Kvapų namai Aromata mirabilia is a lively, open and ever new creative space.
Since 2007 we have been developing and producing original aromatherapy products, natural fresh creams, balms without the aid of preservatives; perfumes and other unique scented products without a drop of synthetic substances.
The tradition of vibrant fresh cosmetics, perfumes and incense workshops, previously unheard of in Lithuania, was born in the Kvapų namai, opening up the unknown horizons of these arts.
For the first time, brand new words - atars, hydrolates, alembics, living cosmetics, scent culture - were heard here, and many unheard-of plants and their substances, without which many people today can no longer imagine their daily lives, were introduced.
The Kvapų namai was the first to organise educational and exploratory aromatic expeditions, extending its spaces to Provence, Bulgaria, Greece, Armenia, Iran, Spain, Africa, Madagascar, India...
The ideas and creative initiatives born in the Kvapų namai have given many the joy of discovery and inspired the creation of their own businesses. But an open space is a creative space, so there's no end to discovery...
The Kvapų namai is a place where you can discover, try and buy the highest quality natural fragrances and cosmetic oils, as well as other natural body care products available in the world today.
In the Kvapų namai shops in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda, we invite you to get acquainted with the largest collection of fragrances and cosmetic substances in Lithuania, to open your senses, discover the untried world of scents, its history and culture, to gain deeper knowledge and to get advice on scent therapy, sustainable cosmetics and effective and more sustainable skin care methods.
In addition to our impressive collection of aromatic substances, we have launched many new things, which have received a great deal of interest and support from you. I am particularly pleased that you have taken a liking to the quality essential oils, hydrosols and vegetable oils of the Kvapų namai, and that you have plunged into the world of scents and primordial substances, that you have discovered it, got to know it and loved it.
It is no coincidence that, in the shelter of the Kvapų namai, we constantly recall the names of the world's great herbalists, apothecaries, perfumers, cosmetologists, alchemists and thinkers, and we draw on their wise writings in our work, with a sense of unbroken connection to the past. We can hear the scents when we think of the pioneer of alchemy, Mary the Prophetess, the ancient Greek scientists Dioscorides, Galen and Pliny, the Indian Ayurvedic physician Sushruta, the brilliant Muslim encyclopaedists Avicenna, Al Biruni and Al Kindi, and St. Hildegard of Bingen, Paracelsus, Newton and Henry Corben, famous for his writings on the metaphysics of creative imagination.
We live surrounded by plants, we admire them, we smell them, we are connected to them through hundreds of works. We do not even notice how the soul of the plant penetrates us, stirs the most subtle elements that we did not know existed, awakens them and finally helps them to reveal themselves. New life forces flood in, spiritual insights come - there is no end to the knowledge of plants and their essences.
If we are lucky enough to work with plants, and if we do so with an open heart, we open up a world of timeless knowledge that has been with mankind since the earliest days, since the birth of the original human being... since the time of the Gardens of Eden.
We can call plants by all sorts of names, we can scientifically classify them into species or genera, but there is no classification or nomenclature that encompasses the Plant as a whole, that can describe all its beauty and awesome power.
Their energy not only mends the mood and refreshes the heart, but also heals the body, ennobles the senses and calms the mind. Plants unselfishly share with us the knowledge they bring from the distant past. They draw from the earth the gifts of heaven. When we smell plants, we smell the divine world; when we look at them, we see its forms; when we touch them, we touch the untouchable...
We are delighted that Kvapų namai shelters precious substances from Africa, Asia, Australia and America, as well as from the shores and islands of the Mediterranean, and, of course, from the meadows and forests of our beloved Lithuania.
Our aim is to discover the cultural and therapeutic world of aromatic and cosmetic substances, to understand its mysteries and to enter it in different ways.
