patrick kelly

Today’s interview is with Patrick Kelly, the founder and perfumer behind Sigil Scent. By nature, Patrick is philosophical, creative, ardent, and meticulous. As a self-taught perfumer, these are the qualities that have elevated his brand to the success it has seen in the past year. Patrick attributes the genesis of Sigil to deeply personal experiences with aromatherapy and selfcare. His fond and rich memories driving through Florida’s orange blossom groves, observing his grandmother and her vanity of potions all helped to inspire what I consider to be Patrick’s intuitive alchemy.

MM: How has your brand developed over the years?

PK: I launched the brand five years ago and built up a range which included seven perfumes, a room spray, a body scrub, a body wash, and a body oil. I was juggling all of this in addition to another job at the time, and it all became too much. We recently rebranded and relaunched with four new and distinct signature fragrances. It took about a year to get from Sigil 1.0 to 2.0, and it relaunched in April of 2019.

MM: Can you give the reader a window into your experience formulating perfumes for Sigil?

PK: The process of formulation looks different for me every time. Sometimes it starts with a single note, and the rest of the puzzle—and story—follow. Other times, it’s more conceptual: I’ll begin with a brief—this is the story I want to tell—and then determine the notes that will tell the story. Regardless of what place I start from, I need to end up in a place that feels harmonious with regards to the scent and the story. The two are interconnected and always dancing together in a two-step. For example, I approached Prima Materia conceptually and pragmatically—I wanted it to be a synthesis of everything I had discovered and learned across the brand’s first four years. On the other hand, with Solutio I wanted to evoke a place (specifically: Joshua Tree). This abstract approach resulted in a petrichor quality of damp on dry, an alive and bright feature of rain in the desert. Formulation is unique for every product, but it always takes time. For context, it usually requires fifty to one hundred edits before I start to share with trusted peers.

MM: What are you considering as you formulate your fragrances?

PK: My fragrances are generally a balance between masculine and feminine. And I often think about places, colors, the personas and identities of the people who will wear the perfume--a notion of who they are and where they go. It’s a very organic experience for me.

MM: What music inspires your creativity?

PK: When I’m formulating, I generally don’t play music. I can’t have too much external stimuli because there’s so much intuition and math involved. When I’m able to zone out at work, I listen to Chelsea Wolfe, mid-2000s Swedish Pop, ABBA, Kate Bush, Bjork.

MM: What scent of yours do you reach for most often?

PK: I wear Amor Fati the most. It's light and fresh, with a soft dry down and a sparkling, nuanced subtlety that evolves throughout the day. For people who aren't used to the initial, concentrated burst a natural perfume tends to offer, Amor Fati is a great option. It has more nuanced application and subtle sillage. At Sigil, we blend our fragrances at a high concentration, to help increase their tenacity (lasting quality). There are other things we do to encourage that fixative quality. For example, our concentrations are a bit higher than traditional eau de parfums. The immediate sensory experience with all of our scents is strong but when applied, Amor Fati quickly quiets to a whispered subtlety. That’s probably why it’s such a constant for me.

MM: Would you shine a light on the ingredients (in particular, the tinctures) Sigil fragrances are crafted with and what that process looks like?

PK: Our perfumes are formulated using organic cane sugar-derived alcohol, essential oils, absolutes, co2 extracts, and tinctures. The tinctures are created in-house by immersing raw materials in alcohol. This pulls aromatic compounds (and a little bit of magic) from the plant material. It helps us offer more of the ingredient and supports the fixative quality of the fragrance. The raw materials are immersed in a 50:50 solution and then allowed to infuse for weeks or months on end, depending on the material. Delicate florals benefit from shorter macerations while heartier ingredients can mature a bit longer. We macerate, or age, the finished solution as well. The final compositions mature and blend with the organic cane alcohol for anywhere between six and twelve weeks. 

MM: What’s a scent that transports you somewhere—to a certain place, time, moment?

PK: The first thing that comes to mind is neroli, or really any use of the bitter orange tree—whether it’s petitgrain or orange blossom absolute, or neroli essential oil. I’m from Florida originally and there was a period of time when I was driving two hours every day to get to work. It was from Orlando to Tampa. About midway, I discovered this respite of orange groves. I’d always roll down my window or stop along the drive. It was a perfect reprieve.

MM: Whose work do you love and admire?

