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Copper and Perfume Making: The Hidden Magic Ingredient of Artisan Spirits & Fragrances

Posted on May 09, 2017 by Matriarch Blog

The creation of HIGH PERFUMERY is not achievable without copper.

House of Matriarch has incorporated copper into our branding, packaging and presentation as a constant reminder of the Venusian and alchemical foundations of perfume making. We are always receiving compliments on our packaging, and since people are usually not accustomed to seeing copper in a brand's aesthetic, they often refer to our color palette as "blue and gold". This makes us very happy and we take the opportunity whenever this occurs to educate and draw attention to the alchemy that has taken place within their observation. Changing copper into gold is the foundation of alchemy itself!

Copper by Christi Meshell

Copper was the first metal used by humans - known by the ancients and modern day alchemists as the "metal of Venus" - perhaps due to it's malleability - perhaps for it's beauty - or maybe because of it's high thermal and electrical conductivity. Perfumery itself has connection with Venus as the Goddess of Love and Beauty. How interesting that copper is the "Metal of Venus" and is absolutely essential to perfume making!

Shown here is the copper still at Glass Distillery in Seattle where the spirits used for House of Matriarch perfumes originate. While most perfuming alcohol is produced in stainless steel industrial grade factory-like distilleries, this small batch copper still causes reactions that remove undesirable notes/flavors in the distillate and make it 'smoother'. Without copper, the distillate would smell sharp and unpleasant, overpowering the delicate top notes of our natural perfumes.

The color of copper is difficult to describe - and to replicate. The shade is an enigmatic, rainbow effect of reds, golds and beige under magnification. Ephemeral, it is always changing. Oxidization adds shades of turquoise and green - known as verdigris.

Is it a coincidence that one of the largest statues in the world depicting a woman is made of verdigris copper? Nope. The Statue of Liberty was modeled after the goddess Ceres who has had strong connotations to both Nature and Venus throughout mythology.

It has been challenging in a world of "will that be silver or gold?" to find the components needed to complete our packaging - everything copper has to be custom made and even then it is very difficult to achieving a "match" with copper. Even the Pantone shade is not really copper. House of Matriarch feels it is worth the extra effort -both from an alchemical sense and an aesthetic one and tells of the level of effort and care we take in creating and presenting our fragrant creations to the world.