Women In Wellness: Veronique Lee of CandaScent Labs On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help Support People’s Journey Towards Better Wellbeing
An Interview With Candice Georgiadis
Engage with your community — Being able to cultivate a network of trusted companions and deepening those relationships has been the most meaningful outcome of all my endeavors — it has shown me how all of humankind’s aspirations can be reduced to a desire for community and service. From scientists whose research ushers in new eras of discovery and sheds light on our place in the universe, to artists who illustrate the unnamed shades of human thought, to inventors who solve the inconveniences of the human experience with ingenuity, to entrepreneurs whose products revolutionize the way we communicate with one another and ourselves. I am grateful to all those people that I have had that privilege to share a journey with.
As a part of my series about the women in wellness, I had the pleasure of interviewing Véronique Lee.
Véronique Lee brings over 15 years of sustainability and wellness expertise to her CandaScent Labs venture as the CEO and Founder. CandaScent Labs is a health and wellness aroma brand with a collection of products built to promote whole-body wellness through the olfactory system. Lee was previously a partner at beauty and fashion retailer, Modavanti, which was listed as a ‘Top Ethical Fashion Site’ by Instyle Magazine, Honoree for Best for NYC by The New York Economic Development Board and B Corp Labs, and one of the ‘Coolest Fashion Startups of 2016’ by the Huffington Post. She served as an Advisory Board Member to the Fashion Institute of Technology Textile Development and Marketing Department in New York City. Lee currently resides in Oakland, California with her family, where she’s striving to raise awareness of selfcare through the olfactory system.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Our readers would love to “get to know you” better. Can you share your “backstory” with us?
My current endeavor of providing botanically derived wellness aromas stems from my passion for sourcing and sustainability. I’ve always been interested in sourcing, which led me to my first job working for one of the largest grain merchandisers in the world. I wanted to see how our global food system worked and how food got to our table. It was a fascinating journey into learning how the intricacies of the world stage influence our food, and ultimately our health and that of the planet’s. I saw how the desire for efficiency and profitability was transforming how our food was made, sourced, processed and marketed, and it drew out of me a passion for sustainable sourcing.
The sourcing of our clothing was a natural outgrowth of my interests, and in 2008 I founded Atelier360, a social enterprise bringing artisan and eco-friendly brands to market. I sought out unique handmade and sustainable fashion from talented designers and artisans around the world. Keeping artisan skills from going extinct, while finding innovative ways to tackle emerging environmental and social problems in the fashion industry led to a philosophy of supporting an ever evolving and innovative movement in locally produced, ecological and socially responsible fashion. Atelier360 then partnered with Modavanti, a sustainable beauty and fashion retailer that offered an online, curated selection of ecologically and socially responsible wellness products from a community of designers and artisans.
Years later a move across the country led to a serendipitous encounter with chemists where I learned more about terpenes and the synergy of plant compounds. I was particularly interested in terpenes, aromatic molecules produced by plants and their effect on our health. I was also intrigued to find out more about Beta-Caryophyllene, which is the only aromatic molecule known to interact with our CB2 receptor of our endocannabinoid system to promote homeostasis. The chemistry of smell and how it affects our body became fascinating to me. Through my work in sustainability and wellness, I was also aware of how elusive “fragrances’’ are in that they offer little to no transparency in their ingredients because of trade secret privilege. Ultimately it led me to create CandaScent Labs, a health and wellness aroma company offering full transparency of ingredients with scents that are 100% botanically derived, free of all synthetics, and powered with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory ingredients.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you started your career? What were the main lessons or takeaways from that story?
The interesting story is more of an unveiling of seemingly unrelated experiences that came together. In 2014 I read a story in The Economist about our sense of smell, and how it serves as a sobering precursor to illness and even death. I hadn’t thought too much of our sense of smell in that way, but I was so intrigued I kept the article. I couldn’t possibly have known this then, but after reading that article I was set on a course to delve into the science of aroma to capture its therapeutic benefits. The interesting part is that not much attention had been given to our sense of smell, really only unveiled 30 years ago when our olfactory receptors were discovered, but after launching CandaScent Labs, the pandemic happened and now we are amidst a period of research and continued discovery about our olfactory system. It’s an exciting time in research for learning about our sense of smell. The main takeaway from all of this is that seemingly random experiences or data points can come together into a bigger whole. It’s the idea that whatever your experiences are, you will draw from them in your next adventure.