PK: There are so many. Perfume is so interesting as a category—there’s definitely a more secretive old guard. And then there's a new generation of perfumers that include me. A friend who also comes to mind is Heather D'Angelo of Carta. We’re interested in building community and sharing our learnings. Heather is a talented singer and perfumer based in San Francisco. With her perfumery, she first finds a very special supplier of an ingredient and then builds the rest of the composition around where that supplier is based. Her debut perfume was called Moena, after a Peruvian plant, it’s very green and lovely. Conceptual work like hers deserves praise.

MM: What things should people inquire about when selecting a fine fragrance for themselves?

PK: Many things. How long it lasts is an important one, for sure. They should learn whether it’s natural, mixed media, or synthetic and then weigh for themselves, the importance of ingredient origin.

MM: Would you weigh in on the toxic vs. non-toxic conversation?

PK: For me and for Sigil, I love working with naturals. Synthetics feel less alive, less supple. I love the challenge of working with natural ingredients—the living, breathing, nuanced quality of them. What I can say is this: we follow IFRA guidelines and are also EU certified, meeting the most rigorous safety standards for the category. Perfume is meant to be sexy, to transport. The moment you bring the words toxic or non-toxic into the equation, the romance is gone.

MM: In beauty, whose products never leave your rotation?

PK: Brands that I return to time and time again…Monastery. I’ve loved watching Athena and her brand evolve over the years. My favorite of her’s is the XX, a glycolic gel. It’s effective and versatile. I really like Biologique Recherche, especially their cleansers. Lait VIP O2 is my favorite. F. Miller is another mainstay. I have two friends in Oregon with lovely brands: Wildcare and Heart of Gold. The founder of Heart of Gold gave me a three hour facial once.

R A P I D   F I R E   E D I T I O N

MM: Fan of Enzymes?

PK: I don’t feel strongly about them.

MM: Physical or Chemical Exfoliants? 

PK: Chemical more often. I love the BR Hyperpigmentation P50.

MM: Retinol?

PK: Don’t know enough about the advantages and disadvantages.

MM: Vitamin C?

PK: Sure—I’ve dabbled but I’m not a big user.

MM: Wildcrafted or Organic?

PK: Depends—but usually I’d opt for organic first.

MM: Favorite category of scents? 

PK: I love florals. They’re alluring and old world. 

MM: Red light or laser?

PK: Had a really bad experience with laser, so red light!

MM: Sunscreen or sun exposure without it?

PK: Always sunscreen. 

MM: Microcurrent or Gua Sha?

PK: Gua Sha.

MM: Supplements you’re taking daily?

PK: Liposomal C, olive leaf, chelated zinc, and Alexis Smart Flower Remedies.

MM: Three essential oils you love?

PK: Vetiver, neroli, and labdanum…or cistus (these last two are from Rock Rose and smell leathery.)

MM: Three essential oils you hate?

PK: I wouldn’t say I hate these, in general. But specific to a perfume application: cinnamon, vanilla, and rosemary. Actually, any herbals in perfume.

MM: What essential oil would you bring to a deserted island? 

PK: Immortelle (Helichrysum). 

MM: Guilty pleasure? 

PK: Buying jewelry. I pierced my ear and that was the start of a slippery slope.

MM: Bath or shower?

PK: Bath, always.

MM: Go-to meal? 

PK: I love sticky rice with soy sauce and fermented veggies.

MM: Who are the teachers that have influenced you and your work? 

PK: Jana Blakenship. She’s always been so generous and embodies goodwill. Also, Kerrilynn Pamer who has been really supportive of Sigil for a very long time. And Sarah Villafranco of Osmia Organics. Some of the business advice she’s given me over the years has stuck with me. She’s practical and direct, but very nurturing.

MM: Books on your bedside table today? 

PK: The Baudelaire Fractal by poet Lisa Robertson. It takes place in Paris and it’s beautiful and dreamy. I’ve read it twice already.

MM: In life, what do you know for certain to be true? 

PK: We are in control of very little, but can at least manage how we respond to things. I don’t know much, but I do know that. We can always take a moment to be more thoughtful and reflective before we respond. 

MM: Finally, what brings you hope?

PK: The compassion everyone has been sharing with each other during this complicated time. I really hope that it’s something we all can remember and can carry forward with us into the future.

My personal favorites from Patrick’s line are Anima Mundi (apparently, the most divisive) and Amor Fati. Enjoy!

Photography courtesy of John Von Pamer and Isabella Behravan.