Indie Perfumer Sarah Mccartney Discusses Entrepreneurial Journey in Fragrance

P&F+: What led you to the fragrance industry?

Sarah McCartney [SM]: I’m one of those people who came to fragrance very late, from other creative directions. I’ve been a semi-professional musician (baritone saxophone) and I ran customer events for The Guardian newspaper before becoming a copywriter. In 1996, I joined Lush to write for its in-house magazine, Lush Times, and spent 14 years smelling and describing their aromatic products. When I left, I decided to write a novel, The Scent of Possibility, about a problem-solving perfumer who makes fragrances that remind her clients of their happiest moments. I couldn't find anything resembling these almost experiential fragrances I’d described in shops at the time, so I decided to make them.

Perfumery wasn’t my department at Lush—I’d never been allowed near any formulation—so while I knew about the aromas of essential oils, I had no knowledge of synthetics or how exactly to follow IFRA or EU cosmetics regulations. All of those I had to learn and was helped along the way by the U.K. Society of Cosmetic Scientists, which is really encouraging towards small makers.

My family is a team of practical makers and doers, and once I’d decided to create my own fragrances, I just kept going until it happened.

For the full interview, please check out the Perfumer & Flavorist+ October 2022 issue in the Profiles section.