CELEBRATING THE SCENTS OF CANADA

We’ve all wanted to bottle the scent of a moment in time or place and some point or in our lives. Escents Aromatherapy has done just that with its My Canada line. The Vancouver-based brand wears its patriotism proudly with six scents inspired by living north of the 49^th Parallel. Company founder Jacqui MacNeill says the collection was meant to “capture the essence of these uniquely Canadian areas.”

Inspired by MacNeill’s west-coastal roots, Pacific (shown below) infuses notes of pine and cedarwood, reminiscent of walking through the lush Stanley Park or breathing in the fresh mountain and sea-salt air.

With its notes of energizing citrusy mimosa and amyris, Metro isn’t exactly what you’d expect to smell when weaving through crowded sidewalks —then again, bottling exhaust wouldn’t smell very good either—but this scent mimics the vibrancy of a bustling city.

Le piece de resistance! Home of the poutine and the bagel, Escents’ French scent is inspired more by the Quebecers themselves—sweet and calm like lavender on the outside, but peppery on the inside.

Polar bears and penguins and snow, oh my! Arctic combines what surely every Canadian wishes the long cold winters smelled like: cool peppermint and sweet liquorice-smelling anise. If only.

Maritime mixes earthy warm frankincense and sparkling bergamot for a scent inspired by the earth and sky of the East Coast of Canada.

Prairie combines cardamom and davana for a soft, woody scent that is as calm and even-minded as the flat plains and fields in the mid-west.

Each region is available in hand and body lotion, wash and bubble, handmade soap, aroma blend, and reed diffusers.
—Ashley Kowalewski

Escents Aromatherapy My Canada Collection in Pacific, Prairie, Metro, French, Maritime and Arctic, each available in hand and body lotion, $17; wash and bubble, $16; handmade soap, $6; aroma blend, $14; and reed diffusers, $25, www.escentsaromatherapy.com

PHOTO (ABOVE): iSTOCKPHOTO