“I’m okay with woo-woo”: Yasmin Sewell’s Vyrao is a fragrance brand built on good vibes
Backed by neuroscience and energetically charged, Yasmin Sewell’s Vyrao fragrances have the power to set any mood.
Fragrances have long been considered a mood-setter. But Yasmin Sewell’s brand Vyrao has the science to prove why her products have that very power. Launched in London five years ago, Australian perfumer and trained Reiki practitioner Yasmin’s mission was simple: to build a world based on “connecting with energy.” Her entire output is wholly intentional. The colour of each fragrance is hand-picked by Sewell, who has Synesthesia, and the cocktail of natural notes are selected to conjure up intoxicating feelings, from calm and serenity to energised or sensual. These ingredients are backed by fragrance house International Flavors & Fragrances, which has a Science of Wellness programme, offering scientific data on each ingredient’s brain-altering properties. The smell-meets-spirituality-meets-science combination has proved to be a commercial success, with Space NK and Harvey Nichols carrying the brand.
Each smell is transportive and utterly delicious at once, and their latest release is the proof. In tandem with the brand’s 5th anniversary, they’ve revealed their latest sweet-smelling scent: Ever 11. Orbiting around the notion of confidence, fresh bursts of black cherry and smoky patchouli notes take centre stage. Vanilla and Tonka bean notes help “enhance self-esteem by 97% as measured by IFF’s proprietary Science of Wellness program”, meaning the feeling of confidence is quite literally bottled up. Both professionally and personally marking a chapter of emboldened confidence, with Yasmin turning 50 this year, the fragrance signals continued growth and renewal for the brand currently on an upward trajectory.
Yasmin joined EE72 to reflect on her brand’s beginnings, the energy that informs everything we do, and how we could all use a little “woo-woo” in our lives.
@vyraoworld
Congrats on five years to Vyrao. Am I right in saying you launched in your garden five years ago?
One of my best friends, who’s also been involved with the company, has this extraordinary one-acre garden in Kilburn, where we planted ingredients for the fragrances for the launch. So we did launch in this beautiful garden, and it’s quite extraordinary.
Is the outdoors a place you feel innovative and creative when it comes to your brand?
It is, actually. The majority of ingredients I’m working with are natural. Being connected to nature and the earth is wonderful, and it’s inspiring. We’re not really the fragrance brand that traditionally does a fragrance based on location, but of course, there are places I go that inspire me. One of my fragrances, Mama Juju, is inspired by the smell of Australia’s bush earth. I always smell it when I land there: this sweet, earthy outback smell.
A lot of your products are amazing fragrances that focus on energetic healing. I’d love to know why you felt fragrance was the right product to explore this through.
Connecting with energy is actually the basis of the entire brand and vision. That was the starting point. I’m trained in Reiki and energetic healing, and I’ve always been able to tune into energy and frequency; it’s just my thing. The brand came to me as a vision, and the message was, ‘If energy is the source of everything, can I build an entire brand and product based on it?’ And that’s really what it is. These fragrances ultimately shift your energetic field. Everything’s an energy shift. Color has energy. Words have energy. Scent has energy. So every single element of each product, intentionally or even unintentionally, is about energy. The color I choose for the bottle matches the frequency of the fragrance’s smells, because I have synaesthesia. I ask, ‘What is the name of that fragrance? What does the word evoke?’ Even the people we work with, and our partners, are all based on energy. I don’t often talk about this, but I think the team and everyone around us have got good energy. I think you can feel it in the product.
These fragrances ultimately shift your energetic field. Everything’s an energy shift. Color has energy. Words have energy. Scent has energy. So every single element of each product, I intentionally or even unintentionally, is about energy.
YASMIN SEWELL
It sounds like every single decision you make is intentional.
It’s all intentional. Ultimately, it’s a beautiful fragrance. It smells amazing and has incredible ingredients with these great benefits. But really what we’re doing here is shifting people’s energy.
Not many people know enough about the power of energy. How would you recommend people learn more about energy?
If someone is interested in it, the understanding that everything has a frequency is important. If people don’t get it, I say it’s like when something has a good vibe or not. You know when you walk into a space, and it doesn’t have a great energy?
Yes!
That’s because that room has a frequency. People understand that. Then you can start to relate that to every single element of your life. If you do want to delve deeper into it, you can do a Reiki session. Acupuncture is clearing the energetic meridians in your body. It’s a proven energetic practice. It is something people understand that isn’t necessarily too woo-woo. I’m okay with woo-woo. I’ll make sure I don’t go too woo-woo.
Please do! Your fragrances and products are also neuroscience-backed. Can you talk to me about the impacts your products have on the brain, feelings and emotions? How do you want your products to affect people?
The neuroscience behind the product is phenomenal. The fragrance house I work with has 40 years of neuroscience research backing it. It’s spirituality and science coming together, which I think is quite important. We can look at specific ingredients and how they have been proven to track emotions in the brain. But we also know this from aromatherapy. I think people have already worked out that lavender makes you feel calm. But these studies cover many different ingredients, and there are various emotional benefits they track, including mindfulness, sexuality, energy, relaxation, joy and happiness. I start every fragrance with an emotion first. That is the basis. Our most recent fragrance, Ever 11, is all about owning who you are, which is ultimately a deep inner confidence.
Congrats on the new release. Am I right in saying that’s timed to your five-year anniversary?
I didn’t think about it in relation to the anniversary, but it’s the one that just felt right for now. The timing for me personally has been amazing. I turned 50 this year, and there’s something about turning 50 and becoming a woman at 50 and this feeling of not giving a fuck about what anyone thinks anymore, which I think can only really come with age. I really want to speak about this feeling.
What fragrance do you find yourself reaching for at the moment?
Ever 11 because it’s just launched and I’ve been dying to get my hands on it for so long. I go to Witchy Woo the most. It’s the one on my shelf that’s got the least juice. It could be for any moment at any time. It represents me, and I think it’s just such a magical fragrance. But right now it’s Ever11. Everywhere I go, people come up to me. I went into All Press on Dalston Lane and the entire staff came over saying, “We want to know what fragrance you’re wearing.”
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