. I was asleep and in my dream I thought of the name ‘Signature Scents by Hand’, I woke up and wrote that name down in my mini turquoise book so I wouldn’t forget. The next morning I started my regular routine, forgetting that I had wrote the name down and I saw the name, and repeated it over and over again. And I told myself this is the name. It’s exactly what I do. I make signature scents.. by hand.
DL: When it comes to crafting, do you create based on emotion, season, or story first?
KT: That’s a great question. I would say most of the time it’s emotion, and later down the line there’s story behind the process that I might’ve bypassed. I don’t necessarily care about trends or the season. Our #ScentTribe wears what makes them feel good. Sometimes we may switch it up depending on the occasion, the vibe, and sometimes the season. But most of the time it’s about how that scent makes you feel. For example, when making the Nicole fragrance, it was inspired by Nicole Rada. However, with that process, I started off with the story first, and then worked my way to emotion. So it does vary, but for the most part, it’s emotion and then the story, for sure.
DL: What’s your favorite part of developing a fragrance: the mixing, the naming, or seeing it come to life in a bottle?
KT: Interestingly enough I find that when life is lifin’ the last thing I want to do is create. But it honestly should be the first thing I should do. As an artist, creating is what keeps me centered. It’s almost like a release. It’s therapeutic for me. I’d say that my most favorite part of developing a fragrance would be seeing it come to life in a bottle. I do enjoy the mixing process as well, but there’s just something satisfying about seeing your vision come to life. It’s a very fulfilling feeling.
DL: When crafting, how do you normally prepare? And what’s that process like?
KT: When it comes to crafting, because I’m always on the go, I usually set a time for myself to craft. It’s either early in the morning after I’ve dropped my daughter off at school, or in the evening after I’ve put my daughter to bed. Within my home, I’ve created an office space and a crafting space. Once I decide which fragrance I want to work on, I usually put all the materials together, the boxes, bottles, essential oils, etc., together. I typically have my playlist on shuffle, or I might listen to an audiobook; it honestly depends on my mood. I start with hand-washing each bottle. Usually, I might do that the day prior, so once they’re done airdrying, I can just start crafting
DL: What’s your playlist like when you’re crafting?
KT: I’m an R&B/Neo-Soul girlie. So it’s a lot of Erykah Badu, Jhene Aiko, Lucky Daye. Depending on my mood, I might be listening to Cardi B, Kid Cudi, or even Beyoncé. It all just depends.
DL: What makes the fragrances natural and vegan-friendly?
KT: I get this question asked a lot. I’ve been grateful to have access to a manufacturer that’s local and communicates well with me. Instead of using fragrance oils, I use essential oils with our ingredients. It’s cleaner and is sourced from plants. We also use cane sugar alcohol in the perfumes. Cane sugar alcohol is made from cane sugar, which is also a plant. And lastly, IPM, which is Isopropyl Myristate. Myristic acid is derived from coconut oil, which is also vegan-friendly. Our body butters contain essential oils, coconut oil, and shea butter, which are all sourced from plants as well. The goal has always been to keep the products as clean as possible.
I hope you enjoyed the interview, as much as I enjoyed interviewing Kabrea. Are there any questions I should ask her for the next interview? Please comment them below, and let us know what you liked most about this interview.
