Catherine Tope Omai, an international perfumer and bespoke fragrance creator, speaks with Ivory Ukonu on how she honed her craft enough to grab the at
Catherine Tope Omai, an international perfumer and bespoke fragrance creator, speaks with Ivory Ukonu on how she honed her craft enough to grab the attention of the international community with her fragrance line, ‘Contagious’ as well as sundry issues
Entry into the world of fragrance
I have always loved to smell good, but I dabbled into fragrances properly in my adult years as a passion, more for my own wellbeing. As a student, I liked to smell nice, but I didn’t have the money to buy the kind of perfumes I wanted. I had tried but it later became an expensive habit. So, I wondered if there was a way one could create a personal fragrance without buying expensive readymade ones. So, I googled and discovered all these studios where one could create unique fragrances. I picked one in central London, went there thrice to create my own unique scent. By the third time, one of the staff who noticed my passion for fragrances and the creation process, encouraged me to attend a three-day fragrance creation experience in France. And that was how the journey into fragrance creation began. This got me more interested and curious, and I attended more courses. When I returned to Nigeria after school and got a job, my boss who noticed how I always smelled nice encouraged me to turn my passion into a business. I wasn’t looking at turning it into a business at that time, but I followed his lead, nonetheless. At that time, creating niche perfumes wasn’t really something people were receptive of. There were a few people who felt it was something nice and unique, but the general consensus was that if you weren’t an international brand, no one would reckon with you. So, I decided that instead of pushing my own brand on people, I would rather give them the opportunity to create their own unique fragrance that defines their personality. This was what I did for the first 10 years of the brand, just bespoke perfumery. So, the brand Mystique Bespoke Fragrances at the time was called that so as to create some kind of mystery around the bespoke fragrances I was creating for people. But I soon evolved because of how Nigerians pushed me to create their fragrances. Nigerians don’t wear fragrances the way other climes do, they wear theirs heavy. When I started creating these bespoke fragrances for them, I didn’t really follow the formula of the way I learnt to create fragrances because Nigerians wanted something created outside the box for them. At first, in my head scientifically, it shouldn’t work but when I tried it out, it came out mind-blowing. It was good, but it challenged the norm of fragrance creation for me.
Challenges, the tonic booster
At the beginning like I said, people preferred to buy well-known brands as against home grown locally made niche perfumes, so it was a herculean task trying to convince people that I had something worthwhile. I would go from one company office to another and sit at their reception hoping that their managing directors would be compelled to at least, even see what I was offering for sale. I was encouraged by a few people to keep pushing through their patronage. But what made me even take it a notch up was when I met someone who was quite condescending to me. The person was a fragrance lover, he knew that the quality of the fragrance I produced were good, but he was like, “I get the vibe of what you are doing, but you are meeting me in a restaurant with people drinking beer. So, because of that, I am a bit turned off to patronize you. I travel the world, and I feel like this should be something that people should experience in a very nice environment.” He didn’t think that what I created was worth his time. I went into my car that day and cried my eyes out.
Staying focused
Despite the setbacks and challenges, I refused to give up. My passion I must say, kept me going for 14 years. One thing that kept me going and boosted my confidence about the product I was creating was the fact that I was using high grade materials, and my packaging was very intentional.
The breakthrough
Luck soon smiled on me. I got to deliver some customised perfumes to one of the companies I was soliciting patronage from. They wanted to give unique gifts to their board of directors with their names engraved on their perfume. That was how I got my first big order and the money they paid was what I used to pay the first rent. That was how the business took off. I must say that I am thankful to that guy who talked down on me for his words even though at that time seemed very hurtful, pushed me to want to move the company beyond what it was then.
Entering the international market
Being challenged by what Nigerians want against the norm of fragrance creation was what paved the way into the international market for me. I learnt to create fragrances using the DNA of time-tested formulas, but Nigerians pushed me beyond that because they always asked for different base notes to be infused together, beyond what is scientifically the norm. But over time, I learnt that one should not conform to what is theoretically written and that one can push beyond the boundaries. My first fragrance, Contagious Gold and Contagious Rose for the international market, was a validation of this. It was a mind-blowing experience. I was able to break boundaries in the fragrance industry. I was privileged to attend PITTI, a fragrance exhibition in Italy for niche fragrances. The exhibition is like the Fashion Week for fragrances. I was the first West African perfumer to attend the exhibition. The reception was mind-blowing. Not just because I was African but the materials I used to create the fragrances were things they had not really experienced before. It validated my work. This prompted me to add a third one, Contagious Green which has all the hallmarks of being a truly Nigerian product – from the ingredients used to produce it, one of which is scent leaf, to its packaging using ‘aso oke.’ Not only are the fragrances stocked here in Nigeria, but they are also stocked in seven countries around the world – Australia, France, Royal Oud Riyadh in Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Germany Saks Fifth Avenue in the USA. Going international is my biggest achievement.
Where creation happens
I create all my fragrances in the United Kingdom particularly the ones that would be sold internationally. They have to be registered with an independent body there that regulates sale of fragrances and ensure that the right process in fragrance creation is followed religiously to meet their standard. I work alongside a factory, for my creations to happen. I give them my formula and they create what I want. But I create bespoke fragrances in Nigeria as an aside because I have some of the materials here. I also do private labeling for some brands in Nigeria and in the UK.
Qualifications that earned you the perfumer title
Aside the fact that I attended Gallimard School of Perfumery in France, my years of qualification, 14 years precisely, qualifies me as a perfumer. Also, the fact that I have been able to put out work that has gotten rave reviews in international publications makes me internationally qualified as a perfumer.
Fulfillment as one of the top niche perfumers in the country
The journey has been challenging no doubt. But I am thankful for the successes I have scored. Am I really where I want to be? No because I always want to push for more. However, getting into the international market and being able to make that mark for my brand is what is fulfilling for me. Also, getting to be a stockist in Saks Fifth Avenue was really big for me. I’m very proud of that achievement because entering the US market is a very big deal. I didn’t lobby for it. I wasn’t even looking to go into the US market. They contacted me based on the reviews they heard about my fragrance. The rave and the noise within the fragrance industry of my work was what attracted Saks to me.
What the future holds
I am looking to be in major cities across the world. Yes, I am in seven countries presently, but I am looking at worldwide, global domination.
