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Sarah Horowitz Thran

Sarah Horowitz Thran is an independent American perfume deisnger. She creates custom-made scents, but also sells fragrances under her own brand, Creative Scentualization.

Sarah, tell us a little bit about yourself, about the fragrances you’ve created.

That is a big question ! To know me is to know that I am a wife and mother, an employer and a perfumer – in that order. A passion for shining a light on other peoples gifts – whether that person is in my family, an employee, or a client in a Fragrance Journey, is what I enjoy most. In regards to perfumery, this best seen in my most recent collection, the ‘What Comes From Within’ line. Originally for Barneys, this line (which includes Peace, Light, Love, Joy, and Beauty) expresses my personal philosophy that oftentimes what we seek is already within us. From an olfactory standpoint, there is something for everyone, as the fragrances run the gamut from clean, fresh and sheer to spicy, deep and rich – and everything in between.

What influences you as a designer?

I find inspiration all around me, as most artists do. Although when creating a fragrance I am often inspired by a colour or a feeling that I want to evoke, most often I am inspired by people. My career in perfumery began with customization, and truly individuals and their stories continue to be what drives me today. That, and my daughter – I strive now also to create so that she may have something to inherit if she so chooses.

How can we recognize one of your fragrances? What are, in your opinion, their distinguishing characteristics?

I have often been told that I have a ‘signature’ in my perfumery – that my fragrances smell ‘natural’ on the skin and evolve very naturally with the wearer’s chemistry. Many fragrances today are designed to remain linear (i.e. smell the same from start to finish). When I say they smell ‘natural’, however, that does not mean that I only use natural ingredients. In addition to essential oils I also employ the use of synthetics because I appreciate the range and palette they offer me, so long as they have a nature-identical quality to them. I also have a signature in the base note – I tend to favour the things I love, and many of my fragrances have an accord that will include musk, vanilla, patchouli, sandalwood.

Do you think that being a woman influences the way you create… and if so, in what way?

I think that our creativity comes from the core of who we are, and of course, as a woman, this is part of what I bring to the table. I was a sensitive child, and have grown into a sensitive woman – I feel connected to the world around me in a very emotional away. I was also a very ‘sensual’ child, – meaning that from a very young age I was constantly exploring not only my sense of smell but touch, sight, taste and sound, much to the anxiety of my parents who were afraid I might either eat a poisonous plant or get burned ! Today, my sense of smell is very influenced by my other senses, so it is not uncommon for me to design a fragrance that is inspired by my interpretation of a complete sensory experience. This was only heightened after become a mother.

What other designer’s fragrance(s) do you wish you had created? And why?

I greatly admire the work - both from a perfumery standpoint as well as an entrepreneurial one – of Annick Goutal and of Jo Malone, two independent female perfumers, untraditional in their training, who not only created amazing fragrances (Eau d’Hadrien is still one of my favourites) but have become internationally successful brands. Although there are many fragrances out there that I admire, there isn’t another fragrance I wish I had created (although it would have been cool to be the perfumer who created Chanel N°5 !) but only hope to have the time and means to introduce all the creations that are in my own head!

How do you envisage the future for fragrances? Do you have any hopes for the future?

The future of fragrance is vast, and I believe, highly personalized. I also believe that their will be a continuingly widening array of choices, and my hope is that educated consumers will choose a fragrance because of a genuine reaction to that scent and not just because a celebrity wore it. I envision customers continuing to personalize every part of their lives, including fragrance, when they so choose. It is my honour to be a part of that future.