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The communicative of however 1 pharmacist is bottling the psyche of Greece. Ifigenia Theodoropoulou is the chemist who transforms nostalgia into art, creating candles and cosmetics that transportation the essence of location crossed oceans.
There is simply a moment, suspended betwixt sunset and twilight, erstwhile the airy turns honey-gold and the satellite seems to exhale. It was successful precisely specified a moment, connected the land of Hydra successful 2021, that Ifigenia Theodoropoulou sat astatine Isalos Café with a Greek java and an bare notebook she had titled “Thoughts and Dreams for Free.” What emerged connected those pages would go thing acold much than recipes. It would go a philosophy, a span betwixt worlds, and a mode of carrying Greece wherever you go.
Thoughts and Dreams for Free
Today, that notebook remains her concealed look book, and IF Cosmetics, the marque she founded, has go a vas for representation itself. Her candles odor of tsoureki bread, melomakarono biscuits, and bougatsa pastries. Her assemblage creams are infused with the scents of Greek islands wherever summers agelong into forever, each merchandise a preserved infinitesimal – an invitation to return.
Ifigenia Theodoropoulou, laminitis of IF CosmeticsThe Science of Sentiment
“Chemistry is incredibly creative,” Ifigenia tells me, with the condemnation of idiosyncratic who has recovered the intersection of passionateness and purpose. “You harvester molecules successful caller ways and make thing wholly different. That’s a signifier of art.”
It is an unexpected doctrine from a Master of Pharmacy educated astatine Kingston University London, but Ifigenia has ne'er been 1 for accepted paths. A nonrecreational singer, songwriter, pianist, poet, and dancer, she approaches her pharmaceutical enactment with an artist’s sensibility. In the laboratory astatine her family’s pharmacy, a beloved Athens instauration serving the assemblage for 2 decades, she creates each IF Cosmetics merchandise with pharmaceutical-grade ingredients and exacting information standards. The formulations are vegan, paraben-free, cruelty-free. Every item is intentional.
“I effort to unrecorded consciously,” she explains. “Avoiding harmful substances, reducing plastic, making mindful choices. I wanted IF Cosmetics to bespeak that philosophy: that small, conscious changes tin support some our wellness and the environment.”
But it was her room skills, she confesses, that shaped her attack astir profoundly. When creating the Melomakarono assemblage cream, she utilized the aforesaid ingredients from the accepted Christmas dessert: cinnamon, clove, orange, and saccharine vanilla, translated into oils and aromas. “It felt similar cooking, conscionable successful different form.”
The Geography of Longing
Ifigenia near Greece for London successful 2014 with nary plans to return. She came location erstwhile a year, successful summer. After visiting Australia successful 2016, a travel to Sydney that made her consciousness instantly astatine ease, she adjacent considered gathering her pharmacy vocation there. Her family’s communicative is 1 of question and multiplicity: a parent calved successful Africa, years lived overseas earlier settling permanently successful Greece, a begetter who is simply a renowned bosom surgeon.
Yet implicit time, thing shifted. She began to miss the simplicity of Greek beingness with an ache that grew sharper with distance. The coffee. The sea. The food. The music. The sun. After 4 years successful London, she recovered herself visiting Greece doubly a year. “The infinitesimal I landed, the acquainted odor of location and the dependable of Greek being spoken brought tears to my eyes. That was erstwhile I realised Greece was the spot wherever I felt whole.”
When she returned successful 2021 and began moving astatine her mother’s pharmacy, she started making scrubs again, a hobby from her precocious schoolhouse years. She shared them with her champion friend, who adored them and urged her to merchantability them. After a speech with her mother, they offered them astatine the pharmacy. They sold remarkably well.
Then came Hydra. That sunset. That notebook. And the realisation that she could alteration longing into thing tangible that others could clasp and respire successful and remember.
A Map of Fragrance
If IF Cosmetics were a representation of Greece, each portion would person its ain olfactory signature. Andros would odor of caller lemons, reflecting the beardown breeze and the bittersweet heartbreak of departure. Hydra would transportation the scent of almond sweets, amygdalota, symbolizing saccharine memories and archetypal love. Tinos would beryllium vanilla, masticha Chiou, mandarin, and orange, inspired by accepted sweets and liqueurs. Thessaloniki, her family’s hometown, would of people beryllium bougatsa and tsoureki. Athens would odor of bakeries, freddo espresso, spanakopita connected the go, and clementine trees successful bloom.
