HOOHAA x In Astra Meet your Maker Questions with Sophia
We’re so excited to be sharing Tistar with our subscribers this month. Can you take us right back to the beginning of your fragrance journey? When did your love for fragrance first start?
Since I was a child I have been fascinated by the magical world of scents. Little did I know about how perfumes were created, that I remember watching a documentary about Grasse and its odours. I was mesmerised to see how fragrances came to life thanks to the creativity and craftsmanship of a perfumer. This is when I decided what I wanted to do when I grew up.
So, after scientific studies in Italy, I moved to Grasse to attend a perfumer training school. Since then, I have worked for fragrance houses in France and Italy. It was just a couple of years later that I got together with my sister Fabiola and we decided to start our own perfume brand.
Did you ever encounter any fragrances that changed the way you thought about scent as a vehicle for self-expression, and if so, what were they?
I have always thought that perfume is one of the most powerful means of communication, which manages to convey our way of being or anything we want others to know about us.
Vent vert by Germaine Cellier was the fragrance that made me reconsider galbanum. The overdose she wonderfully mastered made me appreciate the ingredient’s iconic nuances. As a perfumer, I love to use perfume as pure expression of my emotions. For instance, when I want to pamper myself and feel more relaxed, I tend to go for more intimate notes such as Iris Prima by Penhaligon’s or Jersey by Chanel. On the other hand, whenever I want to feel more audacious, I like to engulf myself in a narcotic cloud of white flowers.
How would you describe In Astra to your friends and family?
In Astra is a genderless artistic perfume brand. It was created as a tribute to one of my passions: astronomy. It is an ode to stars and the universe to which we all belong. Stars have their own story to tell and they have no secret to their beauty: they simply appear every night for those who want to witness their wonder. In Astra encapsulates their magical true essence ready to be explored.
Do you have a favourite from your collection?
It’s hard to choose a “favourite” amongst all the creations. But I’ll have to say that Mismar is the one I’m most attached to. It is the first fragrance I created for the brand that had set the ball rolling. I did turn the formula upside down many times before capturing what I felt it was for me the Pole Star.
What do you feel sets In Astra apart from other niche perfume brands?
The story In Astra tells is unique per se: each scent creates a bond with the star through a sensory experience. We want to take people on an olfactory journey to discover the universe’s wonders. After all, we are all made of stardust.
What do you hope your customers get from your work?
Perfume has no boundaries; it is so powerful because it makes anyone walk down memory lane, hence travelling through time and space. I hope that anyone who wears an In Astra fragrance will feel like a star: a unique and bright being.
What does the future look like for In Astra?
We are definitely planning on capturing the essence of other stars. We invite you all to follow us on social media. Stay tuned!
