Solstice Scents

Solstice Scents was founded in 2004 by perfumer Angela St. John and is based in Alachua, Florida. The company is co-owned with Gregory St. John.

Angela St. John grew up near San Felasco Hammock in the Gainesville, Florida area, where early time spent outdoors led to an interest in plants, herbs and natural healing traditions, including aromatherapy and herbal lore. She has cited natural-perfumery author and educator Jeanne Rose as an influence on her development as a perfumer.

Solstice Scents began by selling bath and body items such as soap, lotion, bath salts, candles and hand-blended incense powders, with simple fragrances used to scent them. Over time Angela St. John moved into more complex perfume oil blends, working with both natural and synthetic materials and favoring resins, incense, precious woods, leather, amber and tobacco. She has also worked with enfleurage, an historic fat-based extraction method, to capture material such as gardenia.