Meet the Glowgetter Amy Christiansen Si-Ahmed, Founder of Sana Jardin

Where did the idea come from for a socially conscious perfume brand?

My journey started as a social worker in Chicago. Ever since I was very small I wanted to be in a helping profession. But then after working in direct practice I realized that many of the women I visited didn’t need me in their house telling them what to do, they just needed some economic empowerment.

I wanted to support them on a macro level rather than a micro level. I really don’t like to use the word ‘sustainable’, which is why I trademarked the term “Beyond Sustainability”.

Sustainable is really just paying fair wages to people and leaving a negligible impact on the environment. I feel like today we can do better than that and really enable people to flourish – which is what I feel Sana Jardin does with its business model

What steps did you need to take to launch?

In March 2015 I began to develop the branding and packaging, build a website and look for a perfumer to create the fragrance formulations. I researched the social impact. I worked alongside our New York based non-profit partner Nest that supports artisan communities. We did a research trip to Morocco and did a community needs assessment. Traditionally, the rose, jasmine and orange blossom harvests only provided short-lived employment for the women harvesters, with no alternative employment options. And 900 tons of orange blossom waste by-product are yielded annually from the harvest and essential oil distillation which is the first stage of perfume production.

We developed a The Orange Blossom Project where the Amazigh Community in North West of Morocco could upcycle all the waste they work with. They could convert it into their own line of products including orange blossom water and jasmine and rose candles. They now sell these in local markets which provides employment all year. These women farmers also received expert mentorship and training on product pricing and brand development. And they were taught how to make organic compost they can sell back to the farms to be used for future flower harvests. The women are the sole shareholders of the cooperative and retain 100% of the proceeds.

We found a master perfumer through a friend who created the Sana Jardin line which we now sell in Harrods. We launched on August 1st, 2017 which is my Grandmother’s birthday as she was a huge inspiration to me working for social change.

How important have women been to you on your journey?

Everything single element of this business has been created because of the good will of women. Every step of the way has been one woman linking me to another by holding my hand.

My grandmother, Mary Pomeroy, gave me the desire to work towards social justice and empower women economically. She co-founded The United States Delegation for Friendship Among Women in the 1960’s. Her work took her to emerging economies across the globe, with the aim to increase communication between women from the US and developing countries. I grew up in a small Midwestern town in the US, but as a teenager she tucked me in her suitcase and took me around the world.