Beauty Diary: Goldfield & Banks is Australia’s first luxury fragrance house
Australia produces an extremely precious plant that sells for $100k a kilo that’s being snapped up in bottled form around the world.
When you think of fragrance, two places often come to mind: Paris and New York.
France is widely known the “undisputed home of perfumery”, thanks to a mixture of homegrown technical expertise and an abundance of raw materials behind some of the most iconic scents.
New York is famed for creating unique scents inspired by the bustling city that are favoured the world over – but there’s a new kid on the block.
Goldfield & Banks is a luxury fragrance house that hails from Australia, using native botanicals to create scents that express Australia’s beautiful sandy shores and vast landscapes.
Created by Dimitri Webber, a French-Belgian who moved to Sydney over 10 years ago when he fell in love with an Aussie, the brand is making waves in the fragrance biz.
“Most people thought I was crazy to try starting a perfume brand in Australia,” Dimitri, who previously worked in fragrance development for well known brands including Cartier, Yves Saint Laurent, Issey Miyake, told news.com.au’s The Beauty Diary.
“The biggest issue was that there were no large perfume producers here – these are the companies that perfumers work for and who do a lot of manufacturing.
“The existing ones mainly did soaps and candles, and didn’t have experience in fine perfumery.”
Despite the fact most well-known perfume ingredients historically come from Europe or are sourced by European companies from other parts of the world, Dimitri decided to take the plunge.
“Diversity in the industry is what I was aiming for, and today we have definitely put Australia on the perfume map,” he said.
“Even the name is inspired by the country. ‘Goldfield’ refers to Australia’s rich goldfields and the natural wealth they contain, as well as the beautiful botanicals that grown out of that rich earth.
“There’s also this wonderful legend that Australian sandalwood grows best on fields of gold.
“And ‘Banks’ is a reference to Joseph Banks, the first European botanist to visit Australia.”
Dimitri’s passion for using local Aussie ingredients is arguably what sets Goldfield & Banks apart from competitors – with the brand even using agarwood, which can cost more than $100,000 for a kilogram, in one of its most popular products ‘Silky Woods’.
“With the exceptions of sandalwood and golden wattle, almost no one uses Australian native botanicals in their perfumes, and of the brands that do use them, certainly none use the variety that we do,” he explained.
“Silky Woods [which retails for $310 a bottle] is the only perfume in the world to contain agarwood grown in Australia.”
“Agarwood has a long and rich history in perfume and incense, and is mainly grown in South-East Asia.
“Ours is grown in Tropical North Queensland where the climate is perfect for this species and the air is extremely pure.”
Clearly, consumers love the brand as since its launch in 2016 it has grown tremendously. It’s currently sold online through the brand’s website to customers in the US, UK, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East as well as on Adore Beauty in Australia.
A number of Goldfield & Banks perfumes are also stocked in Sephora Australia stores as well as Harrods, the iconic luxury department store in London.
Most recently the brand partnered with five-star Cairns hotel, Crystalbrook Riley, which sees guests receive a 10ml sample in their rooms as part of a “sensory” package – as well as securing a highly coveted retail spot in the new Heinemann luxury precinct at Sydney International Airport.
“It’s been incredible aligning with like minded brands,” Dimitri said.
“It’s a huge milestone, and a great feeling to know that people will carry a piece of Australian olfactory luxury with them all over the world.
“There is also a sense of accomplishment, and a nice bit of revenge for those who didn’t initially believe in my venture.”
He added: “The exclusive luxury sensory travel experience at Crystalbrook Riley venue includes a two-night stay and an in-room Bath or Shower Butler.
“It also includes $100 credit to spend on dining experiences at Rocco, daily breakfast for two at Paper Crane and a 10ml sample gift from Goldfield & Banks.”
Shoppers are also loving the brand and its “stunning” fragrances, with videos on TikTok popping up regularly from happy customers clocking up thousands of views.
The brand’s ‘Sunset Hour’ scent proved popular on the platform, with one describing the peachy fragrance as their “favourite”.
Another said the Goldfield & Banks ‘Bohemian Lime’ was “just gorgeous”.
This level of consumer love is something Dimitri doesn’t take for granted, as it wasn’t always this way.
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“At first very few people took interest in the brand – even in Australia,” he said.
“Today, customers around the world are really fascinated with the idea of Australian perfumery which is great to see.”
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