Creative

The people of Greece, as identified in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey; in historical context, the poet was likely referring to Mycenaeans.

A long, slender flask crafted from stone, ceramic, glass or precious metal, used in ancient Greece as a container for expensive perfumed oils.

A small ceramic vessel for carrying oil, predominantly used by ancient Greek athletes, who oiled their bodies lavishly prior to training sessions.

Fragrant powders used in antiquity to scent the body. Created from dried flowers and herbs, they were rubbed over the skin or placed in sachets to be worn.

Light, undemanding, easy to bear.

Esteemed, glorious.

To yearn/harbour affection for.

A pleasing fragrance, a sweet scent.

Attractiveness, elegance, decorum.

Within TMS, generative AI is regarded as a tool to support human creativity and ingenuity rather than an incipient threat, and used accordingly.

Pleasurable to the senses, sensually arousing.

Sweet-smelling.

Soundness, in the sense of being complete.

An epic poem that renders a timeless survey of the human condition, estimated to have been written in the mid to late eighth century BCE, and attributed to Homer. Translated brilliantly by Robert Fagles in 1990 and by Emily Wilson in 2023.

(Judith Thurman's incisive 2023 New Yorker interview with Emily Wilson about her approach to translating Homer is a rich read. Absorb it at an attentive, unhurried pace.)

Beautiful, also praiseworthy - denoting beauty of a type that inspires others to embrace what is both attractive and good.

A probiotic, microbiome-supporting ingredient, derived from fermentation of the Lactococcus lactis bacterium. Helps to support the skin’s natural barrier function. Utilised in Of The Gods Roll-On Polygonum Deodorant and Spray-On Deodorant.

An elegant ancient Greek flask – a container for oils used for bathing, cooking and ceremonial purposes.

In the beauty industry, natural ingredients are defined as those readily available in living botanicals and other natural materials. In order for their molecular structure to remain intact, they must be extracted by means such as steam distillation, maceration, pressing, or solvent extraction.

Naturally derived ingredients are obtained from natural sources, but require a means of chemical modification before they can be utilised – for example, fermentation, condensation or esterification. 

To be obtained with the lightest possible footprint; and used with care, transparency and respect.

(To remain abreast of activities and policies regarding the use and protection of natural resources worldwide, bookmark The International Institute for Sustainable Development's website.)

The process by which we encounter and evaluate smells. It relies on the first cranial nerve (CN 1), which reaches from the brain to the upper interior of the nose; and the olfactory bulb, which sits at the front of the brain. Jointly, these perform as receptors for airborne molecules that carry scent, and convey associated information (pleasant, malodourous, stimulating, dangerous, etc) to the limbic system, including parts of the brain linked to emotion and memory.

Yearning, appetite, fervent desire.

A fragrance or aroma.

The olfactory sense, the act of smelling.

Openness, candour, boldness, particularly in speech.

A key ingredient in Of The Gods’ constituent fine perfume, obtained through an extraction process that eliminates the heaviness often associated with Patchouli. Distinctive in its warm, stimulating notes of wood, camphor and balsamic.

In reference to packaging, an acronym for ‘post-consumer recycled’ materials manufactured from input materials that have been recovered from consumer recycling such as plastics, cardboard and paper, aluminium and glass.

A wide-bodied ceramic vessel with two handles, usually decorated, used in ancient Greece for storing large quantities of oil (and possibly wine).

A naturally occurring mineral derived from volcanic glass (aka obsidian). When finely powdered, it makes an excellent physical exfoliant that is gentle on the skin and harmless to natural environments. Utilised in Of The Gods Polygonum Hand & Body Wash.

Together with written references, archaeological finds indicate that the use of scented oils, fragrances and cosmetics by ancient Greeks stemmed back to the 8th century BCE, and possibly earlier. For a richly evocative picture, see The Iliad, Book 14, lines 204-229, for a scene usually referred to as ‘Hera’s bath’. (‘Hera cleansed her enticing body of any blemish, then she applied a deep olive rub, the breath taking, redolent oil she kept beside her...’)

An evergreen tree, also known as bitter orange. Oil extracted from the leaves, characterised by green citrus, floral and woody notes, is utilised in the Of The Gods range, as one of the key ingredients of its constituent fine perfume.

Understanding, insight – in the sense of practical wisdom.

Also known as Fragrant Solomon’s Seal, a herbaceous perennial related to Lily of the Valley, bearing sweetly scented white flowers. Archigenes of Apamea, an ancient Greco-Syrian physician, apparently recommended a Polygonum garland placed on the head as a treatment for headaches. Polygonum is naturally high in aldehydes and is a key ingredient in the fine perfume created for Of The Gods.

Of the body, corporeal.

A skin-conditioning ingredient derived from the Sphingomonas hydrophobicum bacterium. Utilised in Of The Gods Polgyonum Roll-On Deodorant and Spray-On Deodorant.

To be courageous, confident and of good cheer.

The ‘father of botany’ in ancient Greece, and author of On Odours [De odoribus] – a collection of detailed treatises on scent, olfactory sense-impressions, and the use of botanicals in the creation of perfumes.   

A genus of of giant clam. Tridacna shells, often carved to beautiful effect, were used in ancient Greece to hold cosmetics and unguents.

The people of ancient Troy, which in Homer’s time lay on the Aegean coast, on a site that is now part of the Republic of Türkiye.