I have such a bittersweet feeling when I walk around the town square at Christmas time. Or when I go to holiday markets that are bustling with people gathered around a towering Christmas tree. (Wondering why on earth I’m talking about Christmas in March? I have a point, I promise.)
I love to partake in the celebration, but I inevitably think, every.single.time. “I wish they didn’t cut down that majestic tree just to display it for a few weeks in the town square.”
I’m not the only one who hates to see the tree go to waste, it seems.
Dutch startup Ruik decided to do something about it. Or more like decided to do something WITH it. Every year, they take the Christmas tree from the Dam Square in Amsterdam and turn it into perfume.
The sister-brother duo go through the laborious process of picking apart the tree to separate the pins from the branches, and get 1028 kilos of needles and twigs in the process. They let this treasure trove of scents distill in organic grain alcohol and let the oil ripen for six months.
And that’s how you get natural Christmas tree scent. If you don’t think that’s something you want to sprinkle on yourself, fear not. The oil is mixed with 100 percent natural botanical fragrances.
Even the lid of the perfume bottle is adheres to zero-waste principles. Every one-of-a kind piece is made from the leftover wood of the Christmas tree.
For more info on how Ruik produces their zero-waste perfume, have a look at their page in English.
All photos by Ruik.
