What this blog post is about – delicious Agua de Flora fragrances in Maui.
Maui’s sleepy little town of Paia, on the road to Hana, is a treasure-trove that includes one of the best natural-foods supermarkets on Maui, funky clothing shops, great restaurants, the fantastic Maui Crafts Guild where you can find terrific locally-made products – and the home of Agua de Flora. Readers of this beauty blog know and understand that I love indigenous beauty products, since I am a Boston-based beauty writer. Agua de Flora is no exception. Here, I sniffed out something really special. This botanical perfumery hand-distills its essences nearby in Haiku; Agua de Flora is one of those rare shops where you can find beautiful made-in-Maui perfumes that you will never find anywhere else. A stop here is a must on any trip to Paia, or journey on the road to Hana.
Botanical perfumery such as that practiced at Agua de Flora is the art of blending flowers, plants, woods, resins and seed essences into aromatic treasures, avoiding all synthetic laboratory-made imitations. Says Agua de Flora owner Ashana Sophia Morrow: “We adore aromatic flowers and plants – they excite us, nurture us and help us to remember who we are.”
The company uses a process called hydro-distillation, created by Jack Chaitman; founder of Scents of Knowing. Using pure silica glass stills and water as the only solvent, plants are gently asked to release their essence; through this slow process, the oil and hydrosols are like fine wines that mature with age. “Nothing we make is synthetic or cheap,” says Morrow.
Agua de Flora offers exquisite, unique, handmade perfumes and healing herbal products. They are dedicated to the exceptional quality of old-world perfumery, fair trade, and organic agriculture. Who doesn’t love that?
Bestsellers include Gingerlily; Citrus Blossoms; Sacred woods; and Surya Spice. These are available for $48 and $95 each. Also available is a Garland Collection featuring scents such as Pikake and Black Rose; a Solid Collection featuring scents named Amber Green and Devotion; and Single Notes of Cedar and Lavender. I’m besotted with Chocolate Rose — this scent is completely unique and delicious, consisting of cocoa immersed in Frankincense with three different rare roses. Ashana combined this with their Vanilla Mandarin blend to create a decadent combo I won’t forget! Don’t sniff anything that you’re crazy about? Fret not; Agua de Flora can also custom make your own personal, individual scent.
The lovely $10 artisan soaps available at Agua de Flora are crafted by Daven Lee of “Milk and Honey” who lets Mother Nature guide her way in producing the raw ingredients for the luscious custom made soap collection. The handcrafted products are made with the help of her Nubian goats, who give their rich frothy milk. The sweet golden honey and beeswax are collected from Lee’s very own bees and those of her beekeeper neighbors in Northern New Mexico.
For more information, visit www.Aguadeflora.com or call (808) 876 1071.
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