A fresh look and reformulated scents marks a new era of confidence for the 100% natural fragrance brand.<\/p>\n
Twelve years ago, Frances Shoemack started a revolution. Now, she\u2019s at it again. <\/p>\n
\n The Abel founder is considered a disruptor of the fine fragrance category, and when the brand was conceived
\n in 2013, it redefined natural perfume \u2013 how it\u2019s worn, formulated and marketed.\n <\/p>\n
Together with master perfumer Isaac Sinclair, Shoemack built a wardrobe of scents that tried to address downfalls of the fragrance industry \u2013 the use of fossil fuels, drying alcohols and excess waste to name a few. <\/p>\n
The pair set the benchmark for the future of fragrance, appealing to the next wave of conscious consumers by spearheading the use of biotech or upcycled ingredients. <\/p>\n
Before she found fragrance, Shoemack was a qualified winemaker. The Cantabrian studied viticulture at Lincoln University and worked as a cadet at Villa Maria. <\/p>\n
The pivot to perfume came in 2011 when Shoemack and her husband, Dave, relocated to Amsterdam. It was here that she fell in love with artisanal fragrance houses but couldn\u2019t find one that flexed \u201cnatural\u201d credentials. <\/p>\n
It was especially important for someone who grew up on a farm in rural South Canterbury, one of six children raised by her father, a farmer, and her yoga teacher mother who was adept at using organic products. <\/p>\n
So, she sought to create her own. <\/p>\n
Shoemack connected with Paris-based Isaac Sinclair, who remains New Zealand\u2019s only master perfumer, to ask if it was possible to formulate a 100% natural perfume. He proved the perfect match to execute her vision and has been an instrumental part of Abel\u2019s story ever since. <\/p>\n
Moving back to Aotearoa from the Netherlands was always on the cards for Shoemack and her family, which had since grown to include sons Rufus and Arthur. They made the decision to move back in time for summer 2020, and a container of their furniture arrived the week before the first Covid lockdown. <\/p>\n
Today, Abel has nine genderless fragrances and is sold in 33 countries. <\/p>\n
Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n
According to Shoemack , the decision to overhaul the brand now draws on everything she and Sinclair have learned over the past 12 years. <\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I started out, natural perfume wasn\u2019t even a thing. Everyone said it wasn\u2019t possible, so we were really paving our own path, and rewriting the playbook. As a business we\u2019ve grown up so much,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s all this knowledge that we could make way better perfume, and had a deep desire to do that.\u201d <\/p>\n
For Shoemack, one of the most important of the recent changes was reformulating each scent for improved performance (scents now sit at 37% concentration) and reimagining the supply chain so everything from ingredients to packaging suppliers fall within a 400km radius of the brand\u2019s Dutch production house. And the changes are constantly being reevaluated. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve redesigned every component to make Abel the lowest impact, the most sustainable, but also the highest quality. I see so much potential in the future. We feel like we\u2019re just scratching the surface,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a \u2018once every two years\u2019 project. It\u2019s a really ballsy move, for what it\u2019s worth.\u201d <\/p>\n
Also on her radar is the goal to use 100% sea freight on all commercial shipments over the next three years \u2013 one which she calls the \u201clowest footprint method\u201d to ship scents from the Netherlands to New Zealand. <\/p>\n
Orders are sent in bulk (not individually) and packed efficiently to keep emissions as low as possible. <\/p>\n
Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n
Greenwashing is still rife in the perfume industry, as evidenced by the number of brands releasing scents under the guise of being naturally-derived, yet still using alcohols or petrochemicals in their ingredients list. <\/p>\n
Many fragrance houses attempt to satisfy the demand to be eco-friendly by reaching for easy wins – like factoring in supply chain ethics, or offsetting carbon emissions – but Frances says real change is formula driven.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe think around 95% of fragrance ingredients are derived from fossil fuels. I say we think, because you just can\u2019t find that number. These petrochemicals are part of a non-renewable, non-biodegradable supply chain. But then there\u2019s all the links to endocrine [hormone] disruptors.\u201d <\/p>\n
She says the lack of transparency when it comes to labelling is worrying, as many brands don\u2019t fully disclose every ingredient in their fragrance formula. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been using the analogy recently that if you buy a shirt you want to know if it\u2019s silk or polyester. There\u2019s a huge difference in the quality, the way it wears on your skin. Why should you have to label clothing, but you don\u2019t with perfume?\u201d <\/p>\n
With so many alternatives to fossil fuels available, Shoemack says it\u2019s her hope that mass fragrance brands follow suit. <\/p>\n
\u201cBiotech and upcycled ingredients are such exciting alternatives. While they\u2019re expensive now, in a matter of 10 years, when they\u2019ve scaled further, we\u2019re going to see the big companies really shift which is so exciting,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Until then, Shoemack is happy to be at the forefront of the movement, with Abel showing the bigger corporates what\u2019s possible. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not doing this to be out there on our own, being like we\u2019re the only ones that can do this. If, in 30 years\u2019 time, there\u2019s no such thing as petrochemical fragrance ingredients, that\u2019s a success in terms of our North Star,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we can make that shift happen, I\u2019d be so jazzed.\u201d <\/p>\n
Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n
It took Shoemack and Sinclair 18 months to reformulate the range, with Shoemack travelling to Paris every quarter to work on the project with him in person. <\/p>\n
