A great-smelling home is an underrated aspect of interior design. A well-cared for home has an inviting and welcoming scents that work with the tone of the house. But we don’t like lighting our candles in the middle of the day – especially not at the height of summer!
Kotanical, an Irish owned and Irish-sourced company has come up with a solution that is not only totally subtly glam, but is also a great functional and therapeutic option!
Kotanical, a naturally sourced diffuser and essential oil brand, have helped Irish people to discover the holistic healing power of the art of aromatherapy. Founded by Karl Murray, the oils and diffuser encourage your home to become a place of wellness and me-time – exactly what a home should be!
What’s special about Kotanical is that they’re the first company in Ireland to distil oil from natural native sources. While others import oils and re-bottle, Kotanical founder Karl Murray saw the potential in the abundance of flora available closer to home. Having spent over six years researching essential oil distillation techniques and experimenting with wild crafted ingredients, Karl's vision has become a reality through growing herbs independently, utilising local sourcing methods and developing relationships with farmers and growers.
It started over ten years ago when Karl had taken up Thai boxing and was using lots of different ointments and chemicals to soothe sore muscles from workouts. But when he was introduced to peppermint oil as a natural therapeutic pain reliever.
‘I noticed that no one was really making anything in Ireland – this was back when you had to go to a health store to find essential oils.’ Karl shared. ‘My favourite of the oils would have to be peppermint, because I do lots of training and sea swimming. I have ‘lazy-lung’, which means I breathe quite shallowly, so I breathe in lots of peppermint oils in the morning. It’s part of your wellness ritual, the pursuit of good health and wellness. You want to have citrus or peppermint in the morning and floral oils in the evening. But don’t start mixing daytime and evening oils – like you wouldn’t want lavender in the middle of the day, you want something citrusy, because you don’t want to get tired and get more annoyed because you’re getting sleepy….The sense of smell relates to a part of your brain called the amygdala which releases happiness hormones.’
Kotanicals are the first Irish brand to actually make their oil products in Ireland and not import them from abroad. Karl grows his own ingredients – and having started off rather shakily with a failed burnt peppermint reduction! – he quickly branched into other oils as well, including frankincense, bergamot and clary sage to name but a few as well as a whole range of products like roller balls and diffusers.
All of Kotanical’s products are fair trade and high quality. Murray ensures this by building strong relationships with consumers, growers and partners and Kotanical aim to establish Ireland as a transparent essential oil hub where botanical's meet innovation, one seed at a time.
As some Essential Oils cannot be made in Ireland, they make sure all their oils are Organic, 3rd party tested and have been audited by the leaping bunny program to make sure that their suppliers aren’t dealing with companies that test on animals.
Kotanical have many oil blends that combine multiple scents to create a certain atmosphere around the home. For example, their blend ‘Pure Focus’ is a mix of peppermint and rosemary, both ideal to create a focused environment by encouraging deep breathing and circulation up around the temples.
‘Getting back into work and into the office, we all want to be focused, so use the ‘Pure Focus’ blend can help you attack the day.’
Kotanical’s products are available from Kotanical.ie and Reuzi,ie.