Therefore
1) We expand our knowledge and practical experience by communicating and collaborating with the best specialists in the world, both practitioners and theoreticians; we delve into the historical, anthropological and cultural issues of scents, as well as into the latest academic and clinical literature for the odour, aromatherapy and cosmetic professions. We are happy to share the knowledge we have acquired through theoretical and practical seminars. In 2013 we became a member of IFEAT (The International Federation of Essential Oils and Aroma Trades);
2) We only supply essential oils and other body care products that are certified organic or produced using environmentally friendly and minimally polluting techniques, and that have been produced in small quantities from raw materials grown on clean farms or from the wild;
We ensure the quality of our materials by adhering to several principles:
- We buy from trusted, long-established producers-suppliers (many of whom we have known personally for many years);
- our producers use simple and clean technologies;
- we rely not only on suppliers' quality documents, but also on our own thorough testing of each batch in our own state-of-the-art laboratory, incl. GC-MS; we also use the services of scientific institutions and national laboratories
Grown in the wild
Some our oils are labelled "from wild plants". This means that the plants are not specially cultivated, but simply collected from forests, mountains and other areas of uncultivated nature. They are distilled into essential or pressed fatty oils, which have a unique scent and a fresh vitality and saltiness. Each plant grown in the wild is unique - its age, its vitality and its "life story" are all individual. Only the strongest plants survive in the wild, untrammelled by human intervention. Hence their infinite life force and the uniqueness of their scent.
Organically grown
The demand for essential oils is so great that wild plants are no longer sufficient to meet human needs and species extinction is a threat. Increasingly, therefore, wild plant oils have to be replaced by sustainably grown alternatives. Organically grown plants and the oils they produce are close in vitality and energy to their wild brethren because of the quality of the soil, which provides them with the same nutrients as in the wild.
Quality and authenticity of essential oils
We are supporters of those who are nurturers and connoisseurs of substances and who are concerned with the quality of essential oils rather than with the efficacy and safety of aromatherapy - there is no arguing with that. After all, if we want to use essential oils and hydrolats on the skin or take them internally, we need to be absolutely sure that they are authentic, of high quality and pure, i.e. not adulterated with chemicals or cheaper substitutes; that the hydrolats are genuine, unpreserved and uncontaminated by germs. Our research shows that not only in the world, but also in Lithuania, about 50% of the essential oils sold are unfortunately fakes (we blog about this).
We support small farms running traditional family businesses and producing wonderful products in small quantities, which have many advantages over factory products. Small distillery farmers pick their own plants and distil fresh raw materials. Experienced distillers with many years of experience have a highly developed sense of smell and taste, so they are able to feel the plants and extract the perfect essential oils with unrivalled therapeutic properties. The master distillers, who have handed down the tradition of distillation from one generation to the next, flawlessly preserve the individuality of the scent and the vitality of the fragrance, which is specific to the plant from which the aromatic substance is derived. Each such distillate is bottled separately and bears its own number and date of production.
Avocado, macadamia, hazelnut and argan oils pressed on small farms and cooperatives retain all their good qualities without being heated, exposed to extractives or refined. These non-factory products are not just the sap of the plant. They are the inimitable essence of nature, of the land in which it grows, of the plant's own vital powers and of man's ingenuity, his toil, his love, his hands and his heart.
Love for Lithuanian plants
Extracts come to us from all over the world. But we are increasingly focusing on plants that grow closer to Europe and, of course, Lithuania. Plants from the same environment and ecosystem are believed to be the most health-promoting and effective. There is no need to drive or transport them far, and the CO2 footprint of such products is much smaller. That's why we distil and extract Lithuanian wild or cultivated plants - pines, birch, mints, lavender, verbena, calendula, marigold, medowsweet, and even lemon grass.
We say with complete honesty and openness that when you buy our products you are supporting small growers and producers with unique activities in Lithuania and all over the world, and you are supporting our efforts to coexist with Nature in a respectful and sustainable way. When you buy a bottle of oil, you will not only enjoy the smell, the touch or the power of the substance, but you will also help the survival of these farms and their products, and contribute to the possibility of these wonderful substances to spread their magic not only somewhere in the world, but also here in Lithuania.
Renata and Rūta, Co-founders
