Glenda Taylor – Scent for Success – Our world contains millions of smells. Humans can detect over 10,000 different smells, whilst as babies, we can identify our mothers by scent alone. We distinguish whether or not we should eat something by its odour and fragrance can enhance mood, sedate or relax. It can act in a positive or negative way and can evoke powerful emotions such as happiness, sadness, fear, and even sexuality.
People have worn perfumes since early civilization for a variety of reasons, although ultimately it is because they make us happy. The reasons we feel happy are heavily dependent on the individual, but are often because of four factors:
Firstly, pheromones, which are scent triggered hormones, which stimulate sexual appetite. Women wearing these types of perfumes instil a greater sexual desire in the men surrounding them, which can boost self-esteem and happiness levels.
Secondly, there is a strong connection between fragrances and memory. Connecting ourselves to positive memories such as the smell of your boyfriend’s cologne replicated through easily obtainable fragrances makes us happy.
Thirdly, we all need escape. Whether we’re a tired mum’, teenagers, grandmothers or stressed Husbands, we all need a place to go and recharge often in a bath, shower, or with massage and the use of fragrances.
Lastly: and maybe even the biggest reason we wear fragrances is to show off our individuality.
With so many fragrances to choose from a person can be original in what they decide to use. They can change the way they smell to match their mood. The ability to have this kind of individuality through scent directly influences our confidence and self-esteem.
Glenda Taylor is a prominent figure in the toiletries business with many years of expertise in holistic therapies. She advises multinational companies on all aspects of brand development from the basic ingredient listing and analysis through to the design and packaging.
Glenda has consulted for companies which include: Floracolgie, Little me baby organics, Lil-ets as well as creating lines for Dickens and Jones, Lexus and Tigi.
Born in Hampton, Surrey, Glenda grew up in East Grinstead. She attended boarding school and loved ballet dancing, training from the age of 9 to16 with the Royal Ballet Company in London, and danced until she was 25.
As a young girl, Glenda’s loved fragrances.
“I was obsessed with smelling things. Like many children, I would experiment with flower petals and water and then sell them at the garden gate.”
With a Neapolitan mother, Glenda was fortunate to spend half her childhood in Italy.
“My mother was a dressmaker; she trained in Italy but wanted to be an opera singer so music was always a feature of my early years. I remember that vividly, along with the amazing fragrances from the lemon tree outside my bedroom window.”
However, it wasn’t until later that Glenda’s life took a significant turn towards her current career. Following the birth of her daughter Glenda’s motherhood instincts took over and lured her into the role of full-time mum, ending the dream of dancing.
Having business acumen Glenda started teaching Pilates classes in the London studio centre, which led to natural therapy, massage, and reflexology. Glenda found she had a hunger for learning new techniques involving essential oils, blending, fragrance, and nutrition.
And with her husband, they founded ‘Cariad’ specialising in essential oils. Glenda created Cariad from her kitchen table and made it into a household name with a huge range of products and a thriving ITEC accredited massage school in Richmond upon Thames putting Glenda on the road to success.
Her shave oils sold well in Tesco and Sainsbury also stocked many lines.
In true entrepreneurial style, Glenda could not sit still for long and after achieving success with Cariad, she felt the need to express herself in another way and decided to sell the company.
After selling Cariad, Glenda focused on fragrance consultancy work for other brands –eventually leading to the production of bespoke perfumes where every client gets the chance to create a perfume with the name of their choice engraved by hand onto a beautiful bottle. Clients have been many and varied, including the Royal Family of Leichenstein who wanted bespoke presents for their Christmas guests.
I had no idea that the use of fragrance could have so many hidden meanings and offer such a personal statement. With 100s of fragrances on department store shelves, in chemists and supermarkets where do you turn? If the price tag of a bespoke perfume starting from £500 upwards is out of the question, Glenda has created Balm Balm single note eau de perfumes, which can be used, either alone or combined to create your own individual scent.
Poppy Watt