Sandra Topper is a Professional Aromatherapist and an Artisanal Natural Perfumer who has worked with botanical essences since 1992. Her interest in natural aromatics stems from her childhood days in England when she mischievously hid jars of concoctions under her bed which were filled with blooms from her mother’s garden.
During the early 90’s she obtained accreditation as a Professional Aromatherapist and also has professional training in reflexology, herbology and holistic nutrition. In the mid 90’s Sandra began teaching aromatherapy courses and was a guest instructor at several colleges in Ontario, teaching essential oil safety to massage and aesthetic students. Apart from having extensive knowledge about the chemical complexities of aromatic essences she also possesses a super sense of smell. Sandra indicates that her true passion lies with the art of blending aromatics and prefers to be known as an aromatic mixologist or natural perfumer.
In 1993 Sandra founded two successful enterprises: a natural health retail operation, The Natural Nut Health Shop and Natural Sense Aromatherapy a wholesale distributorship. Over the years her businesses received accolades through several publications in industry magazines, newspapers, and interviews on CBC radio and television talk shows. The Royal Bank of Canada featured her in several of their publications and she was coined as one of their Champion Women Entrepreneurs. In 2001 she also received an award from the Retail Council of Canada for being a socially responsible retailer.
After ten years in retail with two locations, Sandra decided to focus on her wholesale supply business known as Natural Sense Aromatherapy, which became one of Canada’s esteemed distributors of essential oils and spa products supplying hundreds of clients across Canada, the United States and beyond.
After the birth of Sandra’s first grandchild, Sandra was compelled to sell her distribution company. The little one was diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Loeys-Dietz syndrome and it became evident that Sandra’s daughter would need help with the baby due to multiple trips and numerous stays in hospital.
Sandra has always had a keen interest in personality development, intrinsic motivation and the coping mechanisms that people develop during times of stress and so during her entrepreneurial sabbatical she returned to school to study psychology while continuing to expand her olfactory repertoire. As a result, Sandra’s current interest now leans towards a behavioural and neurobiological perspective, a field now referred to as Aromachology which takes into consideration the human olfactory system and the emotional benefits of scent.
In 2015 Sandra opened Bespoke Aromatics, a thriving little aromatherapy boutique to which Sandra calls a ‘retirement hobby’ where she continues to share her knowledge about aromatic essences, while continuing to cultivate her passion by creating natural perfumes and other scented products that are free from petrochemicals and synthetics under the brand name Prima Essence.