"The pursuit of perfume perfection took Maria McElroy of Aroma M years of study all over the world. She recently moved her atelier from DUMBO to Bushwick, Brooklyn, where she creates her cult favorite fragrances and beauty oils. Originally a painter with an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute, she is inspired by color, her years living in Japan, and a romantic imagination. From globally sourced ingredients, to mixing fragrances drop by drop, to hand-packaging her bottles with exquisite imported papers, McElroy does things the hard way, producing premium products backed by 20 years of experience."

Geisha Vanilla Hinoki

Maria McElroy, founder and owner of the Japanese-inspired cult parfumerie Aroma M, is delighted to announce the first new addition since 2011 to her celebrated Geisha collection. Introducing deep, dark. intoxicating Geisha Vanilla Hinoki, a nighttime—or should we say bedtime--potion that takes an utterly new approach to the world’s most popular gourmand aroma, rumored to have aphrodisiac effects.Vanilla scents tend to have a cloying, candied effect. But not Vanilla Hinoki. Its key ingredient is a woodsy, smoky vanilla found only in Morocco—and very hard to come by. Five years in the making, it’s been blended with unexpected partner notes. Foremost among them is hinoki, a storied cypress.   For centuries, this prized Japanese wood was used to build palaces, temples, shrines, noh theaters--and those hot spring pools known as onsen, found in mountainside inns. Maria’s intention with this new scent was to capture the cloudy, floating, sybaritic sensation of lingering in one of these scented hot springs.

 As for the other ingredients:   They kick off with light and sparkling bergamot combined with spicy, wake-up clove, cardamom, and nutmeg. These segue into more soothing mid-notes: cedarleaf, soft bergamot, and lavender. And finally the lingering drydown: exotic, animalic leather; incense-like patchouli; tropical, evergreen amyris; and cleansing, envigorating cedarwood.  
The overall effect? Subtly sultry, as the Japanese prefer their scents, and wearable by women and men alike.

 Camellia Cleansing Oil featured in Organic Spa Skin Care Guide

From Organic Spa Magazine:

Now that women are getting used to moisturizing oils as part of a successful beauty regimen, it's not surprising that cleansing oils are becoming popular as well.

Water can be harsh and potentially drying to the skin, especially if skin is dry or sensitive. Cleansing oils are gently massaged into skin with fingers, then tissued or rinsed off. They remove dirt, excess oil, makeup and environmental impurities, and they don't strip the skin.

"Skin should not feel tight after cleansing," says Maria McElroy, founder of Aroma M Skincare, which just launched its first cleansing oil. " A cleansing oil leaves the skin feeling moist."

Aroma M Camellia Cleansing Oil

McElroy's line was inspired by her love of Japan, and this delicate new oil, featuring organic camellia seed and rice bran oils, is extremely effective and a pleasure to use.

aroma M Beauty Camellia Hair Oil in Elle Magazine editorial featuring founder Maria McElroy.