Can you share a story about the biggest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
When I was first starting out as a woman founder, one thing I didn’t think to consider was my legacy. What am I leaving behind? What is the impact of what I’m building, and who can I pass the baton to? I’ve been a part of inspirational movements and projects that, upon completion, left a void where we once were and no one left to fill it and continue our work. One of the things I really wanted to make sure of when I started CandaScent Labs was to turn the company into a training ground, a place to foster growth and inspire another generation of young female leaders. I am so proud of my team and what they are capable of, and watching them evolve over their time has been its own kind of joy and fulfillment. My recommendation to anyone starting their own company would be to think hard about your legacy, and to sow the seeds of growth in your team however you can.
Let’s jump to our main focus. When it comes to health and wellness, how is the work you are doing helping to make a bigger impact in the world?
I think of wellness like an ecosystem — it is holistic and all-encompassing, involving not only your physical, mental and spiritual well being, but also taking into account your environment and preventative care for your future health.
At CandaScent Labs we look at the big picture — we invest in our supply chain and in so doing support the cultivation of healthy plants, a sustainable future, and our own wellness. We formulate our aromas with organic and sustainably sourced essential oils, free of all synthetics, believing that no synthetic ingredient can replicate the olfactory intricacy that only nature can offer. We are careful to source mindfully and have our oils tested. It is estimated that about 80% of essential oils are adulterated, which means that something has been added to them to change their composition and purity and make them less expensive. These adulterated oils can impact our health. We are a proud Business Member of the Airmid Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to the global education, research, and sustainable management of medicinal and aromatic plants. The Airmid Institute supports projects and education focused on aromatic plant medicine, ethical sourcing, sustainable harvesting, and forest regeneration.
We also consider our packaging especially given that out of all of the items flowing through the consumer economy, only 1% remain in use 6 months after sale. Our candle jars and organic cotton gift bags are designed for reuse, and we make it easy for consumers to get product refills without creating waste. From soil, to final product, to reuse, we are mindful to find ways to reduce packaging and waste. We are hopeful that retailers and consumers will support us in making these sustainable decisions.
Can you share your top five “lifestyle tweaks” that you believe will help support people’s journey towards better wellbeing? Please give an example or story for each.
1 — Connect with your senses and your sense of smell
Whether I’m taking a walk in the woods with the dogs, or pouring myself a cup of coffee in the morning, connecting with my senses and being fully present allows me the ability to find joy and meaning from what I am doing. When it comes to our sense of smell, it not only allows for mindfulness, but also serves to alert us to what is happening with our physical health. Loss of smell has been linked to depression and can be a precursor of illnesses such as viral, neurodegenerative or autoimmune diseases. Being aware of aromas around us can help reinforce our sense of smell and our overall health all while building gray matter in our brain. You can train your sense of smell by beginning to smell things with intention. Tapping into your sense of smell is totally free of charge, but provides a wealth of benefits to your mental and physical wellness.
2 — Be mindful of what you consume
What we consume — whether we are eating, drinking, or breathing it — has an impact on our cognitive functions and physical health. It is all too easy to forget that the air we breathe, including the chemicals and particles that are in our environment, enters our bodies and directly affects our overall health. We need to pay attention and select products that can help keep our air healthy to breathe. We all deserve to know what we consume and make the best possible choices for ourselves, which is why I chose early on to list every single ingredient of our formulations. I wanted to do my part to provide the peace of mind I would want for myself — a totally transparent ingredients list that shows we have considered purity and sustainability at every step of our process.
3 — Learn about mother nature’s benefits
Nature yields scientifically proven benefits. For example, our latest scent MOJO, taps into the well documented benefits of forest bathing. The Japanese call it ‘shinrin yoku’, which means taking in the forest’s atmosphere to experience the multitude of benefits it brings — from lowering blood pressure, to improving memory recall, to boosting immunity, and more. Rich in the phytoncides of the forest, MOJO contains aromatic molecules emitted by trees that protect them, and us, from illness.
Nature also allows us to recalibrate ourselves. We are interconnected to nature, and I believe experiencing it brings us closer to understanding ourselves and bringing us closer to our natural equilibrium. I have always felt better when I am surrounded by the lushness, the serenity, the textures, and the marvels of the natural world, whether the embrace of a forest or the vastness of the coastline.
4 — Movement is medicine
It bears endless repetition to say that our mind and bodies benefit tremendously from healthy movement. Every single system in our body relies on healthy exercise — from our lymphatic system and immune system, to our musculoskeletal and digestive system, to our central and peripheral nervous system. Even beyond the benefits to our body’s systems, exercise releases endorphins to make us feel good and relieve stress, creates a space where we briefly get to disconnect from everyday challenges and responsibilities, allows us an outlet for self expression, and reinforces a healthy connection with our bodies. All beautiful things require maintenance, and our bodies operate at their best when we engage in physical activities daily, even if just for twenty minutes a day.
