In this Q&A, we delve into the inspiration, formulation, and vision of CAMPO, an innovative essential oils brand redefining the world of natural fragrances. From its inception, CAMPO was envisioned as a transformative power, harnessing the healing potential of plant-based medicine and essential oils to create daily rituals imbued with joy.
Frustrated with the pervasive stigma surrounding essential oils as a 'hippy' alternative, co-founders Jill and Jess sought to elevate their perception and utility in our lives. Drawing from their shared passion since college, they dreamed of a world where an 'essential oil baby' of Tom Ford and Apple would exist - embodying luxury, functionality, and transformative healing powers, all encased in minimal, jet set packaging.
Their debut collection of pre-blended oils targeted at universal needs - ENERGY, FOCUS, RELAX & SLEEP - represented their commitment to sharing these benefits with the world. This exclusive conversation reveals the creative process, the driving philosophy, and the vibrant future of the fragrance industry envisioned by the minds behind CAMPO.
What inspired you to create Campo, and what was the initial problem you aimed to solve in the market?
We wanted to harness the ancient healing power of plant medicine and essential oils and create rituals to make life more joyful. There's been a stigma around essential oils, pigeonholed into the 'crunch' aisle and associated with a patchouli hippy oil. My childhood best friend and CAMPO Co-Founder Jill and I, both essential oil enthusiasts since college, wanted to redefine this space. We asked ourselves: "What if Tom Ford and Apple had an essential oil baby, what would that look like?" The answer was luxurious, top-shelf ingredients, captivating scent stories, potent healing powers, all pre-blended with minimal and jet set packaging. We launched CAMPO with four straightforward & pre-blended essentials oils that we needed in our own lives - ENERGY, FOCUS, RELAX & SLEEP. We believed these to be universal pain points and wanted to share these benefits with the world.
Could you walk us through the process of creating your signature scents and what makes them unique?
We blend the ancient rituals of aromatherapy and the art of making perfume to create unique blends. When we decided to launch CAMPO, learning how to make perfume, which involves blending with top, middle, and base notes, was one of our first steps. Each blend begins with identifying a feeling we want the essential oil to evoke, such as ENERGY. We then select all possible ingredients with those properties, like sweet orange, bergamot, and neroli. A crucial aspect of CAMPO is our intoxicating scent stories, which we achieve by using rare ingredients not found in other essential oil brands. With 4-6 single notes in every blend, we provide an approachable luxury by removing guesswork and blending the best combinations of oils.
Campo emphasizes the use of natural and organic ingredients. Can you tell us more about why this is important to your brand and how you ensure the quality of your ingredients?
A: Everything we do at CAMPO is intentional, from our ingredients to our modern packaging. CAMPO means field or countryside in Italian and Spanish, reflecting our practice of sourcing the most beautiful ingredients globally. We create all our own formulas and procure all our oils, so we know exactly what's in our products. Our violet glass bottles help harness the oils' natural energetic properties and block harmful UV rays, extending the shelf life. We're 100% natural and cruelty-free, with no dirty ingredients or endocrine disruptors.
What has been the biggest challenge you've faced as a founder and how did you overcome it?
As a creative, I'm full of ideas and love new projects. The challenge for me is to stay focused and not chase after new concepts. I'm constantly questioning whether a meeting, project, or idea aligns with our goals for CAMPO and if it's worth my time.
What do you see as the future of the fragrance industry and how does Campo fit into this vision?
We believe that CAMPO and aromatherapy can transform how you feel through the natural healing power of scent. We see a future where an environment's scent has a significant impact on how we connect to a space and our own mind & body. As people become more educated about natural versus synthetic fragrances, we anticipate a significant shift away from synthetic fragrances.
At Sage + Sound, we're all about wellness, your way. What are each of your go-to wellness habits that make you a better version of yourself?
CAMPO is all about rituals. We launched the brand based on our Daily Rituals Collection - ENERGY, FOCUS, RELAX, & SLEEP. Every morning I have a glass of lemon water to help me detox toxins and cleanse my liver.
We have a ritual called the Infinity Ritual which I practice throughout the day:
- Set your intention/manifest.
- Trace the infinity symbol in the palm of your hand with your favorite CAMPO essential oil Roll-on (or add a couple drops of essential oil to your favorite carrier oil).
- Rub hands together to activate the oils and take 8 deep breaths.
- Feel grounded by nature.
I also need to exercise daily (get my movement meditation on)! Sleep is a major important ritual for my entire family. We have diffusers in every bedroom and our SLEEP blend signals my brain it’s time to crash. We also turn all wi-fi off at night so the EMF (electro magnetic fields) is not interrupting with our REM state. We have EMF Grounding Bags in our bed that also help repel EMF during the night. The benefits of proper sleep are endless but here are a few of my favorite reasons to get my beauty rest: increase brain function, reduce irritability, increase metabolism, and improve cellular renewal.
