Pia Long
About Pia Long
Pia Long is a lifelong cosmetics and perfume enthusiast and has been involved in the industry for twenty years. She qualified from London College of Fashion in 1996 and currently works for Lush and B as a researcher, writer, trainee perfumer and a junior product developer.
3 found. Showing stories 1 to 3, with most recent first.
Study Notes: A Very English Problem
01 November 2009 Columnists
"If I pay for jasmine absolute, I should get jasmine absolute", said Mark in one of our early meetings. He had gathered a small group of us to discuss the never-ending problem of essential oil adulteration.
”And the same goes for any oil we buy,” he continued, “we want the best quality. Let us do our own perfumery. Don’t dilute the stuff for us.”
It doesn't help that Mark's demands exceed the generally accepted standard that he has a tendency to be paranoid.
"We know that the majority of the oils out there are adulterated, but we really want to make it clear to the suppliers: give us the real thing and we're prepared to pay for it. But if you lie to us, we'll name and shame you."At this point our essential oil buyer cut in: "We already have them sign a declaration. Naming and shaming might mean that we could be left with no suppliers."
...Study Notes: Back to school
26 June 2009 Columnists
In this new column Pia Long will be telling you about what it’s like to be a trainee perfumer with the maverick Constantines and an adult distance learner of perfumery.
When I threw my maths book into a Finnish lake one summer camp, little did I suspect I’d willingly study the subject as an adult, decades later in another country. Chemistry and physics were never really a problem at school; in fact, I rather liked knowing how things worked. During my first trip to the zoo, I spent most of the time with my nappy-padded bottom up in the air, head deep in the plumbing and other interesting paraphernalia of the cages. Animals? What animals? How do they get the water in?
...The guerrilla perfumers: An interview with Mark and Simon Constantine (Lush & B Perfumery)
19 December 2008 Interviews
Mark Constantine is the head and co-founder of the cosmetics retail chain Lush, and also the co-founder of possibly the most awkwardly named perfumery in the word, B Never Too Busy To Be Beautiful. He likes to call his business “guerrilla cosmetics” and has hit the headlines in UK this week for openly supporting a group of environmental activists, Plane Stupid.
Mark trained as a trichologist and when working at a salon in the 1970s, he met Elizabeth Weir (now Bennett), with whom he started Constantine and Weir and subsequently opened a small herbal hair and beauty clinic in Poole. They made henna hair colours and beauty products based on natural raw materials. Mark's wife Mo was involved in the business from its earliest days and several other people soon joined the team, which over the years grew to be one of The Body Shop's main suppliers. Anita and Gordon Roddick were a huge inspiration to Mark, but he was arguably an even bigger influence on their business, as the person who introduced the anti-animal testing policy to the brand....
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