This isn\u2019t the normal way the pair do business. They usually meet during the conceptual stage before Sinclair starts on the groundwork, sending Shoemack samples to test before they reconvene. But doing this in person allowed for each scent to be meticulously crafted. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s so nuanced, at that point you\u2019re really doing the final brush strokes,\u201d Shoemack says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIsaac\u2019s a real perfectionist. Sometimes we reach a point, and he\u2019ll suggest we rebuild from scratch, just to check there\u2019s no ingredient in there that\u2019s superfluous.\u201d <\/p>\n
The newer of the brand\u2019s nine genderless scents have changed less than the older ones, as many of these already use the biotech or upcycled ingredients central to the brand\u2019s ethos. <\/p>\n
Like upcycled tart cherry, a hero ingredient in Abel\u2019s latest launch \u2013 The Apartment. It is derived from the water used to wash cherries in the food production process. The scent molecules from the wastewater are extracted and used in perfumery, which Shoemack says is \u201cmore beautiful than the petrochemical or synthetic counterpart\u201d. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s juicy and tart, and it actually smells how a cherry smells and tastes.\u201d <\/p>\n
Aldehyde is another \u2013 a fragrance note popularised by Coco Chanel in the original Chanel No.5 fragrance 100 years ago. It wasn\u2019t until biotech aldehyde was developed that Shoemack considered formulating with the ingredient, and it became a cornerstone in the 2024 launch of Laundry Day, revered for its clean, crisp smell \u2013 channelling the scent of freshly pressed laundry. <\/p>\n
Of all the fragrances in the Abel family, she says Green Cedar and Cyan Nori have changed the most. A bold move, considering the latter remains a best-seller. <\/p>\n
Shoemack took the opportunity to take the \u201clittle too much seaweed on the top\u201d off Cyan Nori, a note she describes as slightly provocative. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe never want anything to be avant-garde. We\u2019re making perfume that you love to wear \u2013 not to make a statement,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Higher concentrations mean each scent has a little more throw (meaning it lasts longer when applied to skin and clothes), but she was cautious to get the balance right to ensure they weren\u2019t overpowering \u2013 especially for customers where subtlety is key. <\/p>\n
\u201cJapan is one of our biggest markets. They have a different sensibility when it comes to perfume; it\u2019s restrained but sophisticated. It\u2019s considered vulgar to be over-scented. The same is true in some Scandinavian territories,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Previously, Shoemack employed a \u201cone in, one out\u201d policy which kept the collection concise at nine scents – seven in rotation plus Nurture and Pause as core scents. While she says the policy served its purpose, she and her team are \u201cthrilled\u201d to no longer phase out their fragrances. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe did it to go against this tide of stuff \u2013 this general feeling that we needed to be launching newness constantly, which was really ingrained in us as a brand,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you love a fragrance, it will be around forever.\u201d <\/p>\n
When Grey Labdanum was discontinued, one Belgian customer bought 40 bottles \u2013 a lifetime supply. Golden Neroli was the last fragrance to be phased out, which was pulled from shelves in February this year. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe cool thing is that you can be really creative when you don\u2019t have that restriction,\u201d she says, adding Abel\u2019s 10th fragrance is coming in early 2026, flanked by two others later in the year. <\/p>\n
Photo \/ Babiche Martens<\/p>\n
Three years in the planning, Abel\u2019s new look sees the perfume housed in a conical-shaped bottle, crafted from 20% recycled glass topped with a biotech plastic-free cap that is fully compostable, which is the work of Base, a Melbourne design agency, and Lance McGregor, a Wellington-based designer. <\/p>\n
Each bottle is boxed in citrine green packaging, a collaboration with Jeff Smith of British Papers, who developed a bespoke paper using an environmentally-friendly dye and is 100% recycled \u2013 60% recycled coffee cups and 40% recycled paper. <\/p>\n
The finished product aligns with Shoemack\u2019s \u201chighest quality, lowest impact\u201d philosophy. <\/p>\n
With its roots in Amsterdam, Abel\u2019s influence has spread across the globe, with a presence in some of the world\u2019s most premier department stores and independent retailers: Printemps in Paris and New York, Dover Street market and Liberty in London, and Nose Shop in Tokyo. <\/p>\n
Shoemack\u2019s vision for the brand includes additional doors across Asia, and revisiting retailers who may have thought Abel was a little ahead of the curve. <\/p>\n
\u201cIn some ways we were too early with naturals. Like Dover Street, for example, their initial feedback was around us being too minimalist \u2013 we weren\u2019t loud enough for their customer,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut now there\u2019s something like 3000 natural perfume brands, and they get pitched 400 odd brands a quarter. When I brought the new formulas to them in February, they were like \u2018hell yeah \u2013 this is a game changer\u2019.\u201d <\/p>\n
While there\u2019s growth in some distribution channels, there\u2019s the quiet decision to shift away from others. Currently, Abel is stocked in just shy of 300 retailers globally, 22 of which are based in Aotearoa. But this new strategy will see Abel reduce its retail presence to approximately 250 stores. <\/p>\n
Shoemack says this hard-lined approach will ensure proper brand alignment across the board, improved communication with retailers and market positioning. <\/p>\n
Opportunities keep knocking for the Abel team, but she says she won\u2019t be lured into other categories until the time is right. <\/p>\n
For now, building on Abel\u2019s fragrance story is top priority. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve really got our blinkers on with where we see the growth happening. We started out to prove that you could do natural perfume, and we\u2019re still on that journey of shifting the fragrance market,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf we want to be world leaders, we have to be so focused.\u201d <\/p>\n
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