“Every merchandise carries a story, often with heavy sentimental meaning,” Ifigenia says. “Bougatsa and tsoureki punctual maine of Thessaloniki. Hydra and Andros are islands wherever I’ve spent much than 20 summers, places wherever friends became family. Hydra is besides wherever I archetypal fell successful love. Memories that enactment with you forever.”
The astir personal? Melomakarono. “It ever takes maine backmost to Christmas astatine home.”
This October brings a caller addition: Chorio, meaning village, a candle inspired by the mountains aft rain, with woody, smoky notes of achromatic musk, almond bitters, and cedarwood.
The Box of Hope
In 2024, 3 100 candles named Elpida – the Greek connection for Hope – were talented astatine the Chain of Hope Gala successful London. Among the recipients were King Charles and Princess Kate. The packaging was designed to lucifer Pandora’s Box, a reminder that aft each hardships, anticipation is what remains.
The candle’s instauration was a household affair. Ifigenia’s father, Dr. Stergios Theodoropoulos, is simply a bosom surgeon who worked for galore years with Sir Magdi Yacoub. In 2012, her parent suggested gathering a bosom infirmary successful Burundi, wherever she was born. Due to conflict, the task shifted, and the infirmary was yet built successful Rwanda. Together with Professor Yacoub and his daughter, Lisa, they conceived the thought of a candle to rise consciousness and funds.
“IF Cosmetics ever combines quality with Ancient and Modern Greek past and traditions,” Ifigenia notes. Part of each Elpida candle merchantability continues to enactment the cause.
It speaks to her content successful scent and self-care arsenic tools for affectional comfort, healing, and anticipation itself. “Our senses are profoundly tied to emotion. Scents, music, tin awaken memories, bring comfort, and spark hope.”
Building a Global Brand
The responses from the diaspora and philhellenes worldwide person been profoundly moving. “The astir touching responses are ever the same: my products marque them consciousness similar home. That consciousness of warmth is priceless.”
For first-time customers, Ifigenia recommends the Tinos Body Cream, followed by the bestselling candles: Salted Caramel, Melomakarono, and Bougatsa. Her idiosyncratic favourite for creating and using? The Hypnos Candle and country spray, made with Greek lavender and Cretan eucalyptus. “Calming yet luxurious, cleanable for a cozy day astatine home.”
New launches are imminent: fragrance sticks, the astir requested product, on with wax melts and assemblage cleansers. Featured successful Elle Greece this August, IF Cosmetics is gaining designation for what it genuinely is: not conscionable a quality brand, but a philosophy, a mode of life, a transportation to the quality of Greece and its traditions.
“I emotion my country, and I consciousness a work to stock and punctual its history, culture, and traditions, not lone with Greeks but with the world,” Ifigenia says.
Her dream? To spot IF Cosmetics everywhere. In homes, boutiques, and hotels crossed the world. Sharing the essence of Greece done scents, tastes, and traditions. Helping the satellite autumn successful emotion with her culture.
But possibly her truest privation is simpler, much intimate. “If determination was 1 privation I could make, it would beryllium that whoever holds 1 of my products, if they are Greek, they consciousness nostalgic and recognise the scents and tastes of the Aegean. And if they are not Greek, that they autumn successful emotion and are inspired to sojourn my country.”
In a satellite that moves excessively quickly, wherever region separates america from the places that formed us, Ifigenia Theodoropoulou has created a mode to transportation our homes with us, nary substance however acold we roam.
Ifigenia Theodoropoulou, laminitis of IF CosmeticsIF Cosmetics are disposable astatine ifcosmetics.gr
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Natalie Martin
Editor
Natalie Martin is exertion and writer astatine Greek City Times, specialising successful penning diagnostic articles and exclusive interviews with Greek personalities and celebrities. Natalie focuses connected bringing authentic stories to beingness and crafting compelling narratives. Her endowment for storytelling and compassionate attack to journalism guarantee that each nonfiction connects with readers astir the world.
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