5 — Engage with your community
Being able to cultivate a network of trusted companions and deepening those relationships has been the most meaningful outcome of all my endeavors — it has shown me how all of humankind’s aspirations can be reduced to a desire for community and service. From scientists whose research ushers in new eras of discovery and sheds light on our place in the universe, to artists who illustrate the unnamed shades of human thought, to inventors who solve the inconveniences of the human experience with ingenuity, to entrepreneurs whose products revolutionize the way we communicate with one another and ourselves. I am grateful to all those people that I have had that privilege to share a journey with.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of wellness to the most amount of people, what would that be?
The movement would be to drive olfactory wellness, by educating people of nature’s benefits and the environmental dangers of chemicals in our environment. Our olfactory system serves as the only direct link between our environment and the central nervous system, so the aromas you surround yourself with should be clean and obviously, good for you, right? This is something not a lot of people are considering, yet
Earth’s creatures communicate with each other through their olfactory system, using the chemicals around them — from bacteria, to fish, to insects, to plants, to other of the world’s creatures, we are all interconnected, intertwined, and interdependent.
Chemicals can disrupt the stability of the biological systems of our ecosystems and affect our ability for clean air, food and water. The growing cocktail of chemicals in our environment with little regulation for change threatens our global ecosystem. It is estimated that of the approximate 350,000 chemical compounds registered globally, there is only a small fraction assessed for safety and the list of chemicals continues to grow. It has been reported that the pace at which new chemicals are being produced is not within safe limits for our ecosystem. Driving awareness of this and how chemical pollution is threatening the earth’s systems is a big deal.
What are your “5 Things I Wish Someone Told Me Before I Started” and why?
1.Courage is one of the most important things you can cultivate. Courage comes with practice, arriving in increments every day. It can be hard and unpleasant because it forces you to take a stand for what you believe in. Ultimately courage provides you the ability to tackle change, rise up to challenges, and grow with failure. When things happen that are out of your control, courage helps.
2. Build a trusted community. It takes time to get to know people and find people you build trust in. A trusted community of family, friends, and relationships nourishes and enriches your life and those around you.
3. Make the best decision you can every day. Hindsight is always 20/20, and you can think twice about whether you made the right decision. If you understand why you made the decision and how it was the best decision at the time, it will provide a path to understanding, and steer you away from regret.
4. You are always a work in progress. It’s a comforting thought to think that you learn all you need to know when you are young, you implement that knowledge, and you become an expert and voila! But the landscape you are working in is constantly changing and you will need to adapt. I think a large part of intelligence is the ability to deconstruct and reconstruct all over again, which means seeing a different perspective and vantage point. This is very difficult to do when we are in our own head and thoughts, but I think it builds wisdom and understanding.
5. Nature is always there for you to enjoy. Nature has become more and more vital to me. Being in nature allows me to reconnect with what is important to me. Our natural world shows up on an everyday basis, providing constant beauty and wonder, and it humbles me. Nature makes me feel a part of a greater whole. I thank mother nature for what she so freely offers us daily!
Sustainability, veganism, mental health and environmental changes are big topics at the moment. Which one of these causes is dearest to you, and why?
I think sustainability is the greatest challenge currently facing the human species and the planet as a whole. As our planet is delicately interconnected, the health of the environment affects absolutely everything, from all of Earth’s creatures, to global politics, to the food we eat, to even our mental wellness — nearly half of Americans believe that climate change impacts their mental health. I have loved nature since I can remember and believe in its therapeutic benefits — this runs through CandaScent Lab’s brand ethos, to respect and nourish nature and what it provides us. Growing up in California it was hard not to fall in love with its incredible natural landscapes, its multitude of ecological textures — from the vast and sparkling Pacific Ocean, to the wild desert and its secret denizens, to the awe-inspiring majesty of the Redwood forest. It’s difficult to witness the changes in the landscapes I have known, and to know that my future grandchildren may not be able to enjoy the same natural world I once did. It is this sentiment of wanting to pass down the planet like an heirloom that inspired me to work in sustainability. Unfortunately, aiming to implement ecologically sound business practices is not enough. Companies are starting to understand that you need to be restorative, regenerative — we need to start actively giving back to the planet.
What is the best way our readers can follow you online?
Please peruse our website (www.candascent.com ) and subscribe to our newsletter, where we share insights, research, and findings on olfactory wellness, the health benefits of various terpenes, new aroma products, botanical and olfactory science and more. You can also follow us on Instagram @candascent.
Thank you for these fantastic insights!
Women In Wellness: Veronique Lee of CandaScent Labs On The Five Lifestyle Tweaks That Will Help… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.